It is not everyday you meet someone who has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. And it is even more rare to meet the climber who holds the Guinness World Record for climbing Everest in the fastest time. So one can appreciate how rarer still it is to have met the man who has also climbed Everest 15 times. Nepalese Sherpa Lhakpa Gelu broke the record in 2003, climbing the south side.
We had spent the morning driving 94 miles from Seattle to the Mount Rainier National Park to spend a couple of nights close by at a really nice wooden lodge with all mod cons. We decided to drop in at a local restaurant and upon leaving enquired why there were references to climbing Mount Everest and various clothing and equipment. It was then that the quiet and unassuming restaurateur told us that he had climbed Everest. When I asked how long it had taken, he was exacting with his timing – 10 hours, 56 minutes and 46 seconds. Lhakpa Gelu now lives in the US, keen that his children grew up with a good education. The life of a Sherpa is dangerous, and the more climbs that are carried out, the greater the dangers. It was an incredible chance meeting and without taking the opportunity to speak with others one never knows what interesting encounters one can have.
Our afternoon was spent in paradise. This could mean anything in this state with cannabis and marijuana being legal but actually, for us, it involved a visit to an area within the Mount Rainier National Park, named Paradise. And if this really is paradise there are parts of it I could happily spend an eternity in. Walking amongst wildflowers, looking at the incredible mountainous views and watching wildlife we had not seen before (including golden mantled ground squirrel, marmot and ptarmigan) were favourites. But if paradise is so darned hilly I want escalators added. Huffing and puffing up the mountainside only to climb down before going up again was not the gentle three hour stroll I was anticipating… but the views were incredible. We shall share some of the photos with you.
Our timing coincided with an abundance of wild plants in flower
Tomorrow we spend more time in this beautiful park.
Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019