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[wind whooshing]
[breathing deeply]
[woman narrating] I'm a night dreams.
I'm a day dreams.
And when I dream, I see the beautiful mountain.
[woman vocalizing]
[narrating continues] I go up in the mountain
I grow bigger and bigger and bigger.
-[wind whooshing] -[oxygen tank hissing]
I go down,
I'm a small mouse.
[oxygen hissing]
[wind roaring]
[rustling]
-Base Camp, Base Camp, Base Camp. -[walkie-talkie beeps]
[wind whooshing]
We no go down because we really work hard
we're almost here.
One night wait here, one night try.
[woman] I want to be somebody.
I want to do something good.
I want to show my two girls how to be brave.
Look like not give up.
[static hisses, beeps]
Base Camp transmit, copy, copy.
10-4.
[wind whooshing]
[static hissing]
[woman speaking, indistinct]
-But the people in Camp Four are going up? -[girl] Mm-hmm.
-[man] Yeah. -Even in the bad weather?
No. They, they're trying to contact Camp Four, your mom.
If any--
How many tanks of oxygen does each person have?
It holds maybe fourteen hours.
[static hissing]
[sighs deeply]
[woman] In Sherpa culture, Everest is Chomolungma.
It means, "God and Mother."
[wind whooshing]
[zipper zips]
I respect it like my mom.
[hissing]
The Mountain Everest I look.
My life has hurt me, you know?
I'm hurt everywhere I go.
You know? You make me
so look like strong, look like you.
You are mountain queen.
You make me queen too.
[woman vocalizing]
[bell chimes]
[crickets chirping]
[exhales]
Mmm.
Oh! Oh, beautiful!
Sunshine! [panting] Ooh!
[laughs, exhales]
I wish I can be all the time outdoors
but I can't, I need work
eight hours, nine hours, you know?
Whole Foods looks like a jail.
But I'm out and I feel, "Woot!"
My God I'm out of the jail. Somebody bailed me out, you know.
The sun takes all my bad energy.
My bad energy be dried by sun
and I have good energy come and after I go back.
I know which direction I need to go Everest.
That's it.
[crickets chirping]
Shiny,
say, "Nice working with you all."
and send heart.
[Lhakpa narrating] I wanna change my life for my children.
But I want something, I must work hard.
[cell phone rings]
-Hello. -Hello.
[speaking Nepali] Hey, Mingma, how are you doing?
[Mingma] Just getting Base Camp ready.
Why don't we get there through Jiri like the old expeditions?
[chuckles] Okay, through Jiri.
Old Hillary's style, like Edmund Hillary did it, on foot.
I want to do it that way.
Okay, I'll organize that.
[in English] You want to carry this, Shiny? Kathmandu?
Here.
You understand Sherpa language a little bit, right?
-You do? -A little.
[Lhakpa] Yeah.
I wish Sunny also come.
But my bugging no work.
[Shiny] I don't want to get sick though. Like, altitude sickness.
[Lhakpa] Yeah.
[Shiny] This is my dad
at the top of Everest, and he's holding a picture of his dad.
I've asked my mom about my dad, and, like, to tell me stories,
but she wouldn't want to go there.
And my sister doesn't even try to talk to us, really.
[Lhakpa] You okay, right, Sunny?
You okay?
I know you had many problems.
I tried my best in changing my life, you know?
Also our life.
I go climbing up and maybe we will change our life a little bit.
Sunny, Mama loves you. [voice breaks, sniffles]
I care about you. [sniffles]
But I need to go.
I need to go.
I hope you will stay nicely here, you know?
[speaking Nepali] Keep an eye on your sister.
And help her shopping.
Okay, I will.
Alright, bye.
-[in English] Bye. -Just text me when you're in Nepal.
-[Shiny] Okay. Bye. -When you arrive.
[plane whooshes]
[bell chimes]
[birds tweeting]
[in Nepali] Should I begin? [clears throat]
I was born in Shersong, Yak Kharka.
And my parents were yak farmers.
[chattering]
[Lhakpa] We Sherpa is a few people.
Living a very hard life in the mountains.
And all people last name is Sherpa.
Sherpa, Sherpa, Sherpa.
First name decide by which day born.
We born Wednesday, we put a "Lhakpa."
We born Tuesday, they put a "Mingma."
At that time in Nepal system, only boy go to school.
Girl doesn't matter.
So I carry young brother two hours to school,
and two hours back. No good road, you know?
I'm a very good yellow bus.
But I'm not allowed to go inside because only boy.
One day I look, "What are they teaching?"
I still remember…
[reciting in Nepali]
…like that teaching.
I remember. Still I remember.
Nepali A-B-C-D.
All Sherpa is make arranged marriage.
My mom and dad and all my sisters and brothers
have arranged marriage.
They never no fall in love,
they never no kissing.
My little sister already marriage.
And I'm still no marriage because my mom said I'm too tall, too tough
and I'm very, very bossy.
Really I'm very upset at that time.
I feel nobody like me.
I feel I'm ugly.
I told my mom, "I never no wanna marriage look like you."
I'm living life in the mountain.
She no have an outside life.
I'm so stuck.
I'm a wild girl.
You know, nature girl.
I wanted something different.
I wanted what my heart want.
[plane whooshes]
[chattering]
[singing in Nepali]
[singsong] Hello.
[children chatter in Nepali]
[speaking Nepali]
[Shiny] In Hartford, I don't talk about my home.
I don't talk about my personal life.
If kids were to ask where I lived,
I'd have to explain, "My mom didn't have an education."
"She couldn't--" You know? People might think you're poor.
And I just don't wanna do that.
My room, I share it with my mom, and there are mattresses.
We don't have bed frames or anything like that.
[chattering]
My mom really wanted this summit to be
the summit where everything starts getting better for our lives.
But, I'm not sure how much our whole life is going to change.
[horns beeping]
[speaking Nepali] By my estimate we'll reach Base Camp around April 26th.
We'll have to move slowly with the children.
