Robert Kay climbed all of the way to the top of Mount Everest last week, but his legs couldn’t carry him all the way back down.
The Lincoln business owner -- believed to be the first Nebraskan to summit the world’s highest peak -- was evacuated by helicopter from Camp 2 on Saturday, three days after reaching the mountain’s 29,000-foot top.
“I could walk down hill for 10-20 steps before sitting down for several minutes at a time,†the 54-year-old wrote in a text message . “All I wanted to do was sit forever which is exactly what it would have been.â€
It’s been a busy season on Everest, with more than 300 climbers already reaching the summit so far. But it’s been deadly, too. The mountain has claimed at least four climbers in the past week, according to news reports: Three from altitude sickness and one from a fall. Two other climbers are missing. And an estimated 30 more are sick or suffering from frostbite.
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This was Kay’s fourth attempt. He was turned back in 2010 by lightning and extreme cold, in 2013 by the threat of frostbite, and in 2014 by a deadly avalanche.
After summiting last week, he was slowed in his descent by a pair of altitude-related illnesses, his wife, Patty Kay, said Tuesday. He needed help getting down to Camp 3, at 23,500 feet, and she was grateful to his outfitters at Altitude Junkies, and the Sherpas and strangers who got him in range of a medical helicopter.
“The best way for him to recover was to get down quickly,†she said. “That’s why they flew him down. The quicker you get down, the better you get.â€
He was checked out by doctors in Lukla, in northeast Nepal, and then in Katmandu, where he’s staying at the Hyatt while receiving medical treatments for his pulmonary and cardiac edemas.
Patty Kay hasn’t spoken much to her husband because his persistent cough makes it tough for him to talk. But they’ve texted frequently, and she expects him to return to Lincoln at the end of the month and make a full recovery.
“It’s just going to take a little while. It’s a very strenuous climb,†she said. “And as you see from all the news, some people don’t just make it, even if they’re in awesome shape.â€