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June 24, 2005
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| Climber on Mount Everest. (Photo courtesy of Neal Mueller) |
St. Paul, Minn. — Neal Mueller lives in Chaska, and he summitted the world's tallest mountain on June 2. His trip started two months earlier, when he flew from Minnesota to Nepal, and reached a base camp 18,000 feet up the mountain. That's three miles higher than the highest point in Minnesota.
The Everest summit brings Mueller one step closer to accomplishing his goal of climbing the highest mountain on every continent this year. That quest is referred to as the Seven Summits.
After Everest, Mueller and his climbing partner, Chris Grubb, have only to summit Australia's Mount Kosciusko, a trip they have planned for winter 2005.
Mueller says each peak poses different challanges and that Everest is a matter of endurance over all else.
At age 27, Mueller is one of the youngest people ever to accomplish the feat. And he did it on his first try, no easy task given Everest's punishing and volitile weather.
Mueller talked with MPR's Tom Crann about his climbing adventures. To listen to their interview, choose the audio link in the right column.
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