We'll be fine if we take it slowly.
The first thing is just to get the girls to Base Camp
and we can teach them along the way.
[Mingma] Yes, so we'll have to go slowly.
[Lhakpa] They'll slowly figure it out.
[Mingma] On this expedition, Shiny and Jangmu will stay at Base Camp.
They'll learn how we do everything there.
[Lhakpa] Jangmu and Shiny are still domesticated,
they're like zoo tigers.
We're going to have to train them to turn them into wild tigers, like us.
[Mingma] They'll figure it out eventually.
-[Lhakpa] Mmm. -[Mingma] They're still young.
-We'll take it slow. Baby steps. -[Lhakpa] Yes, baby steps.
Wow, two sporty girls.
One American girl, one Nepali Sherpani.
I'm your guide.
-Nice to meet you. -[Shiny chuckles]
You're ready for Everest Base Camp?
I'm a sherpa coming, "Hey!"
"Madam, madam, come, come."
-Hey, I'm a good guide? -Yeah. [Shiny chuckles]
[Lhakpa] Here, that is Everest Base Camp.
That is the Khumbu Icefall.
We are very danger in this part.
This area's Camp Four, here.
And after Camp Four we'll walk all night climbing up eight thousand meters.
Fifty meters technical rock climbing
and after we reach the summit.
[bell chimes]
One day I'm thinking about it:
I no see back side of the mountain.
I wish I can climbing up on top, and I can look.
I wanna see other side who live.
I asked my grandmother. And grandmother say,
"Yetis live there."
And I told my grandmother,
"One day I'll wanna go."
And my grandma tried to scare me.
"Oh, if you behave very bad
and yetis come in nighttime and took you."
And my sister so scared.
-[birds tweeting] -[chattering]
In Makalu region, in my country,
when we see first tourists that came
we think it's yeti.
Very tall, blue eye, blonde hair.
"Mama, yeti coming! Yeti coming!"
Mama say, "Oh my God" and Mama also run.
But after tourists just want to take picture, hang around
we go slowly near them,
[birds tweeting]
and we see that blonde people's no danger.
Every year they're coming.
-[bells chime] -[chattering]
In that time, all the men became porters.
But woman no go porter.
I said, "Please, give me that job."
One of my cousins, he cannot pick up big rock, you know.
I pick up this rock and throw it like a football
and he been porter.
If I look like woman, they no give a job for me.
So I cut the short hair.
Put a hat, look like a boy.
I pick up heavy, heavy load. A hundred kilos, you believe?
I look like a yak with a basket.
I follow the blonde people.
My secret life.
I love it.
Every single day
I wake up my eye,
I see beautiful mountain around me.
[rustling]
My mama says:
"Snow leopard come eat you."
And my dad said, "Okay, let her go."
If animal coming, she fight back.
My dad told me, because I'm not easily killed.
Because I'm so strong.
I say goodbye to my family.
And after, I get bigger and bigger job, you know.
They put me "kitchen boy."
We sleep there.
Carry a kitchen tent. And set up the camp.
That is a difficult job. I did it.
Other girls never no did kitchen boy,
only I did kitchen boy.
I learned English there too.
[singsong] "Hello, good morning. Excuse me."
I say, "Tea, tea."
I felt so proud.
And I want to learn new things.
[speaking Nepali] I'll give my life to the mountains,
keep climbing until the day I die.
[bells chiming]
And I don't want to get married.
-[woman] Why is that? -[Lhakpa chuckles]
I was in a relationship before but I got badly betrayed.
[woman] Is it okay to talk about that marriage?
Mmm. Well…
[sighs deeply] We didn't actually get married, but we were in love.
We had a son, and I'm raising him.
My son is in school now,
[clears throat]
that's all.
[woman] Who was the father? Is he around?
Mmm… He wasn't faithful to me, he hung around with other girls.
He looked down on me because I grew up in the wrong village.
[sniffs]
[sniffles]
I'm lucky. I get a good son, Nima.
But people, they talking about me. "Oh, shame!"
[Lhakpa] I not show my face
many, many years to my family members.
[woman vocalizing]
-I hide in the big city. -[chattering, indistinct]
-[horn beeps] -I clean house for other people.
They no pay me but they give me food for my son.
I feel my life is over.
[woman vocalizing]
[horn beeps, engine roars]
-[Lhakpa speaking indistinctly] -[gates squeaking]
I really respect that woman.
-And I follow her footsteps, you know? -[Shiny] Yeah.
[Lhakpa] That is for me very important.
Being the Sherpani first woman climbing Everest.
[in Nepali] "From the honorable Prime Minister
to the first Nepali female to climb Mount Everest
Mrs. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa."
[Lhakpa] She never no been in school, like me.
She never no been educated.
And I said, "Oh my God, I can do that."
I'm attempting this to inspire other Nepali women.
That's why I'm trying. [chuckles]
-[man] Isn't it difficult for you? -It's not that difficult.
[Shiny] Well, what happened to her? What went wrong?
Bad weather, sherpa cannot go rescue.
She stuck on the mountain near the summit and she finished the oxygen.
Sherpa cannot go rescue, very bad weather
very bad weather.
And sherpa and she stay three weeks up
with no oxygen and with no food.
And they both died.
She died.
And she came near my house.
I'm right there
and I saw her face very dark and blue.
Looked like a sunburn.
I give her a flower.
I feel that right away her soul go me.
Her power
she gave me.
[bell chimes]
[in Nepali] Pasang Lhamu climbed, and that made me believe
if Pasang Lhamu can do it
then we Nepali women can do it, even I can do it.
[in English] I need somebody sponsor me.
I knocked on so many doors,
"Please help me! I want to go to Everest."
I've been to a hundred people.
They no believe me.
[mocking voice] "Oh yeah? You, really? You have children."
Somebody said, "Woman talk cheap." You know.
That make me more angry, they make me more power.
I want to prove to people I do it.
I will show you one day, I will show you.
I hear about this running race.
I can do this easily, you know, I feel that.
