Local climber tackles Mount Everest at home

SEATTLE — A Seattle man found a creative way to climb Mount Everest after the pandemic postponed his trip.

Andrew Hughes climbed a flight of stairs in his front yard 5,638 times. It took him 19 hours to complete 22 miles, which is equivalent to the Mount Everest trek. Even though the Seattle climb didn’t resemble the snow-covered Himalayas or altitude, Hughes set up a tent on the front porch and carried gear.

An experienced climber, Mount Everest was going to be his seventh summit in Asia. However, he says this at home climb was actually more challenging.

“I think it was harder than a lot of mountains because I could have easily opened the door and gone inside to lay on the couch. To have the opportunity to push through something that mentally challenged me was almost more rewarding than some of the mountains I climbed before. There are ways to continue to live our dream they just may not look as we may have envisioned them several months ago,” said Hughes.

Hughes also used his climb to raise money for the Seattle Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. His Mount Everest climb has been rescheduled for this time next year.

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