Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Interview With Mountaineer Sean Burch

Aired May 12, 2003 - 11:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right now. We want to try to get to you right now the last -- the first check this week, I should say, of the progress of Sean Burch. He right now may be the highest person on the planet -- he is at least trying to be. He is trying to reach the top of Mt. Everest, the world's tallest peak on the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent.
Now, Sean Burch joins us now by satellite telephone -- Sean, are you there?

SEAN BURCH, MOUNTAINEER: OK.

HARRIS: Got you. Good. It's working this time. We had a problem with it on Friday, but it appears now that the phone is working OK. Where are you right now?

BURCH: I am at base camp right now, Leon.

HARRIS: So you had to come back down?

BURCH: Yes. I was actually on (ph) Camp Three just for the fun of it, just to stay in shape, and then the winds were really high, and it was best to come back to base camp and wait until the winds go down. I'll be here for a couple days, and hopefully head on back up the mountain, hopefully go for that summit.

HARRIS: Well, now, we should tell folks right now who may be just joining us and hearing for the first time about your mission here, Sean is trying to climb Mt. Everest, folks, without using any oxygen. He is just doing it, I guess, au natural, if you will, without any O's, as they say. How are you feeling because of that, Sean? Are you having any problems at all?

BURCH: Surprisingly enough, I haven't had any problems at all. I've had no headaches. I've been climatizing real well, so I'm very pleased with that. Hopefully it will continue.

HARRIS: Now, the problem though, is -- we talked on Friday, was that if you had to stay there at that elevation for a long time without actually going up the mountain, that was going to cause you some problems physically. What's the case now on all that?

BURCH: Exactly. If I stay up at a certain altitude, Camp Two or any higher, anything above -- usually above 23,000 feet, your body starts deteriorating after a couple days. So you either have to go up and continue on towards the summit, or go back down and try to rest and recuperate, so that is exactly what I am doing right now. HARRIS: All right. So you're resting and recuperating right now, and carbing up, no doubt. So what are you going to be doing for the next couple of days. When do you actually try again?

BURCH: In the next couple days, I'll probably just trek around here and try to stay in shape, and then -- in maybe two or three days, maybe try to head back up the mountain. We'll just have to see how the weather goes.

HARRIS: Is this getting inside your head, man? Is this making you start to get some second thoughts at all about doing this?

BURCH: No. Actually, the more it goes on, the more excited I'm getting, actually, the better I'm feeling. So I am really excited. I can't wait to get back up high. I just want this weather to cooperate and I'll be back up, hopefully, towards the summit.

HARRIS: All right. Good deal. All right. We are going to be watching to see how things turn out for you, Sean. Keep the phone handy and we will check back with you later on. Sean Burch.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 12, 2003 - 11:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right now. We want to try to get to you right now the last -- the first check this week, I should say, of the progress of Sean Burch. He right now may be the highest person on the planet -- he is at least trying to be. He is trying to reach the top of Mt. Everest, the world's tallest peak on the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent.
Now, Sean Burch joins us now by satellite telephone -- Sean, are you there?

SEAN BURCH, MOUNTAINEER: OK.

HARRIS: Got you. Good. It's working this time. We had a problem with it on Friday, but it appears now that the phone is working OK. Where are you right now?

BURCH: I am at base camp right now, Leon.

HARRIS: So you had to come back down?

BURCH: Yes. I was actually on (ph) Camp Three just for the fun of it, just to stay in shape, and then the winds were really high, and it was best to come back to base camp and wait until the winds go down. I'll be here for a couple days, and hopefully head on back up the mountain, hopefully go for that summit.

HARRIS: Well, now, we should tell folks right now who may be just joining us and hearing for the first time about your mission here, Sean is trying to climb Mt. Everest, folks, without using any oxygen. He is just doing it, I guess, au natural, if you will, without any O's, as they say. How are you feeling because of that, Sean? Are you having any problems at all?

BURCH: Surprisingly enough, I haven't had any problems at all. I've had no headaches. I've been climatizing real well, so I'm very pleased with that. Hopefully it will continue.

HARRIS: Now, the problem though, is -- we talked on Friday, was that if you had to stay there at that elevation for a long time without actually going up the mountain, that was going to cause you some problems physically. What's the case now on all that?

BURCH: Exactly. If I stay up at a certain altitude, Camp Two or any higher, anything above -- usually above 23,000 feet, your body starts deteriorating after a couple days. So you either have to go up and continue on towards the summit, or go back down and try to rest and recuperate, so that is exactly what I am doing right now. HARRIS: All right. So you're resting and recuperating right now, and carbing up, no doubt. So what are you going to be doing for the next couple of days. When do you actually try again?

BURCH: In the next couple days, I'll probably just trek around here and try to stay in shape, and then -- in maybe two or three days, maybe try to head back up the mountain. We'll just have to see how the weather goes.

HARRIS: Is this getting inside your head, man? Is this making you start to get some second thoughts at all about doing this?

BURCH: No. Actually, the more it goes on, the more excited I'm getting, actually, the better I'm feeling. So I am really excited. I can't wait to get back up high. I just want this weather to cooperate and I'll be back up, hopefully, towards the summit.

HARRIS: All right. Good deal. All right. We are going to be watching to see how things turn out for you, Sean. Keep the phone handy and we will check back with you later on. Sean Burch.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com