I win prize money
two thousand dollars.
And I opened a small tea house.
Business people come in, and I asked
"Hey, brothers, I want to go Everest
but what I do the next step?"
One time one guy come.
He looked like a big police chief.
He said, "I know the Prime Minister very well."
"What do you want to say?"
I want to say, "I want climbing Mountain Everest."
I want to tell people the story that a woman can do it.
He write the letter for me. He take me to Prime Minister house.
One hour later, I met the Prime Minister.
He right away accepted
and said, "Yes."
I'm so happy and I said, "Wow! That is happened."
Look like a "boom!" like that, you know, he gives me,
look like magic.
Look like it catching my dream.
They say, "Oh, you cannot do Everest alone."
"We will make women's group."
And because all expedition was my idea
they put me leader.
[man speaking Nepali]
[in Nepali] Now I'd like to introduce the expedition team.
[woman] First, we have Lhakpa Sherpa,
who is leading this team.
There are around 200 dead bodies laying on the route to the summit.
That's proof that it is very dangerous to reach the summit.
What do you think about the danger?
A lot of Nepali people die in the army and police.
But what good is it getting scared?
People may die.
But that fear shouldn't stop us from reaching new heights.
Otherwise, how will our country ever make any progress?
[speaking in English] Ah, my God, I'm so excited.
[birds chirping]
But we have a little bit of a problem.
[woman] Lhakpa, our leader, must be at the top of the ridge.
She didn't want to wait for us. [laughs]
It's difficult for me to walk slowly.
It's not that I don't want to walk with the group,
but if they could walk faster it would be easier.
The leader is supposed to oversee everything.
It's fine here but on Everest this is not okay.
[Lhakpa] They were very angry with me.
They really wanted to put me down.
[speaking indistinctly]
[man speaking Nepali] Hold the rope!
[in English] Safety!
[speaking in Nepali] Because they're women, they need our advice.
Sometimes we even scold them.
What is that? Don't pack too much stuff for tomorrow.
Leave all of your makeup here.
Makeup? I didn't bring any.
We've stayed at Base Camp too long. I'm impatient to go up.
[speaking in English] I tell myself on the summit day I will show them.
[wind whooshing]
We had a little bit, look like a competition.
One Sherpa, old man Sherpa,
he told me, "Oh, you people no run here."
"Here you save energy."
"You run only summit day."
"Your competition day."
And I say, "Oh my God, he right."
All the other women very sick,
three girls already down.
And they return back.
But I no give up.
[speaking Nepali] You cannot force anyone.
It depends on one's desire.
[speaking English] Only one girl and me going to Camp Four.
Twenty minutes and she more trouble,
more sick.
She almost died.
[rumbling]
[speaking Nepali] Just beneath the summit,
snow was piling up and the wind was getting heavier.
The sherpa guides wanted to go back.
I told them I would rather go to the summit alone,
than go back down with them.
I couldn't care even if I died.
-[wind whooshing] -I keep walking.
I'm still going, keep climbing.
I keep climbing.
I see
on top of Mountain Everest.
[bell chimes]
Rainbow comes
and I go under
the rainbow look like, "Welcome the God."
So celebration that the God gives me looks like,
[high-pitched] "Welcome Lhakpa!"
All the mountains I'm looking on top and I say, "Wow."
I'm giant big mountain.
I can touch the sky and I can touch the moon.
I can touch the sunrise.
I feel I'm the biggest mountain woman ever.
[man over walkie-talkie] Lhakpa has reached the summit. The team is a success!
[Lhakpa speaking Nepali] When I got to the summit,
I cried and bowed down.
I told Everest "I'm going to have to step on you."
And I begged for forgiveness.
I wanted it even more for my Nepali sisters than for myself.
So I am extremely happy.
[crowd cheering]
[speaking English] Before Everest, I not been in eight years
in my mom's house.
Because I had a son, because I feel shame.
After I summit, my daddy was very proud of me.
All the time he say I'm a son.
He put me on "son" level.
I feel like a shining diamond.
I go carry my power back.
You can see your dad's sign in here.
You can see my name too.
-[Shiny] But can you tell me where? -[Lhakpa] I don't know.
[Shiny] Making me look through all of those is cruel.
I met your dad here, first time.
He have long hair, he walk and he look like a cool guy.
What was the first thing you said to him?
I no say nothing because I no speak English that time.
But he keep looking me,
laughing with the silver teeth.
He had little silver teeth, you know?
He follow me wherever I go.
All the sherpas say,
"George summit without oxygen."
Wow!
I never no see like that kind of strong man.
He has translator sherpa.
"Hey, Lhakpa, George really likes you."
I just say if he really like me,
"Come back next year," I told him.
And he said he will.
So next year
I work at Base Camp, Tibet side.
George is there.
"My God this guy's coming, what do I say?" [chuckles]
He said, "You want to come with me?"
"If you go work with the sherpa, you never no summit."
I go with George.
We go climbing together, look like partners.
Climbing buddies, very tight together.
I saw he is so strong.
He no need down pants, nothing.
He walk with jeans.
Very tight together you know very, very.
George a little chubby, I'm very skinny. [laughs]
Look like fly together,
look like bird wing.
We summit together.
First summit Tibet side.
So romantic.
I look sometimes that picture
and I cry myself, you know?
George said, "Come to Connecticut."
"We go climbing together, many, many mountains."
And then I said, "Wow, that is my dream."
[plane whooshes]
George pick me up outside the airport.
My first time in USA.
I am twenty-eight.
And I feel like I'm in heaven country.
My life is changing.
I have no idea he's Romanian.
He looks like an American guy.
I think English is Romanian.
And after I figure out no Romanian
that is Romanian language I learned
I back learn American language.
I start the work with George in construction
and I'm very strong carry with the roofing.
You know, I make gun shoot
to the roof.
I've learned so good roofing.
He wanted a baby.
We made Sunny.
After Sunny born, we got married.
At that time, we are very happy.
