US Embassy staff atop Everest

KATHMANDU: Mike Harker, Public Affairs Chief at the US Embassy in Kathmandu, has successfully summited Mt Everest.

According to the embassy, Harker reached the summit of the world’s highest peak at 9:10 am on May 20.

With this, Harker has become the first serving US Foreign Service officer to climb Mt Everest. The embassy described the feat as a historic accomplishment ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“Undertaken in his personal capacity, Mike’s expedition is the culmination of a 20-year journey that began during a 2006 trek to Annapurna Base Camp, which first sparked Mike’s lifelong bond with Nepal,” the embassy said in a social media post. “This successful summit attempt underscores nearly eight decades of US-Nepal friendship and highlights how sustainable adventure tourism builds global connections while fueling local economies.”

Harker’s Everest ascent spotlights the bravery, world-class expertise and dedication of Nepal’s Sherpa community, according to the embassy. “They are the true backbone of Himalayan mountaineering, and this achievement would be impossible without them,” it added.