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Samantha Larson: Youngest American to Summit Mt. Everest
I've had dreams of climbing Mt. Everest ever since I first read John Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Of course, my dreams often include me casually strolling up the side of the mountain -- warm cup of coffee in my hand -- making it to the top of the world's tallest mountain with minimal effort to pose for pictures in front of a flag with my own face on it. Cut me some slack...these are dreams! It turns out that Everest is a bit more difficult to climb than my subconscious -- or even a teenage girl -- would lead you to believe.Samantha Larson -- an 18-year-old girl from Long Beach, California -- has become the youngest American to climb Mt. Everest, and the youngest in the world to climb all 7 summits.
"We made it to the top!" she exclaimed on her blog upon reaching the summit of Everest last Wednesday. "Now all we have to do is get back down..." Turns out she could be the world's highest blogger as well!
Congratulations, Samantha -- only 16 more to tie Apa!
Filed under: Climbing
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tt May 23rd 2007 2:15PM
Bravo! Great job! Couldn't be the youngest so now I am gunning for the oldest.
Frenchman Bertrand 'Zébulon' Roche says he climbed Everest at 17 years, 217 days in October 7, 1990. Some sites say he paraglided down from there. Nepali Ming Kipa Sherpa is the youngest person to climb Everest successfully. She did it with her elder sister Lhakpa Sherpa, first woman to do it thrice, and her elder brother Mingma Gyalu in 2003.
tt May 23rd 2007 2:18PM
Her photo after she arrives back in Kathmandu after the ascent http://www.nepalphotoagency.com/row.php?image_row=5c2kv3fpBR-230507x2-MNH-Samantha18U.jpg
Jonny Krol May 31st 2007 1:54AM
Samantha,
Congratulations on making it to the summit. I'm actually also from So Cal, I live in Glendale though, about an hour from Long Beach. It's an incredible thing what you did, summiting at the age of 18. I was actually sort of gunning for 19, so I guess I'll have to either do it faster, or I'll have to stick with youngest American male. Either way, its not a competition. Once again, congrats, and if you decide to summit again, i'll be rooting for you.