Why, why, why, why, why, do you want to climb a mountain?
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He was 88 and died a legend. On January 10, 2008 Sir Edmund Hillary's death was announced by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. I never got to meet him.
People who have never climbed a mountain will always ask why anyone would want to mountain climb. Sir Edmund Hillary answered, 'Because it was there.' And everyone may think that too simplistic, but I don't think so. It's all about one's life journey. Hopefully at some point in our lives we ask the question, 'What is the point of all of this?' or 'Is that all there is?' Life is about more than just living. It's not about the first day or the last day but about the journey in between. The cowboys say, it's about the miles you've ridden on the day to day trail that count the most; not the buckle you get at the end of some tournament. And I believe that is true and so like many of my friends, I climb. And we climb high and sleep low. We climb when our bodies tell us no more or our tired bones scream for mercy and turn our heads to lower altitudes. When the weather kicks up and you experience sun so hot you're covering up, then rain, then snow and then sleet all within a days climb. Some days you don't feel like doing what it takes but you do it anyway, because there aren't any good excuses in the mountain.
Climbing is team work with everyone pulling and supporting each other, but at the same time in the end it's all about you doing it for yourself. You hope that if ____t hits the fan your fellow climbers will be there for you. It might be pulling your sorry _ss out of a crevasse or teaching you something you didn't know. It might be just talking to you, encouraging you to keep putting one foot in front of the other, constantly reminding you tomorrow will be a better day. It could be a climbing partner emptying your back pack to lighten your load for the day or giving advice on what medicines work best. Some times it's just how to get some sleep. Altitudes do funny things to your constitution.
But the more you climb the more you come to the realization that climbing doesn't build character. Instead, climbing reveals the character within. And so, we march on, one step at a time, one breath at a time and one camp at a time. Because anyone who has climbed high knows: Anyone can eat an elephant. You just have to eat it one bite at a time.
And so with great regret we wish Sir Edmund Hillary safe travels to the world beyond this one. His leadership will be missed. His character was enormously loved. He seemed to put the needs of the people of Nepal far ahead of his own. He loved the mountains and the Sherpa people.