The Providence Journal: Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008
Editorial: Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008
The Providence Journal
Providence, Rhode Island
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Edmund Hillary, who died this month at 88, astonished the world in 1953 when he reached the top of Mount Everest with his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay. Straddling Nepal and Tibet, Everest rises 29,029 feet above sea level. The New Zealander’s feat, climbing the highest peak on Earth, seemed to cap an era of high adventure that included sledding to the poles and Charles Lindbergh’s nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927.
Nowadays, a trip to the top of Everest is far more commonplace. Commercial companies run such expeditions for very physically fit tourists. One Sherpa guide has done it 14 times. But 55 years ago, no one knew whether it was survivable.
In 1924, accomplished mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine died trying to reach the summit, and many others attempted it but turned back. (It was Mr. Mallory who, when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, famously answered, “Because it is there.”) About 200 people have died trying to climb Everest, but since Mr. Hillary’s triumphant climb, about 2,000 have made it to the top.
Despite the successes of a one-armed man, a blind person and dozens of other unlikely conquerors of Everest, the mountain remains very perilous, especially the last 3,000 feet. It’s very hard to breathe at any altitude above 26,200 feet; the upper reaches of Everest’s “death zone” combine dangerously low oxygen levels with high winds and bitter cold.
It was this combination of hazards that doomed eight members of an expedition in 1996, which was immortalized in the book Into Thin Air. Author Jon Krakauer was present at the disaster. In all, 15 people died that year trying to descend from the summit.
Edmund Hillary was not your textbook adventurer. Back home in New Zealand, he pursued the pastoral life of beekeeper. And he was a modest man.
Mr. Hillary was 33 when he and the 39-year-old Mr. Norgay reached the top of the world. News of the climb came around the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Mr. Hillary was immediately made Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. (Mr. Norgay received the George Medal of Britain.)
In later years, Sir Edmund joined others in lamenting the commercialization of Everest climbing. He felt a strong bond with the Sherpa, the Buddhist peasants who carried stuff up mountains for climbers. To thank them, he ran a foundation that built schools, hospitals and bridges in the Himalayan region.
Tragedy visited when his wife and a daughter died when their small plane crashed taking off from Katmandu Airport in 1975. Another son and daughter survive him.
Adventure goes in all directions from sea level, including down. The Challenger Deep, off the Mariana Islands, is more than a mile deeper than Mount Everest is high. That, too, has been reached.
So there are few marquee exploits left to make on this well trodden planet. But for the days when there were mountains and ocean trenches to vanquish, brave and hardy souls stepped forward to take the test. Edmund Hillary will remain high on that list of achievers.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Edmund Hillary, who died this month at 88, astonished the world in 1953 when he reached the top of Mount Everest with his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay. Straddling Nepal and Tibet, Everest rises 29,029 feet above sea level. The New Zealander’s feat, climbing the highest peak on Earth, seemed to cap an era of high adventure that included sledding to the poles and Charles Lindbergh’s nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927.
Nowadays, a trip to the top of Everest is far more commonplace. Commercial companies run such expeditions for very physically fit tourists. One Sherpa guide has done it 14 times. But 55 years ago, no one knew whether it was survivable.
In 1924, accomplished mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine died trying to reach the summit, and many others attempted it but turned back. (It was Mr. Mallory who, when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, famously answered, “Because it is there.”) About 200 people have died trying to climb Everest, but since Mr. Hillary’s triumphant climb, about 2,000 have made it to the top.
Despite the successes of a one-armed man, a blind person and dozens of other unlikely conquerors of Everest, the mountain remains very perilous, especially the last 3,000 feet. It’s very hard to breathe at any altitude above 26,200 feet; the upper reaches of Everest’s “death zone” combine dangerously low oxygen levels with high winds and bitter cold.
It was this combination of hazards that doomed eight members of an expedition in 1996, which was immortalized in the book Into Thin Air. Author Jon Krakauer was present at the disaster. In all, 15 people died that year trying to descend from the summit.
Edmund Hillary was not your textbook adventurer. Back home in New Zealand, he pursued the pastoral life of beekeeper. And he was a modest man.
Mr. Hillary was 33 when he and the 39-year-old Mr. Norgay reached the top of the world. News of the climb came around the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Mr. Hillary was immediately made Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. (Mr. Norgay received the George Medal of Britain.)
In later years, Sir Edmund joined others in lamenting the commercialization of Everest climbing. He felt a strong bond with the Sherpa, the Buddhist peasants who carried stuff up mountains for climbers. To thank them, he ran a foundation that built schools, hospitals and bridges in the Himalayan region.
Tragedy visited when his wife and a daughter died when their small plane crashed taking off from Katmandu Airport in 1975. Another son and daughter survive him.
Adventure goes in all directions from sea level, including down. The Challenger Deep, off the Mariana Islands, is more than a mile deeper than Mount Everest is high. That, too, has been reached.
So there are few marquee exploits left to make on this well trodden planet. But for the days when there were mountains and ocean trenches to vanquish, brave and hardy souls stepped forward to take the test. Edmund Hillary will remain high on that list of achievers.
Labels: beekeeper, Sir Edmund Hillary
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