[singing in Nepali]
[all singing, laughing]
See you at Base Camp.
[Lhakpa] George have idea for climbing business.
Maybe I can work as a professional mountain climber.
[chattering]
George and me guide big Romanian expedition.
My brother Mingma and my little sister also come with us.
I'm a little chubby.
I'm a baby mama.
But I am very, very excited.
I feel I play sport again.
Everest is my game.
[man] Lhakpa, how do you feel?
Good.
A little bit hungry.
[man] Too much…
[Lhakpa] The Romanian people,
they all bring the whisky
and they fight.
And George is a very tough man.
He beat everybody.
One guy need go back hospital in Romania
because George one punch and he broke two ribs.
[wind howling]
My sister was very tired
and she walk over his bag with her crampon.
And he yell
and he slapped my sister.
That guy totally changing.
I see this perfect mountain man
turn very angry person.
We summit
but my sister and me sleep same tent
and George sleep in a different tent.
After that George want to keep me secret.
He say, "We don't tell our life to people."
"People no do nothing for you."
"People just use you, use you."
"I protect you."
He say it like that.
[woman speaking Nepali] So what do you do for a living in America?
I work.
What type of work?
I have to do whatever work an illiterate person can get.
[woman] How many kids do you have?
Did you get married?
I didn't.
I only have one son.
But I heard you had another baby? [laughing]
[Sunny] When I look at my childhood,
it's a lot of climbing trees, going outdoors,
looking for bugs and stuff, like, just childhood adventures.
-[Sunny laughing] -[man laughing]
But there's also, like, a dark side…
[man] Sunny, stop it! [laughing]
[Sunny] …of my mom and sister being scared.
Really, the moon. Oh my goodness.
Look, really! Look. I'm serious, look at that.
[Lhakpa] I wish Sunny here.
I tell Sunny, come with me.
[wind howling]
Sunny won't talk, she keeping inside.
And I say, "Sunny, talk, talk."
"You keep it in, you more hurt."
[Shiny] What's that over there?
That is Everest Base Camp.
Yeah.
-It was hard to get up this mountain. -Really? [chuckles]
Me? I feel nothing.
Okay, but I still got here before you.
I know you are before me, but I had the same level. You know?
Same level all the times.
-It's hard to breathe. That's all. -Yeah.
Me, no problem. See I'm up Base Camp same, same.
-[correcting pronunciation] Same. -And Camp Two, same.
Camp One, same.
My level is look like yak.
That's it.
[chattering, indistinct]
[Lhakpa] Thank you.
Thank you.
If you vomit, it's okay.
You'll feel good if you vomit.
[reporter] In the whole world, fewer than 2,000 people have ever seen these heights.
But, in two weeks, Connecticut alone will have
seven residents try to reach the top of the world.
Lhakpa Sherpa of Hartford is one of them.
She is the first and only woman in the world to summit three times.
We reached the summit together,
and, in a way, it means we have the same speed,
um, and we can safely climb without leaving one another behind.
[man] The idea with the Connecticut Everest expedition
was to pull in strong local climbers.
George was this underground legend,
and Lhakpa was the queen of the Sherpa.
How is this couple that lives in Hartford,
right under our noses,
the premier Everest climbers.
[man] I pitched doing a story on the expedition
to the newspaper I worked at, The Hartford Courant.
This was a time when Mount Everest was getting a lot of attention.
Lhakpa had a very interesting backstory,
but George was a fairly domineering character
and he would answer questions I wanted to ask Lhakpa.
-[George] Now you spill your tea! -[baby giggles]
[Michael] A lot of people see this few square meters
that happens to be higher than the rest of the world
as this portal to a better life.
George and Lhakpa subscribe to that.
[Dave] In order to be a full-time climber, you have to be a guide
or have sponsorship outside of the outdoor industry.
Both of those require a really high profile,
George and Lhakpa were hoping that publicity could get them there.
-[chattering, indistinct] -[cattle bell clanging]
I'm Michael Kodas, photojournalist for The Hartford Courant
and a member of the Connecticut Everest Expedition.
If you look behind me, you can see some of the Sherpa
that are helping us on the climb.
You can see George Dijmarescu here having a beer.
[Michael, narrating] George's behavior really took a turn, almost immediately.
He was drinking a lot. He became very loud and very aggressive.
I don't know, man, that's…
I feel you, man, just little details, just little miserable…
[Lhakpa] I say, "Hey, you guide these people!"
I all the time say
"You no do that."
[Michael] There were a number of moments
where you thought it was the tipping point and this thing is gonna blow up,
but we continued up.
[woman] Lhakpa, good luck!
[man] Yeah, see you later, man.
[Dave] Michael started writing these
scathing weekly dispatches for The Hartford Courant
that were not very favorable to George.
And it was just like, "Holy shit."
[Michael] As things got more tense,
George went online and read the stories.
And I heard him scream threats
that he was going to cut the line to my oxygen tank,
or he'd light my tent on fire,
but he was going to make sure I didn't come back down from the mountain
-to report anything else about him. -[camera clicks]
Another expedition reached out and said, the weather window you're climbing into
is not nearly as good as you've been led to believe.
But when you're talking about weather, what you're really talking about is wind.
It makes the cold worse. It can blow you off the mountain.
It can pile up snow in places where it becomes more hazardous.
-[Dave] We can't see anything. -[wind howling]
It was like being inside of a ping pong ball.
It was just white. You couldn't tell what was up or down.
This is not the country club.
Everybody's there because they thought it would be fuckin' fun.
[Lhakpa] The weather turned so bad
but we still kept going.
Physically, mentally… very tired.
But, I did it, I summit.
[Michael] The tension actually intensified after they summited
and they got back down to Base Camp.
A number of climbers from other expeditions died,
and a climber went missing.
George insisted on mounting a rescue for him
that many of the other climbers felt was both unnecessary and dangerous.
-…oxygen. Too dangerous. -[George] Maybe no oxygen.
