Spokane climber seeks ‘seven summits’ goal with attempt on Everest

Kay LeClaire of Spokane, who was older than 50 a few years ago when she caught the mountaineering bug while joining her son on a climb of Mount Rainier, is headed for the top of the world.

LeClaire is among six climbers signed with Alpine Ascents International guides to climb Mount Everest. The team departed Kathmandu on March 23 and were scheduled to hike into base camp last week for an expedition that could extend well into May.

After enrolling in the Spokane Mountaineers mountain school, LeClaire set her sights on climbing the highest mountain on each continent, a Seven Summits goal she would complete if she reaches the 29,034-foot peak of Everest.

This is her second attempt at the world’s highest mountain. Last year, after climbing as high as Camp 2, LeClaire suffered from heart arrhythmia and was helicoptered out of base camp, by macabre coincidence, along with the body of a man who had died on the mountain.