Not many people can say they have stood at the top of the world, but Salt Lake City resident Carol Masheter has her name on the list.

Masheter recently returned from a quest to summit Mount Everest. Though the journey was full of obstacles, and literal stumbles, Masheter made it to the top of the world's highest peak.

When she first encountered mountaineering in college, Everest never crossed Masheter's mind. Only professional mountaineers were taking on the world's largest mountains at the time, and Masheter never dreamed a "mere mortal" could join them.

Though she has summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Cho Oyu and 15 peaks higher than 15,000 feet in South America, Masheter began an extensive training regimen months before attempting the Everest climb. She followed a training plan custom built for her by a mountaineer in New Zealand, and including running up the four flights of stairs at her office 20 times carrying her 60 pound pack.

On weekends she would hike for four to five hours, carrying the pack in the snow.

Concerned about being 61, Masheter also underwent extensive medical testing before joining an expedition. She returned to Kilimanjaro during Christmas, which felt "like a breeze," and knew she was ready.

"I'm not a great athlete, but I'm strong," Masheter said.

Then came the news that the expedition might not proceed. Twelve days before she was scheduled to leave, Masheter got an e-mail from the expedition leader saying the Chinese government was not allowing anyone to climb Everest due to the Olympic torch relay, which was heading for the mountain. The expedition members decided to continue with their plans and hope to get a climbing permit once they reached base camp.

The group proceeded, and began acclimatization hikes throughout the area and up the mountain. They spent about two weeks working on the Khumbu icefall, the deadliest section of the climb.

The group finally received a permit, but before trying for the summit, each member of the expedition had to prove themselves on a final acclimatization hike.

They had to climb to High Camp Three, without oxygen. The task proved difficult for Masheter, who had to try three times. Masheter's experience has taught her she hits a "permeable wall" at 21,000 feet. She can push through, but she has trouble keeping up with the team and catching her breath.

Her difficulty concerned the expedition's leaders, who conferenced with each member to determine if Masheter would be able to continue. Because she had trained harder than anyone else on the expedition, the leaders decided to allow her to start oxygen one day early.

The oxygen helped Masheter immensely, and she was able to summit, though a little behind the rest of the group. Most of the climbing was done at night to avoid mid-afternoon storms that plague the mountain. Masheter recalls looking up the trail in the darkness and seeing a jeweled necklace of headlamps winding up the snowfields.

Upon reaching the top, Masheter let out her signature wolf-like howl, and the Sherpa guides howled back. She collected a few rocks from the summit to keep as souvenirs. The rough weather and thin air make long stays impossible, and soon it was time to head down.

That's when the already dangerous trip took a near fatal turn.

Masheter's vision became cloudy, and soon she could see nothing but bright white.

She was suffering from cerebral edema, when the brain begins to swell in response to high altitude.

Daniel Horowitz, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center who has experience mountaineering, said the condition is always serious and can rapidly become fatal.

Horowitz compared cerebral edema to "a balloon inside of a box," that keeps swelling with no way to relieve the pressure, in Masheter's case pinching off her optic nerves, blinding her.

The only treatment is to quickly return to lower altitude. Medical evacuation is impossible at Everest's high altitudes, and so surrounded by four Sherpa guides, Masheter blindly "bashed and crashed my way down."

She fell repeatedly and suffered a partially dislocated shoulder before making it back to High Camp Four, where she was able to rest in her tent. The climb from camp to the summit had lasted 19 hours.

The next morning, Masheter had recovered much of her sight, and continued down the mountain in safety.

Though still recuperating from her trip, Masheter is eager to share her experiences with others.

She will be showing photos and sharing stories on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at the REI store at 3285 E. 3300 South. She has presented previously, and REI is excited to have her back.

"It's great to have someone who represents our community doing these presentations," said Eric Spreng, REI's community outreach coordinator. "She demonstrates that you don't need to be this amazing athlete in your 20s to have these amazing experiences."

Though Spreng is surrounded by mountaineers at work and in his spare time, he only knows of three Utahns who have been to Everest. One is Masheter, another is an REI employee and the last is recent transplant Appa Sherpa, who holds the world record for most Everest summits. For Spreng, it is always a cause for celebration when someone from Utah summits a big peak.

Masheter hopes there are more big mountains in her future. She would like to complete the "seven summits," the highest peak on each continent. She has four remaining, and hopes to take on Alaska's Denali next.

Due to her age, Masheter knows her time is somewhat limited, but she plans to keep going.

"I get a little weaker every year," she said, "but I'm still strong."

kdrake@sltrib.com

REI's community outreach coordinator.