KATHMANDU: A senior US government official successfully scaled Mt Everest this morning, according to an expedition organizer.

Mike Harker, Public Affairs Chief of the US Embassy in Nepal, stood atop the roof of the world at around 9:15 am on May 20, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks.

Harker currently serves as the public affairs chief at the US Embassy in Nepal, where he directs embassy communications and oversees educational and cultural programming. His first visit to Nepal in 2006—when he hiked the Annapurna Circuit—sparked a lasting connection that inspired multiple returns for trekking and monastery studies.

An experienced mountaineer, he has completed several high-altitude climbs across South America, Asia, and Africa, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro.

Harker has previously served in Bangladesh, Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt, and most recently as the spokesperson at the US Embassy in Burma, where he managed crisis communications following the 2021 military coup. He holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications from UCLA and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

Harker, along with Lakpa Sherpa (Makalu Lakpa) and Ming Temba (Mikel) Sherpa, scaled Mt Everest, becoming the first top-ranking US government official to scale the world’s highest mountain from the Nepal side.

“This marks Harker’s first ascent of the world’s highest peak. However, he is no stranger to the mountain adventures of Nepal, having previously summited Lobuche East (6,119 m) and trekked the Annapurna Circuit as early as 2006,” Sherpa said.

According to Sherpa, Mike has long shared a deep and genuine connection with Nepal – not just as a diplomat but as someone who deeply appreciates its culture and spirituality. “Standing on the summit of Everest must have been a profoundly meaningful moment for him, bringing together his love for the mountains and his respect for this sacred land.”

The team is safely descending to the lower camps, he informed.

Earlier, United States' Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and Acting US Ambassador and Chargé d'Affaires Scott Urbom visited the Everest base camp and wished Mike success for his Everest bid.