Junko Tabei, first woman to climb Mount Everest, dead at 77

Junko Tabei was the first woman to climb the world's highest peak. Junko reached the 29,000-foot summit of Mount Everest in 1975. She was 35 at the time that she climbed the mountain. She died on Thursday at a hospital outside of Tokyo at age 77. She died on Oct 20 at a hospital near Tokyo. She passed away because she had stomach cancer. She learned she had cancer four years ago but that did not stop her from mountaineering.

She suffered through a lot of hard training. Junko reached the highest peaks in more than 70 nations. She made 29,029 foot ascent in May 1975. She had a 3 year old daughter at the time when she climbed the mountain. She left her daughter with her husband as she climbed the mountain. During the climb an avalanche covered the team’s camp. Twelve days later she reached the south summit of mount everest.

Junko discovered a narrow icy ridge of sheer ice. She crawled sideways while her body straddled the ridge. She struggled on her hands and knees arriving at a small rectangular area. When she reached that area Junko said “That she had never felt so much relief in her life.” She told the Japan times “That she had never felt like stopping climbing and she never will.”