KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Nepali Sherpa, who now lives in West Hartford, broke her own record as the most successful female climber of Mount Everest by reaching the summit of the world’s highest peak Thursday.
Lhakpa Sherpa and several other climbers took advantage of favorable weather to reach the summit early in the morning.
The expedition organizer said she was in good health and was safely descending from the peak. Lhakpa never got a chance to get a formal education because she had to start earning a living by carrying climbing gear and supplies for trekkers. Thursday’s ascent was her 10th.
In a 2018 interview on Connecticut Public Radio’s Where We Live, Lhakpa said, though she returns to Nepal and Everest, she feels that Connecticut is home. “Both of my daughters were born in Hartford, and even though my English is not so good, I feel like I am a Connecticut resident right now,” she said.
Lhakpa said in the 2018 interview she never attended school in Nepal because she was a girl. “I never went to school, I just wanted to learn about myself. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned myself, step-by-step,” she said.
Climbing Everest was always a dream for Lhakpa. ”I was born at a high altitude. Since I was a baby — in my childhood — I just see this mountain around me. I never had anything nice, I never had a cell phone, but I see this mountain when my eyes open. And I love this mountain.”
For more on Lhakpa’s experience, including her own climbing company, visit Cloudscape Climbing.
