Remembering Sir Edmund.

There are a lot of good posts today about the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to summit Mt. Everest. Hillary died this morning in New Zealand.

The Adventure Blog, in particular, has a nice write-up:

Sir Ed's passing also marks the passing of another era. Hillary climbed Everest at a time when mountaineers were seen as heroes doing great things for their countries. They made front page news and were on television for their exploits as they did things that no one thought was possible.

In an age where Mt. Everest becomes choked with climbers during every summit season -- and passengers enjoy a nice glass of wine while they fly across the Atlantic reading a magazine -- it's nice to step back and recognize that such feats were hailed as heroic not too long ago.

The "first-man-to-______" status of icons like Hillary and Charles Lindbergh always overshadows whatever else they accomplished with their lives. Hillary spent decades working to improve conditions in Nepal, but historically speaking, he'll always be this guy:


That's Hillary returning to Everest base camp after having "knocked the bastard off," in his memorable phrase. Here's how he described making the summit with Tenzing Norgay:

Once there, "I put out my hand, in sort of stuffy old Anglo-Saxon fashion, to shake his hand, but that wasn't enough for him," Hillary later said of Norgay. "He threw his arms around my shoulders, and I threw my arms around him."

Awww. Here's the famous duo:


It's a lot tougher to affix the "hero" label to anyone nowadays. We know so much about famous people (especially their mishaps, drunken exploits, baby's mamas, etc.), and no reputation can withstand such close scrutiny without becoming tarnished.

Hillary was a living embodiment of a remarkable age. He was a real-life hero: tough, talented and famous. I doubt we'll ever see such an adventurous figure gain such renown in our lifetimes -- unless Lance Armstrong becomes the first man on Mars.

I think it's fitting to give Sir Edmund the last word here:

"My life is not so much stepping on top of a peak that has never been stepped on before, or traveling to the South Pole, but, rather more, the building of schools and medical clinics for the very worthy people of the Himalayas."