Disabled Utah veteran scales Himalayan peak

SALT LAKE CITY -- An Iraq War veteran from Utah just completed an epic climb in the Himalayas with a team of 10 other U.S. combat vets. The 20,075-foot peak would challenge any mountain climber, but these warriors scaled the mountain in spite of significant wounds of war.

"Standing on the summit of Lobuche was truly remarkable," said Chad Jukes of Salt Lake City, when he spoke to KSL News Friday via satellite phone from Nepal.

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Eleven disabled American vets hiked, and then climbed into the thin air of the Himalayas this week. Jukes was among eight that summited Nepal's Lobuche Mountain -- six hours up, five hours down on their final push from the highest base camp.

The greatest joy of the endeavor, Jukes said, was, "The fellow soldiers that stood by my side, that pushed so hard to get to the top of that mountain."

Lobuche East lies just 8.7 miles from Mount Everest. Erik Weihenmayer, who is celebrating the 10th anniversary of becoming the only blind person to ever summit Mount Everest, and many of the same team of climbers that helped him a decade ago assisted the soldiers.

World T.E.A.M. Sports organized "Soldiers to the Summit" to show that people with disabilities can overcome extraordinary challenges.

Each of the combat vets was injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, suffering loss of sight, loss of limbs, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. This climb was all about shattering barriers and misperceptions.

"Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses," Jukes said. "It's really fun to see people helping each other through it and helping each other figure out what can be done differently to make this happen as a team."

The team trekked for seven days through the Khumbu region and then up the steep 50-degree snow- and ice-covered South Ridge of the mountain to get to the advanced base camp at 18,305 feet. The soldiers climbed the final 1,800 feet up the craggy east side of the mountain Thursday; three in the party were unable to make it to the top.

"Me standing on top of the mountain, that's one thing," Jukes said, "but standing on top of the mountain surrounded by great company, that's what really made it."

The Army veteran spent the entire two-week expedition in awe of the beauty, the Sherpa culture and his fellow warriors.

"I've been remarkably honored to come out here and to be able to climb a very respectable mountain with a group of amazing people," he said.

The Logan native joined the Army after he graduated from Skyview High School. Jukes served in Afghanistan and later volunteered for duty in Iraq, where he lost his right leg below the knee in 2006.

"Really for me, it doesn't make much of a difference," he said. "It's what I want to do. It's what I love, so I get out and do it."

His greatest heartfelt achievement on the final push to the summit: helping a comrade with a spinal cord injury make it to the top. He wanted to summit as a team, just as the military aspires to the ultimate teamwork on the battle field.

"If I had not done that, it would have been a hollow victory," he said.

But Jukes says the journey is not about conquering the mountain. He hopes to urge others to get outside for exercise and inspiration.

"I hope people can say, 'You know what? If Chad Jukes can go out and climb a mountain in Nepal with one leg, I can get out and walk around the block.'"

Jukes was at 16,000 feet when we talked with him Friday. Right about now, the soldiers are continuing their hike down the mountain.

Jukes plans to return to Salt Lake City late next week. He says he'll spend time with his girlfriend and head into the Wasatch Mountains for some hikes.

E-mail: jboal@ksl.com