Kerala Woman's 8,000-Foot Journey to History

Latheef Said the Momentous Feat of Reaching Mount Everest's Summit as One of the 'Toughest' Things She Has Done in Her Life

- Press Trust of India

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: "Jack of all trades" is how Kannur-based woman, Safrina Latheef, the first woman from Kerala to scale the Everest peak, likes to describe herself. Latheef was a banker and a baker before she turned to mountaineering, a long-term desire of hers.

Describing the momentous feat as one of the "toughest" things she has done in her life till now, Latheef said that not just physical fitness, but mental strength was also very important to make the climb.

"The dead bodies shake you up. You could be the next body on the line -- that thought crosses your mind. You have to fight all that to reach the summit," she said in a voice note shared with PTI from Nepal.

She reached the Everest base camp on April 19, began the climb on April 28, started the final push for the 8000-foot summit on May 12 and reached the top on May 18.

"It is a mental struggle, as we see a lot of unexpected things like avalanches, rock falls and dead bodies of climbers who tried to scale the summit with the same aspirations and dreams as us. However, reaching the peak is worth all that grueling effort because of the view from there," said Safrina Latheef, who is in her late 30s.