A U.S. Marine is returning home after abandoning his attempt to scale Mount Everest.
Up until Thursday, SSgt Charles Linnville was waiting at base camp to scale the world's highest peak despite losing a leg in Afghanistan three years ago.
However, before his group could attempt a summit, there was a widespread walkout of Sherpas in response to the deadliest disaster on the mountain.
An avalanche killed 13 people April 18. Three Sherpas were still missing in the ice and snow, and are presumed dead.
Linville's group “The Heroes Project” announced Friday that they, like other groups prepping for the climb, have decided to abandon their attempt to summit Everest.
In a written release, the project said the group's founder Tim Medvetz, will leave Nepal with the rest of the team including Linville, and members of a film crew.
"They are members of our team and out of respect to our Sherpas, we are not continuing," he wrote. "We fully support their decision to leave the mountain and we will leave the mountain together the same way we came up, as a team.”
Heroes Project said it will return in 2015 to complete the group's first Everest summit.
Local
Most attempts to reach Everest's summit are made in mid-May, when a brief window normally offers better weather. Without the help of the Sherpas, it would be nearly impossible for climbers to scale the mountain.
Many climbers will have to forfeit most or all of the money they have spent to go up the mountain -- $75,000 or more.
