Mountain Climber Sir Edmund Hillary, Mountains, Travel Destinations
Have you ever admired persons for their absolute dedication and commitment in their endeavors to be the best? One outstanding individual in this regard is Sir Edmund Hillary.
Sir Edmund Hillary was born in 1919 and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He earned his living as a beekeeper but his ambition was to conquer the world’s highest mountain – the peak of Mount Everest.
Sir Edmund Hillary was no stranger to climbing prior to his achievement in Nepal. He had led expeditions to the South Pole and other remote corners of the earth. But he returned often to the mountains of Nepal the scene of his greatest conquest. After climbing 11 different peaks of over 20,000 feet in the Himalayas he still had to defeat Mount Everest. It was at this point that Hillary was ready to confront the world’s highest peak bringing him recognition beyond his wildest dreams.
It was the 29th of May 1953 that Sir Edmund Hillary, with much perseverance and enthusiasm, made the climb to the highest point in the world. He and his very dedicated team took to one of the most challenging peaks.
The expedition reached the South Peak. All but two climbers who had come this far were forced to turn back by exhaustion because of high altitudes. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a native Nepalese climber who had participated in five previous Everest trips, were the only members of the party able to make the final attack on the summit.
Sir Edmund Hillary improved the image of Nepal as an adventure destination for mountaineering and trekking. He said Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of its nature and culture making Nepal a travel destination worth dreaming about. Sir Edmund Hillary went on to say he did not know if it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mount Everest. Even using oxygen they still were not sure they would reach the top without the risk of sever medical problems – even death.
Well needless to say they did not drop dead. They had succeeded where others had failed and had survived a journey that had taken the lives of great explorers before them. In 1975 Sir Edmund faced the tragedy of losing of his wife and daughter in a plane crash. He later remarried and continued to involve himself with environmental causes until his death on 11 January in 2008.