-No oxygen too dangerous. -Too dangerous…
One of the first rules of mountain rescue
is don't turn one person who is struggling or at risk into
multiple people who are struggling and at risk.
Sherpa, no job. No climbers. You understand? No job.
[Lhakpa] George pushed me, "Send your family up!"
And I told him, "My family can die too!"
I didn't want to kill my brother and my family.
And I say, "Sherpa want to go, but not today."
[Michael] When things got hostile, Lhakpa went into the tent,
and tents are not soundproof.
[Lhakpa] He turn look like bad weather
look like thunder, look like bullet.
-[man yelling] -George was yelling
and he punch me.
[loud thud]
[Michael] She was unconscious.
And I saw him dragging her out of the tent,
and I'd start making photographs.
And he made a comment, "Get this garbage out of here."
[people calling]
[Lhakpa] People's voices turned to lots of birds. [mimics bird]
I saw my whole life.
I fly near my mom's house.
I saw through everything, everything.
[indistinct chatter]
I felt ashamed of myself.
I want to die.
I want to go die.
Then I remember.
[voice echoing] Sunny.
-My girl is waiting in Hartford. -Sunny.
My baby. Sunny.
I'm not ready to die.
-I'm not ready. -[baby cries]
[bird chirping]
-Namaste. -Namaste, David.
How are you, Dave?
-It's so good to see you. -I grow old, you grow old.
[rustling in wind]
-[Lhakpa] Shiny's fifteen. Yeah. -[Dave] Fifteen, wow.
When are you going up?
[Lhakpa] Four nights. You?
I think we're going the same time.
I don't think you know how influential you were in my life.
In 2004, we summited in a storm, in a blizzard.
Two people dead on the rope.
-Frozen, their hands… -[Lhakpa] Frozen.
And they're hanging on the rope, and it's very steep,
so you have to unclip and climb around them.
And I got there and I stopped, and I was like, "Holy shit."
And you look at me,
and you're like…
-"Are you okay?" -[Lhakpa] Yeah.
And I said, "Yeah, I'm okay, but I'm really freaked out by this."
And you said, "If you're okay, then we're okay."
She very excited about meeting you
because her dad talking about you.
"Dave's my best friend."
[Dave] You can ask any questions you want.
I don't know, just maybe some fun memories.
I have a lot of fun memories with George.
We spent a lot of time in the mountains, and…
He saw a lot.
[Lhakpa] He had a difficult life in his childhood.
Very, very tough life his Romania.
He had just one trauma after another,
and then he finally escaped Romania.
His only way out was to get across the Danube River.
And one night he jumped into the river, and he swam to Yugoslavia.
He ran across Yugoslavia,
ran across the whole country at night, hiding in the woods,
and made it into Italy as a political refugee.
And then he made it to the US
through this refugee fund.
And he didn't speak English, and he's in this new country, in Texas,
and he had to just start a new life.
He had so many obstacles that beat him up.
He always… [voice wavering]
On these expeditions, he always… [sighs]
He always had a picture of you two,
laminated, with just a hole punched in it, and a piece of yarn.
And he always wore it around his neck. Always.
And it was always… in his jacket.
He loved you and your sister very, very much. [voice cracking]
[people calling, echoing]
[Lhakpa] I hear people noise.
[chattering, indistinct]
I open my eye.
I see.
North face is all red, bloody.
George, he's gone.
He drive car. He go away.
I say, "Oh my God, my children,
Nima, Sunny."
I need to go.
George and me same plane ticket.
We had airplane together.
He make me scared. He said, "You no see never your children."
"You never no see your children no more, that's it!"
I'm begging,
"Please!
Let me go back to my girl."
In New York airport he go
and I started to cry.
And many people ask me, "Why you cry?"
"My husband go."
Hours later he comes back
and I go.
My western life is really, really changing.
Nobody say, "Lhakpa, are you okay?"
I stay home
take care children.
I don't want my son see
George all the time yelling me.
I no have a power leaving George.
I no have money,
I have only children.
George took my power.
[indistinct chatter]
Okay. Yay, we did it.
-[man] Wow. -[Shiny] Wow.
Very good.
[indistinct chatter]
[whooping]
[man] Fast!
[Lhakpa grunting]
-So I can just start? -[Mingma] Yeah.
Shiny!
-[Shiny] Here. -You go this side. Okay.
[Lhakpa] Yeah.
Right. Push, push, push.
[Lhakpa] Push it!
-But it's not pushing. -[Lhakpa] Push the hand up.
[Mingma] Push up.
[Lhakpa] Push all the way to up!
Oh, good, good, good.
You climbing.
[Mingma] I'm with you. Okay, that's good. Push.
Okay, the summit.
[man] Okay, come down.
[all cheering]
I did it!
-Your back, you know? -I know. I was scared.
You tighten your back.
Again? Yeah, let's do it again.
[wind blowing]
[speaking Nepali] Up there, Camp One looks like this. Here, like this.
Here is a little bit difficult
due to stone fall situation.
[Lhakpa] Avalanche can come from there?
[Mingma] Yeah, avalanche may come at this place.
[Lhakpa] After Camp One… We can stay in Camp One…
[Mingma] We'll sleep for a day in Camp One.
And then after acclimatization, we'll return down the next day.
There is a cyclone over the ocean near Bangladesh.
It's gonna ruin the weather once it hits the mountain.
Very high wind.
[in English] The weather is very bad.
[in Nepali] Start heading up around 2 a.m.
[Lhakpa] Then after that if the weather improves, you can continue up, okay?
[in English] In 2005…
George go out.
He have a girlfriend
and we share George.
He says, "Nepal men have two wives."
Sherpa culture, very shame divorce.
I'm in a marriage with George, but he tricked me
look like a sherpa.
You know, just house sherpa.
Cook, kitchen, carry.
Kitchen boy.
But, still climbing Everest together.
In 2006
his girlfriend kicked out George,
and George and me go climbing.
And I never no have a period, all the way to the top in Everest.
And I told George,
"I'm pregnant."
