PORT TOWNSEND — As Leif Whittaker made his Mount Everest ascent, everyone at home speculated as to when — not if — he would reach the summit of the world’s tallest peak.
But for Whittaker “if” was a possibility, if just for a short time.
That moment occurred at Camp Four, which is just 3,000 feet shy of the 29,000-foot summit.
“We were almost at the top when the weather turned bad,” he said Monday.
“We had to stay in the camp for another day but couldn’t have stayed beyond that because we didn’t have enough food or oxygen left to get us all the way down.”
Whittaker went to sleep 15 minutes before the expedition had to decide whether to go up or down. The skies were roiling.
But when he awakened 20 minutes later, the weather was calm and skies clear, so he and his fellow climbers made the last ascent to the top of the world.
Like father, like son
Port Townsend native Whittaker, 25, reached the summit May 25, 47 years after his father, Jim Whittaker, became the first American to do the same thing.
A full night’s sleep is one modern luxury that goes away when climbing Mount Everest, since the altitude allows for little more than a catnap.
A warm bed, a toilet, family and friends are also not within reach.
Also absent is something that doesn’t exactly qualify as a luxury — lungsful of fresh air.
Whittaker didn’t miss these amenities as he was following a lifelong ambition and was able to stay focused on that goal.
Afterward his climb and descent, he made a beeline home, arriving in Port Townsend in just 10 days.
He doesn’t recall exactly what he said when his parents and brother met him at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but he remembers that it wasn’t particularly profound.
He came away with a better understanding and appreciation of his father’s accomplishments, something he had heard about since childhood.
“I was amazed about what my dad had accomplished,” Whittaker said.
“I’ve heard the stories and read his memoirs a couple of times but never realized what an amazing accomplishment it was until I went up there myself.”
Staying connected
While on the mountain, Whittaker was able to stay connected to the world through a portable broadband satellite connection on which he communicated voice, data and photographs.
Whittaker said he could have done without the electronics, but another improvement was more essential.
Modern Everest climbers follow a network of guide ropes affixed to the mountain that leads them upward.
Jim Whittaker made the climb without the ropes.
That impresses his son to no end.
And now what?
Leif Whittaker now plans to relax for a few days on the Washington coast.
Longer term, he hopes to publish a few magazine pieces that could be expanded into a book.
Along with those, there exists a generous helping of still photography and video that could be turned into a movie.
“There are a lot of Everest books out there,” he said. “I don’t have a catastrophe to write about, so in that way it could be pretty tame.
“But I think that I’d like to braid my experience with my dad’s, since nothing like that has been done before.”
He’d also like to add some humor, providing accounts about a Himalayan poker tournament and how Sherpa guides would often smoke cigarettes after a long day of climbing.
While he ponders literary opportunities, he is also scouting around for a summer job.
Previously, he worked in Wildernest for a summer, which he will not do again. Instead, he might lead expeditions up Mount Rainier or find another outdoors-oriented position.
“For the last few years, I’ve worked summer jobs to earn money and then traveled the world in the winter spending it,” he said.
As for Everest, he’s not ruling out an encore.
“I’d love to go up again,” he said. “It would be a different experience. “
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
