Ralph2
29th April 2005, 07:45 PM
By TERRY WEBER
Friday, April 29, 2005 Updated at 9:11 AM EST
Globe and Mail Update
A University of Ottawa professor striving to be the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of Mount Everest died early Friday after suffering an apparent heart attack on his way down the mountain.
Sean Egan's body will be transported to Kathmadu and then returned to Canada.
According to a statement, Mr. Egan had been suffering a respiratory infection since arriving at the mountain's base camp in late March and decided to retreat to a lower altitude to help his recovery and get further medical attention.
Mr. Egan was in the tiny settlement of Dughla, Nepal, at an altitude of about 4,620 metres en route to Pheriche when he apparently went into cardiac arrest.
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The expedition was Mr. Egan's third trip to the mountain and his first summit attempt.
At 63, Mr. Egan would have been the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of the famed mountain, according to an article posted earlier this year on the web site MountEverest.net.
Mr. Egan, a professor of human kinetics at the University of Ottawa, had been with the university since 1977. Mr. Eagan held a Bachelor of Arts in literature from University College Dublin. He also studied in Paris and Oregon.
Mr. Egan a long-time athlete born in Ireland first trekked to Mount Everest in 1998 and returned in 2000 to conduct research projects that included studying the personalities of mountain climbers and sleep difficulties at high altitudes.
The most recent trek part of the 2005 Kanatek Everest expedition began in late March, MountEverest.net said.
Last week, another member of the expedition Ottawa resident Ben Webster was airlifted from base camp after suffering a broken leg.
Speaking with the Ottawa Citizen after that accident, Mr. Egan foreshadowed the dangers of climbing the mountain.
"Lucky for Ben it was just his leg, he told the newspaper. It could have been worse. One little step the wrong way and you could fall into a crevasse."
More than 1,500 people from 65 countries have scaled Mount Everest from either Nepal or Tibet in the wake of Sir Edmund Hillary's ground-breaking expedition in 1953.
About 185 climbers have died on the mountain.
Reuters News Agency reported earlier this week that 53 expeditions have obtained Nepali permits to climb 19 peaks in the range so far this year.
In 2004, a total of 58 permits were granted in the tiny Himalayan nation, which has been rocked in recent years by political upheaval.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050429.weverest0429/BNStory/International/
Friday, April 29, 2005 Updated at 9:11 AM EST
Globe and Mail Update
A University of Ottawa professor striving to be the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of Mount Everest died early Friday after suffering an apparent heart attack on his way down the mountain.
Sean Egan's body will be transported to Kathmadu and then returned to Canada.
According to a statement, Mr. Egan had been suffering a respiratory infection since arriving at the mountain's base camp in late March and decided to retreat to a lower altitude to help his recovery and get further medical attention.
Mr. Egan was in the tiny settlement of Dughla, Nepal, at an altitude of about 4,620 metres en route to Pheriche when he apparently went into cardiac arrest.
Advertisements
click here
Click Heread1
The expedition was Mr. Egan's third trip to the mountain and his first summit attempt.
At 63, Mr. Egan would have been the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of the famed mountain, according to an article posted earlier this year on the web site MountEverest.net.
Mr. Egan, a professor of human kinetics at the University of Ottawa, had been with the university since 1977. Mr. Eagan held a Bachelor of Arts in literature from University College Dublin. He also studied in Paris and Oregon.
Mr. Egan a long-time athlete born in Ireland first trekked to Mount Everest in 1998 and returned in 2000 to conduct research projects that included studying the personalities of mountain climbers and sleep difficulties at high altitudes.
The most recent trek part of the 2005 Kanatek Everest expedition began in late March, MountEverest.net said.
Last week, another member of the expedition Ottawa resident Ben Webster was airlifted from base camp after suffering a broken leg.
Speaking with the Ottawa Citizen after that accident, Mr. Egan foreshadowed the dangers of climbing the mountain.
"Lucky for Ben it was just his leg, he told the newspaper. It could have been worse. One little step the wrong way and you could fall into a crevasse."
More than 1,500 people from 65 countries have scaled Mount Everest from either Nepal or Tibet in the wake of Sir Edmund Hillary's ground-breaking expedition in 1953.
About 185 climbers have died on the mountain.
Reuters News Agency reported earlier this week that 53 expeditions have obtained Nepali permits to climb 19 peaks in the range so far this year.
In 2004, a total of 58 permits were granted in the tiny Himalayan nation, which has been rocked in recent years by political upheaval.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050429.weverest0429/BNStory/International/