4th of July in the Foster outyard

Mike removing frames of honey for extraction.

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.

Beekeeper and Mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary Dies at 88

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called "Ed" and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," Clark said in a statement.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived," she said.

Hillary's life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — and by his personal humility. Humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Tenzing Norgay...

(Photo: Associated Press/Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953)

"Colony Collapse Disorder" one of 2007's "Green" Headlines

According to The Providence Sunday Journal (Providence, Rhode Island), Sunday, January 6, 2008, "Colony collapse disorder" was one of the top "green" stories of 2007 listed by the online journal, Grist.org.

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is the name of the mysterious phenomenon that describes the massive die-off affecting an entire beehive or bee colony. This collapse of colonies has been extremely worrisome to beekeepers and bee researchers alike since it was first noticed in North America in late 2006.

Theories of the cause, or causes, of CCD are many but none is yet definitive. Some include malnutrition, diseases and parasites, pesticides, and genetically modified crops. There are those who theorize that beekeeping practices can be a major contributing factor but, as of yet, no one knows for certain.

There are believed to be more than 100 insect-pollinated crops grown in the United States. Some bumble bee species and certain species of butterflies, also among nature's pollinators, are thought to be facing challenges similar to colony collapse disorder.

The news of these disappearing pollinators seems to stress how imperative it is now to evaluate, and possibly to reconsider, our home gardening and landscaping maintenance, public park and garden management, as well as the intensive farming practices of corporate agriculture.

(Photo: Beekeepers inspect hives in Richmond, RI, Spring 2007. The Providence Journal/Kris Craig.)