And he really no want.
Doesn't matter if George is angry
I decide to keep Shiny.
After Shiny born
I give up the mountains.
These two girls, I must protect.
[wind blowing]
[Lhakpa speaking Nepali] Shiny, Jangmu, I'm leaving, okay bye.
[indistinct chatter, grunting]
[tense music playing]
[panting]
[exhales]
[heavy breathing]
[in English] So scary, make a noise.
Everything makes a noise, you know?
We just pray the God and keep moving.
We keep moving.
We don't move
any time ice right away crack in front.
[tense music continues]
[grunting]
When life is not easy for me
I think about my mountain.
Mountain is my childhood friend.
When I'm with George
I feel I'm alone.
Nobody sees me.
He treat me like I am nobody.
I cry so much all the time.
I no have tears no more.
[Michael] After the 2004 expedition,
there were all kinds of things I was able to dig up about George's behavior.
The discussion always came down to this consideration of, if you report this
and you hear that Lhakpa has been beaten or injured
because of your reporting,
will you feel better
than if you don't report this and you hear that she's dead?
[Lhakpa] And then, Michael Kodas' book comes out.
And George go bookshop.
I'm in the kitchen.
And he shout at me.
"You cannot read, I read. That book is not true."
And he throw the book, shoveled it in my face.
[Michael] There's always the question of whether
people are driven to sociopathic behavior when they're on the mountain,
or whether sociopaths look for a place to go
where they can behave the way they want.
[Lhakpa] George lost his reputation very badly.
He lost his mountain guide business.
I wish I can have the power
to take out this picture.
I feel shame.
This book came out
we more fight.
George more beat me.
This book is make me stop
ten years in Everest, I cannot go.
George say, "You no go no more Everest!"
"You better stay here!"
I love so much the mountain.
I'm so upset, I'm depression myself, now I'm a housewife.
I'm so sporty girl.
I'm an outdoor girl. I'm stuck as the housewife.
I'm okay. I enjoy my two girls.
I enjoy my girls but I love outdoor, you know?
[wind blowing]
[sighs]
[coughing]
[Dave] You're doing it, buddy!
No food in the stomach, dude. For a whole day.
[Lhakpa] He go K2 four times.
But he no summit.
In 2010,
George feel very weak.
He go doctor and doctor say, "You have cancer."
Doctor told him he can die.
And I say, George, anything you want
me helping you
I will save you.
After surgery, he come back home.
I take care of his cancer, I comb his hair.
He likes cherries a lot.
I buy them
and I feed.
I take care of everything.
He's still my husband and my children's dad.
[sniffling, panting]
[heart beat reverbarating]
-[groans] -[ice crunches]
[static hissing]
[exhales]
I'm thinking Shiny and Sunny.
I'm thinking Shiny, Sunny, Shiny, Sunny
in my mind, you know?
And I said, "I'm gonna die here."
[heavy breathing]
[static hissing]
[Lhakpa over walkie-talkie] Hey, Shiny.
Now I know you are in a very safe area.
This Khumbu Icefall for me is very dangerous.
Anytime I can die, I feel that.
My ice was moving violently.
Making a noise, banging, boom, like that.
I decide to stay Camp Two, OK?
Okay, when are you coming back?
I want to save my life and stay safe here.
Take care of yourself.
I will take care of myself. And I'm coming with the summit.
Mama loves you.
[static hissing]
Shiny…
[static hissing]
…love you.
That's it, okay.
[helicopter overhead]
[man over walkie-talkie] They are coming for the body now.
I see this guy. I met him two days ago.
He say, "Hey Lhakpa" you know.
He said he weak
and I told him, "Stay strong."
But he died.
He has children.
[phone ringing]
[phone chiming]
[Sunny] Hi, Shiny.
Hi, Sunny. How are you?
[Sunny] Good.
Are you enjoying being alone?
[Sunny] Yeah.
[Shiny] These are our cousins.
Say hello.
-Hello. -[Sunny] Hi.
Namaste from Nepal.
Wait, show me around more. I wanna see the scenery.
This is Lhotse, you see.
[Sunny] Yeah.
And this is Pumori.
[Sunny] Whoa.
[cousin] Many, many mountains, and here is Shiny…
[Shiny] So…
You can see Mount Everest, like, behind that mountain right there.
[Sunny] That's really cool.
[Shiny] There's a lot of avalanches here all the time. It's like…
[Sunny] You see that happen?
Yeah, we saw one happen.
[Sunny] Whoa.
Yeah, it looks dangerous.
[cousin] When are you coming to Nepal, next year?
I'd like to come, but I don't know when.
-We'll be waiting for you. -[chuckles]
[Sunny] That's so nice. Thank you.
-[Shiny] Bye. -[cousin] Bye-bye.
[Shiny] Bye.
[wind blowing]
[Lhakpa] You know, we cannot fight big mountain.
We just wait, whatever mountain say.
Mountain say no, we must wait.
Mountain say go, we go.
[rainfall]
This is new for me, I'm a little sick.
I had women things happen.
[wind blowing]
I feel shit.
I feel dirty.
[exhales deeply]
I'm a dirty, old raccoon Hartford.
That is I feel right now.
Looking food.
And he have a disease.
No have a doctor.
You know, that is I am right now, look at my face.
Collect garbage and I smell like a mile, mile smell.
Nobody comes to me.
Nobody fall in love with me that is
that is I am raccoon, old raccoon.
Oh my God.
I don't know why people fall in love in the mountains
for shit.
I feel really sick.
But I no have a choice, I wait here almost five days.
And I want to try.
It feels like I'm dying.
I had a period, very badly.
My period just came, two, three days,
so heavy period.
Normal people rest.
I fucking keep walking.
George says one day, "You will disappear."
[oxygen hissing]
"You run away, I will kill you."
I sleep all the time with Shiny.
George is my yeti.
Really yeti grab me.
All the time scared. Means he's my monster.
[oxygen hissing]
A woman cannot give up.
