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CNN Live Today
Top of the World
Aired May 19, 2003 - 10:47 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: Now we want to back with Sean Burch, the climber who is trying to scale Mt. Everest without the use of any oxygen along with him. Right now, we have Sean back on the phone.
Sean, are you there?
SEAN BURCH, CLIMBING MT. EVEREST: Yes, I am, Leon.
HARRIS: Sean, how are you feeling right now? A number of days now, climbing with no oxygen. How do you feel?
BURCH: Well, I feel a little bit warm, around 24, 000 feet. Tomorrow, I hope to get up to the south cole (ph), which is 26,000 feet, and then tomorrow night...
HARRIS: Now, how is the weather right now. I understand the weather has stopped your attempt to climb over the weekend, right?
BURCH: Exactly. The winds were really bad. Huge plume off of the throne (ph) of Everest, but now the winds have seemed to slow down a bit, so hopefully tomorrow, the winds will be calm enough so that I will be able to shoot for the summit.
HARRIS: You don't sound very out of breath for a guy who's been climbing with no oxygen. You are at, what, 24,000 feet right now. How does it feel?
BURCH: You know, it kind of wears you down a little bit. I try to hydrate and eat as much as I possibly can, and then hope for the best.
HARRIS: You've been up there a number of days, Sean, and I wonder, how do you sleep? I would think that if you are climbing and you don't have oxygen and you're concerned about what is happening to your body with the oxygen deprivation, how do you sleep?
BURCH: Exactly. I usually sleep an hour at a time, and then I usually wake, and then I'll go back to sleep and then wake up and, you know, for another hour. But you don't sleep soundly, put that it way.
HARRIS: How do you train for something like that?
BURCH: Well, I have a fitness program, so I've been training for it for about four years, and so I'm -- I'm pretty up for it. I'm pretty well prepared. We'll see how the weather holds up. That's my biggest concern at the moment.
HARRIS: Are you still planning on being able to jump rope somewhere on this climb up to the top of the mountain?
BURCH: Exactly. I hope to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: Sean, are you still? We're losing it. The satellite connection is getting kind of bad here. Are you there still, Sean? We've lost him again.
Once again, we've lost him.
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 19, 2003 - 10:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to back with Sean Burch, the climber who is trying to scale Mt. Everest without the use of any oxygen along with him. Right now, we have Sean back on the phone.
Sean, are you there?
SEAN BURCH, CLIMBING MT. EVEREST: Yes, I am, Leon.
HARRIS: Sean, how are you feeling right now? A number of days now, climbing with no oxygen. How do you feel?
BURCH: Well, I feel a little bit warm, around 24, 000 feet. Tomorrow, I hope to get up to the south cole (ph), which is 26,000 feet, and then tomorrow night...
HARRIS: Now, how is the weather right now. I understand the weather has stopped your attempt to climb over the weekend, right?
BURCH: Exactly. The winds were really bad. Huge plume off of the throne (ph) of Everest, but now the winds have seemed to slow down a bit, so hopefully tomorrow, the winds will be calm enough so that I will be able to shoot for the summit.
HARRIS: You don't sound very out of breath for a guy who's been climbing with no oxygen. You are at, what, 24,000 feet right now. How does it feel?
BURCH: You know, it kind of wears you down a little bit. I try to hydrate and eat as much as I possibly can, and then hope for the best.
HARRIS: You've been up there a number of days, Sean, and I wonder, how do you sleep? I would think that if you are climbing and you don't have oxygen and you're concerned about what is happening to your body with the oxygen deprivation, how do you sleep?
BURCH: Exactly. I usually sleep an hour at a time, and then I usually wake, and then I'll go back to sleep and then wake up and, you know, for another hour. But you don't sleep soundly, put that it way.
HARRIS: How do you train for something like that?
BURCH: Well, I have a fitness program, so I've been training for it for about four years, and so I'm -- I'm pretty up for it. I'm pretty well prepared. We'll see how the weather holds up. That's my biggest concern at the moment.
HARRIS: Are you still planning on being able to jump rope somewhere on this climb up to the top of the mountain?
BURCH: Exactly. I hope to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: Sean, are you still? We're losing it. The satellite connection is getting kind of bad here. Are you there still, Sean? We've lost him again.
Once again, we've lost him.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
