Climber to Break Record With Mt. Everest Clean-Up Climb

Apa Sherpa, 49, has climbed Mount Everest a record 18 times but now he’s preparing for a 19th, this time to clean up the mess left by the thousands of climbers who have scaled the mountain since 1953.

Apa, a high-altitude guide, plans to take the Eco Everest Expedition up the mountain to clean up garbage left by previous expeditions. Climbers have noted the build-up of waste on the mountain for several years.

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But Apa will leave something on the mountain as well: a vase containing 400 sacred Buddhist offerings at the summit. The offerings are intended to raise awareness about climate change and restore the sanctity of the Himalayas, according to the WWF.

Apa will also carry a banner reading: “Stop Climate Change; Let the Himalayas Live!” The mountains’ glaciers have been rapidly shrinking due to decreased rain, shrinking the water supply for people, animals and plants living in the valleys below.

“It is not easy but I hope I will succeed,” Sherpa said. “If I can reach the vase to the top I will be happy because it is for peace and climate change.”

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