California 13-year-old to attempt to climb Everest

Associated Press ^ | 4/6/10 | Raquel Maria Dillon

[piperpilot]

A 13-year-old California boy plans to try to climb Mount Everest in a quest to reach the summits of the highest peaks on all seven continents.

[dmz]

Can you imagine how freaking creepy that would be. Climbing past all these others frozen up there.

LOL. How do you feel walking/driving past cemetaries. People are dying to get in them, too.

Have you always been so squeamish?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Jeez... whatever happened to Dad building the kid’s pinewood derby car for him so he could beat the Scoutmaster’s kid?

[calex59]

Contrary to popular belief, this girl is not the only child to get a pilots license. Most of them didn’t crash. The legal age used to be 12. Most teenagers who earned licenses at that age lived to be old people. One incident does not add up to the whole.

[piperpilot]

The dad and his “girlfriend” are mountaineers but I got the impression that they aren’t what I would call Everest material. They will be accompanying the kid on the trip.

[bikerman]

hopefully the child services will step up and prevent this

Just what we need more government to tell us how to live. The kid is experienced with the help of his father this isnt the first mountain he has climbed. Go for it kid show the liberals whiners a thing or two.

[Political Junkie Too]

That was my first thought, too.

Katie Couric had her on the Today Show the morning before she died.

-PJ

[piperpilot]

Yes, I did read the article. I stand by my conclusion. Kilimanjaro and McKinley are pea shooters compared to Everest. At the highest camp on either the North or South route to the Summit, the body begins dying because of the extreme altitude and lack of oxygen. That’s why only a few people who have been trapped up near the top overnight have ever come down alive—Lincoln Hall being the most recent in 2006. In 1996, Rob Hall survived overnight but his legs wouldn’t move in the morning and he died there.

[cweese]

I understand the risks, but don’t feel it’s any of my business. I know that I sure as hell wouldn’t attempt it.

[Frantzie]

Are you serious? Have you ever read about what is really like up there on Everest? Old junk, tents, oxygen tanks that ran out, bodies supposedly all over the place. Yeah I want to climb Everest. It would be creepy as h*ll.

Squeamish? A little cause I was never a U.S. Navy Corpseman.

[dmz]

Sure have. I think the folks who do it are nuts, but that’s just me. The creepy factor is not a factor for me, though.

I like vacations that are warm, sunny, and the drinks for my wife have umbrellas in them. I’ll forgo the umbrellas in mine.

[ScreamingFist]

Taking his well trained 13 year old son as well, as part of a climbing family doesn’t seem unreasonable, remember that this does not have to be one of those “do or die” efforts, there is no reason to think that they will fall into a succeed at all costs trap like others have done.

Agreed. I'm amazed by the posts on this thread. I guess the "Can Do" American spirit has been replaced by fat-assed computer geeks that couldn't roll of of their couches long enough to get a beer from the fridge. I wish the young man a good journey and hope he makes it to the top.

[databoss]

Speaking from experience of having been in extremely dangerous conditions on rock an ice a 13 year old does not have the brainpower to understand what he is getting into...the Sherpa guides on Everest do not allow their own children to carry or go above 14,000 ft. For an adult to make the decision for the boy and influence him is patently wrong...imo

[Oceander]

Maybe this idiot can panhandle for spare change for LA while he’s at it.

[ScreamingFist]

Sherpa guides on Everest do not allow their own children to carry or go above 14,000 ft

Apparently, the youngest Sherpa on the summit of Everest was 16, so I guess "children" is in the eyes of the parent. I also assume that, Apa Sherpa, who has successfully summited Everest for the nineteenth time on May 21, 2009, breaking his own record for most successful ascents, is some kind of kook. After all, most on this thread consider Everest a suicide run.....

[airedale]

When I was talking to them I figured they had some tie in with the entertainment media here in Los Angeles. Runyon Canyon is by Hollywierd and that’s quite a distance to take a kid who lives in Big Bear to go hiking. It’s also not that much of a hill (3 miles 700 feet loss and gain and about 1500 feet in altitude instead of the 6,000 or so at Big Bear.).

[Mr Rogers]

Sounds like a good book - just ordered it from Amazon. Thanks - I hope!

[I Buried My Guns]

Hey, I didn't say it was a good book, just a good story. Don't be mad at me!

Actually, it was named as a "young adult selection", or something like that.

[WOBBLY BOB]

It’ll look like the waiting line at the new Obamacare ER
during a Minnesota winter.

[Frantzie]

LOL! Hilarious.