Sir Edmund Hillary RIP
The BBC reports that Sir Edmund Hillary dies aged 88
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, has died aged 88.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark described the explorer as a heroic figure and said all New Zealanders would deeply mourn his passing.
Sir Edmund’s health had reportedly been in decline since April, when he suffered a fall while visiting Nepal.
He was the first man to climb the 8,850m (29,035ft) peak with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953.
Returning to Everest base camp, he famously greeted another member of the British expedition group with the words: “Well, George, we’ve knocked the bastard off.”
After the ascent, Sir Edmund led a number of expeditions to the South Pole and devoted his life to helping the Sherpas of Nepal’s Khumbu region.
He was almost the definition of the adventurer. He set his goals and then accomplished them.
3 comments
An amazing man! Truly! A man whose actions spoke far louder than any words could. A huge compassionate heart, true courage and a great sense of humor and adventure. 🙂
The World is diminished by his loss, yet he has left behind a wonderful legacy.
He is a man that can truly Rest In Peace and his family and friends can be proud of who he was and what he did.
If we could all be like that, what a wonderful World we would have.
if we could all be like that, mt everest would be worn down to a foothill by now. 😈 fortunately, most of us will stay home and watch the imax movie instead.
i hadn’t realized he was such a philanthropist. it’s high praise indeed when other people admire you enough to make you an honorary citizen of their country.
He never lost his perspective and used his fame to leave the world a better place than he found it. I think think of a better way of living.