75-Year-Old Becomes Oldest American to Scale Everest

75 Year Old Becomes Oldest American To Scale Everest

(UnitedVoice.com) – The climb to the summit of Mount Everest is one of the most dangerous treks in the world. Mountaineers have to be in top physical shape to make the ascent that generally takes several days. An elderly man recently became the oldest American to ever make the 29,031-foot journey.

On May 23, 75-year-old Northbrook, Illinois, resident, Arthur Muir, reached the highest peak in the world. The former lawyer didn’t intend to become a record-breaker when he reached the top, he just wanted to complete one of his personal lifelong goals. And, he’s a man that firmly believes people should set goals for themselves, even if they never meet them.

Before Muir made the Everest trek, he’d climbed other mountains while living in Colorado. Then in 2013, his friend asked him if he wanted to climb Ecuadoran volcanoes with him. The retired attorney said that prior to that, all he really did was lift his phone from behind a desk. But he told his friend he would do it and together they climbed two volcanoes, Cotopaxi and Cayambe. “It was hard — it was really hard,” Muir said. Nonetheless, he loved it and eventually decided he wanted to climb Everest.

Muir trained hard to make the climb up the world’s tallest mountain where dozens of people have died and climbers often face harsh winds, ice, and freezing conditions. He overcame incredible odds, a shoulder injury, surgery, and extremely difficult mountain training. In the end, he made it. He stood on top of the world.

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