Sir Edmund Hillary, first on a top of the Mt. Everest, has died today at the age of 88. RIP Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_re_au_an/obit_edmund_hillary
I had seen him in videos in some classes I took. The biggest things I remember about him are his heroic determination, that he was very tall, used to be a beekeeper, and involved in a religion called "Radiant Living". He was an inspiration to those who loved mountain climbing.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I'm more fond of descending. I didn't climb too much. My biggest height was 6500 feet approx. But, Sir Hillary was definitely a model for everyone who enjoys testing own boundaries.
He did a lot for nepal and the environment. Wasn't he the one who started the practice of picking up the crap climbers left behind?
Actually, in an interview he did a few years ago he said that it was Tenzing Norgay holding the flags in that famous photo at the top of Everest.
Initially, Norgay came under political pressure to say he was first to the top. Despite that, he claimed that Hillary got there a little before him. Following the fuss about who got there first, Hillary and Norgay agreed that from then on they would only say that both of them reached the summit together. They both kept this agreement until Norgay's death. Following that, Hillary stated that Norgay's original story was correct. Hillary reached the summit first, with Norgay a little behind him. But, seriously, what does it matter? Without the other, it is likely that neither of them would have reached the summit.
They developed great friendship. I wouldn't be surprised if they both, side by side, stepped on the top on the same time. Well, it's not much of a height. Just a strong wind, 12 C in August and a rain started to fall, suddenly, like on every top. Worse thing was the returning to the camp. It was sunset already, and we almost lost our path through the dark wood (marks on the trees were almost invisible). I expected a bear to say: "Hello Dinner!" Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Sir Ed was a typical sort of Kiwi bloke, I never met the guy, but I've seen him on th' box a fair bit. He did seem like the sort of person that you think: "I know this guy", you know? Kind of an "everyman". Apparently, he was on Everest as part of a support team, to set up a base camp at, I think 8000 ft. for the British team. He and Tensing Norgay decided together to go on up, because the weather settled and they had the opportunity. He didn't think much about how deflated the Brits would be when he stole their thunder (I think there was a bit of argy-bargy after the descent, accusations were leveled, etc. Ed never really talked about that side of it, the view of him as a "glory hound"--not an accurate description of the man at all). He was from a very unassuming part of NZ too, a rural outlook, farms, small town, that sort of thing. (at least it used to be) His philosophy, and especially the way he helped the Nepalese, are possibly a larger legacy than being the first to get to the summit of that mountain. Look forward to further memorial occasions, dedications, etc. maybe in several countries. His death was, of course, an unavoidable event--he was old and infirm, and his passing really is no great shock to anyone. It still kind of hits you though, how much someone is thought of after they die (he got a full, front-page spread in most dailies, here in NZ). This is the start of his posthumous account, I expect there's more to come...
Comment: my story about the ascent is based on some doco I saw a long time back, and of course, Hillary and Tensing didn't decide to attempt the ascent wilfully, or with disregard for instructions: mountain climbing is something that apparently requires a team effort--he would not have been in the position he was to make the attempt in the first place if not for the British team. He had permission from the team leader, of course (they did have radios in those days). I'm fairly sure I recall something in this TV doco about how some of the toffee-noses were a bit miffed about a mere support member being given the go-ahead, or something, and "approached" Ed, after the descent to ask him about it. So he also made a statement, in his own unassuming way, about what it meant for a bloke from "the bum of the world" achieving something. He always (according to close friends) remained aware of what he had done, and what it meant. Just like him to see the plight of the Nepalese, and then devote much of his life to a remedy of some kind (schools, etc), not for self-aggrandisement and glory (he spent a lot of his own money, he wasn't wealthy but easily could have been), but because he simply saw a need. He was really a great guy. Nemo soit qui mal y pense.