Man to attempt Everest again

After about 30 nights in a comfortable bed and multiple meals at his favorite Mexican restaurant, Bill Burke is ready to begin his training regimen for a return trip to Mt. Everest.

The 65-year-old Costa Mesa resident was 330 feet from his goal of reaching the summit of the world’s tallest mountain last month when he decided to turn around, fearing he would not have the energy to make it back to camp safely should he make the final push.

But for Burke, there’s always next time.

“I felt particularly proud of the fact that I was able to make that difficult judgment call just an hour-and-a-half from the summit,” he said. “I promised my family, my friends and myself that I wasn’t going to kill myself on this mountain, and I knew coming down that the mountain would still be there next year.”

When he chose to turn back, Burke was about 10 steps below the South Summit, often mistaken for the mountain’s pinnacle in photographs and the only place from which climbers can clearly view the true peak.

“I stopped just short because I was afraid if I saw the summit, I would be tempted to climb it,” Burke said, his pants hanging from his waist as he struggles to gain back the 30 pounds he lost on the trip.

Though nothing compares to the moment when Burke first saw the mountain and the plume of ice and snow that wafts from its peak, his most memorable moment came at the end of the journey.

While descending, Burke watched in horror as his digital camera — and all of the photographs it contained — tumbled more than 3,000 feet down the mountain. The next day, Burke was greeted at Base Camp by an expedition leader who had recovered it in working condition.

“What are the chances of someone finding this thing, and second, of the camera working?” Burke said, adding that he intends to write a letter to Canon about his “miracle camera.”

As he plans next spring’s climb, Burke is confident he will be successful, as long as he has more time to rest at Camp IV, the highest camp, before making his summit attempt, unlike last month when he and his Sherpa pushed to the 29,035-foot summit from Camp III (24,500 feet) with little respite, climbing for close to 24 hours.

Sherpas are Tibetan people who are accustomed to the high altitudes of the Himalayas and often provide support to foreign climbers.

Burke is also considering going with a guide, which could cost him about $65,000, though his wife Sharon considers it worth every penny. One thing Burke is not looking forward to revisiting is the Khumbu Icefall, said to be the most dangerous part of the climb, where climbers cross horizontal ladders between giant blocks of ice.

“Looking at chasms that are 500 feet down is pretty unnerving,” he said.

“It will be unnerving again,” Sharon interjected.

“It will be, but at least I will know what to expect,” Burke said.