[oxygen hissing]
Very difficult, you know?
I feel crappy.
-But we must fight. -[man coughing]
Not give up.
[distant coughing]
[chirping]
[wind blowing]
In 2011,
Sunny's ten years old birthday.
[oxygen hissing]
George never invites Sunny's school friends.
He only invites his friends for drinking party.
Why drinking party?
That is children's birthday, children's party.
His temper very quickly come.
[Sunny] My dad was throwing an onion at my mom
and tugging and pulling really hard on my mom.
I was scared 'cause I was small, I couldn't do much.
[Shiny] My sister was hiding,
and I got up on this table because I couldn't reach their faces.
And I was just trying to separate them or, like, push my dad away.
[Lhakpa] Shiny protect me.
She's five years old.
She really protect me.
My dad just took her, like, hair…
My head this he go table is here…
[loud thud]
[Sunny] No child should see anyone do that.
No child should have that exposed to them that early, you know?
It's, like, traumatic at that point. Yeah.
[static hissing]
[hissing continues]
Her friend was the one that called the police.
[oxygen hissing]
Because I don't think my mum would have.
[oxygen hissing]
[Lhakpa] Police say, "What happened?"
And Shiny speak.
[mimicking Shiny's voice] "My dad, my dad beat my mom."
"No cry, Mama, no cry."
[oxygen hissing]
[strong wind blowing]
He really hurt me.
He's thinking I'm so bad woman.
But I'm such a loving woman.
He did so wrong my life.
Because, I'm very peace woman and he make me horrible
messy woman my life.
That's it.
One day
this man kill me.
I have to save my children's life.
I decide at hospital I don't want to go back.
I want to save my life.
The social worker decide me go shelter.
I said I want to go anywhere that's a safe area.
[strong wind blowing]
[oxygen hissing]
-Base Camp, Base Camp, Base Camp. -[walkie-talkie beeps]
-[wind blowing] -[police sirens waling in distance]
[woman] When I met Lhakpa, she had been at the safe house for about a week.
She was very afraid of George.
Everything she did, everything she talked about
was around George and safety and what she could do and not do.
It was, "You can't speak English. Nobody's going to believe you."
"Nobody's going to give you a job. You're going to be homeless. You need me."
One time, during an argument, he picked her up,
took her outside, threw her in the trash can
because he said that she was nothing more than garbage.
So… yeah.
[Lhakpa] I had only two children.
I don't have anything.
I take my children that's it.
I need to go in the shelters.
And I stayed eight months.
[Lopez] She used to look down.
She wouldn't make eye contact with anybody.
But little by little, I saw her grow.
And she was able to get a job and she started working.
And then she had the tenacity and the courage
to move from Hartford to West Hartford
to make sure the girls had a better school system,
because the West Hartford school system is very good.
She would walk with the girls to school no matter the weather.
[Lhakpa] Very difficult divorce, many years.
[Mercado Espinoza] At the trial, George gave the judge quite the fight.
Interrupting, disrespectful.
He treated Lhakpa like chattel.
He would mock her.
[Lhakpa] George talking, "Why don't I have a sole custody?"
"She's illiterate, she cannot do nothing!"
And the judge very upset.
"You no tell her illiterate because my mom is also illiterate
and now I'm the judge here."
I win, he lost.
And I get the sole custody.
My brother Mingma told me
"Please come Everest."
"You're still strong I know you can do that."
And Mingma set up the whole expedition for me.
I go, I'm so happy.
On top of the world
I feel like a giant big mountain woman.
I feel so strong.
Everest is my doctor.
Fix my soul.
[chiming]
I go down
I'm right away small mouse.
I'm a small, tiny mouse.
George asked me, "Please come talk with me."
I'm so scared.
Because he really wanted me come back
but I no want it.
and I say I don't want to die this man's hand.
I wanna die with peace in the mountain.
I told Mount Everest you give me everything.
You give me good life.
You are my God in the mountains, "Chomolungma, God Mother."
I feel that soul connection for me.
-[indistinct chatter] -[Lhakpa] George's cancer came back.
He called me on speakerphone with the children.
[children speaking indistinctly]
He said, "I'm so sorry Lhakpa, I did wrong."
"I know you take care of children very well."
"I know you did, many years now."
"I cannot make it."
I said, "No die, no die. Fight, you fight."
He said, "I fight, but I not make it."
He died two weeks later.
[wind blowing]
We no go last night because so much windy.
We will see, you know?
My plan, going tonight.
[oxygen tank hissing]
[hissing continues]
[oxygen hissing]
[Lhakpa] Shiny say, "Mama, this tenth summit changing your life."
"Mama, I promise."
-[giggling] -[woman vocalizing]
-[oxygen hissing] -[indistinct chatter]
[George] One more swing.
[woman vocalizing]
[oxygen hissing]
[vocalizing continues]
[oxygen hissing]
[hissing continues]
[wind blowing]
[oxygen hissing]
[Lhakpa] This summit,
my tenth summit.
My darkness,
I leave behind.
[cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[Lhakpa] Whoo!
Happy summit!
[Mingma] Ten times.
-[static hissing] -[cousin] Shiny.
Your mom summit.
They are now at the top.
-[Shiny] Right now? -Yeah.
[indistinct chatter]
-[chatter] -[coughing]
[Lhakpa] I almost want to go down.
I fight because almost there.
You know, why I go down?
I work so hard all the way here all the way there.
And I fight myself.
[woman vocalizing]
[vocalizing continues]
[Shiny] Wow.
Congratulations!
Hello.
How are you?
Oh my God! Oh my…
I'm so proud of you. I love you. Oh my God.
My tenth summit for you, Shiny.
[inaudible dialogue]
[Lhakpa] Thanks me life, everything thank you.
My children, goddess of life, send me my children.
Thank you, God Mother.
Oh!
[Shiny] You look like you've been through a lot.
[Lhakpa] George summited Everest nine times.
I beat George but he's gone.
He better gone because he see me I'm tenth summit,
he very jealous.
-[woman] Lhakpa! -[cheering, applause]
-Whoo! -[whooping]
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Pasang! Pasang!
Pasang first.
[Lhakpa] Now, sherpa first.
Other sherpa, Karma.
Karma.
My brother because he all the time helping my tenth summit.
He's my buddy too!
[cheering]
Second is monkey.
-And second, is other monkey. -[laughter]
[applause]
-And me. -[applause, cheering]
[reporter] 48-year old Nepali female climber, Lhakpa Sherpa,
returned to Kathmandu on Tuesday
after breaking her own record for the tenth time
for the most summits of the Mount Everest.
-[indistinct chatter] -[camera shutters clicking]
-Congratulations. -Thank you.
And you give good energy to women.
So every woman is very happy in the world.
[speaking Nepali]
[Shiny] I think before I took it for granted and didn't really appreciate it.
And now I think she's, like, really cool,
and I think it's big.
It's not something you shouldn't talk about.
I hope her story gets around.
[Lhakpa] Sunny.
Sunny.
[Lhakpa] Yeah, I'm very happy.
You beautiful two girls with me.
Hearing that you climbed and summited the mountain,
I almost felt that accomplishment in myself, if that makes sense, you know?
[Lhakpa] Yeah. That's good.
It's all to you, but that's the only way I can pick up on the feeling, you know?
-[Lhakpa] Yeah. -Like…
Just, you know, because it's so many steps up that mountain.
-[Shiny] Yeah. -[Lhakpa] Yeah.
Well, the stuff that you've accomplished is really, like, amazing,
and I feel more people should know about it,
and it's not fair to you that they don't.
Because you deserve it, and you've been through a lot.
[Lhakpa] And better life.
Yeah, that comes with it, I guess.
[Sunny] No…
No? [chuckles]
It just reminded me of something that happened today.
What happened, baby?
[Sunny] I was on Facebook,
and I haven't been on my Facebook in so long
that I just opened up an unread message from George,
and it was him saying, "I've never done anything wrong to you girls both."
But it just reminded me of him pulling our hairs,
him yelling at us, like,
it makes me think, "Did he really do this or I'm just really confused?"
I just feel like we haven't really talked about, I don't know,
the trauma that we've all went through, as a family, out loud.
We've all kept it to ourselves,
and if we would just talk about it, it'd be better.
Yep. And, like, the shelter, too.
That was terrible.
That was like deep, deep depression, like the lowest I've felt.
But I'm in the mental mindset to just be working
-and just work on myself, you know? -Yeah.
Don't worry, Sunny.
You've been through a lot.
We love you.
You know, you are smart, Sunny.
You can do it.
You are my girl.
A West Hartford woman just summited Mount Everest for a record tenth time.
[male reporter] Washing dishes at Whole Foods to support her two daughters,
Sherpa is the picture of humility.
[Lhakpa] People say, "Oh, Lhakpa, you're so humble."
I'm not so humble.
I'm not humble.
My Whole Foods manager.
Maybe she is very surprised today.
Never no see my Sherpa dress.
What would be the best pose for this, do you think?
I don't know.
I never-- I'm going mountain.
I go… [whooping]
-Like that you know. -Let's do that.
-Yeah? -Yeah. [whooping]
Ready? One, two, three.
Many people watching me, you know?
[cheering] Like that?
-[man] Yes! -Yes!
[man] I love that. Good.
[Sunny] Recognition has been changing.
That's something that my mom has been wanting to…
Plus, she's really happy, too, being honored by so many people.
[man] Yes. Beautiful. That's great.
[cheering]
[Lhakpa speaking Nepali] It was my idea, nobody told me to do it.
I've been dreaming about climbing Everest for such a long time
whether I'm awake or asleep.
Because I'm illiterate
I want to earn a good name for myself by climbing the mountain.
Why did you summit Everest ten times?
Why I summit Mountain Everest ten times?
Because I want to change Sherpa women's life.
[Shiny] I like your hair tied up. Like, back.
My earring. I don't want to show my earring.
[Shiny] No, do a ponytail or something. Trust!
Okay.
You look good in that.
Okay, good.
[Sunny] I was opened to trauma at such a young age.
To the point where I didn't know my self worth.
And I realized that when it was too late.
Turning around right now, I think it's just…
a strong aspect of me.
I turned that to strength. I didn't turn it into weakness.
Sunny's beautiful.
I see you. I see someone that can be something.
Yeah.
Monkey, monkey, monkey.
[man] There's an old Nepali expression…
They say that having a daughter
is like watering a neighbor's garden.
That narrative is slowly changing.
And their stories must be told like we're hearing about Lhakpa's.
What she has achieved is really quite staggering.
And I hope she continues to break these glass ceilings
with each step that she takes.
Please join me in awarding Lhakpa Sherpa
with the Tenzing Norgay Award.
[cheering]
I'm so inspired by you.
Oh my God.
And my family company is going to sponsor you
for anything you want to do.
Oh my God!
K2 and any other mountain you want to climb.
Yeah, I want to go K2.
Please here you email me.
Because my girl is my manager.
[woman] We'll sponsor her for whatever she wants to do.
-I heard, yeah. -[woman] Everything.
-I'm so inspired by you. -Oh my God.
[woman] And my mom was a single mom.
No talk about it… [indistinct]
[woman] She worked so hard.
Yeah, me!
And I know… I used to clean houses with her when I was little.
My God, it's me.
When sleep night time
when people sleep, I go house clean.
Oh my God.
you are amazing.
[Lhakpa] This is the K2 summit.
Nima, Shiny, Sunny, love you.
I want to show the world watching that
I'm very brave.
I want to do it.
Look like a tough lady.
Yes.
Like this is me.
I no give up. I do it.
I do it.
This is me.
Look like… [grunts]
Like that, you know?
This is, I am.
[grunting]
Like that, you know? This is me.
["Timi Nacha Na" by Wangden Sherpa playing]
[song ends]
[woman vocalizing]