A Mountain of a Man

"We didn't know if it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mount Everest."  So said Sir Edmund Hillary, who passed away today at the age of 88.    Hillary was a beekeeper and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. 

At 11:30 on the morning of May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit, 29,028 feet above sea level, the highest spot on earth. Getting back down was just as treacherous.  Sir Edmund Hillary also drove a tractor -- a tractor! -- to the South Pole.

Here's an interesting biography and interview from The Academy of Achievement.  One of his answers which resonates with me the most follows:

"The press and the public have created an image of Ed Hillary, hero and explorer, which simply doesn't exist. They've painted a picture of me as a heroic type, full of enormous courage, tremendous strength, undying enthusiasm and all the rest of it. But it's just a story, really, that's been written up in the newspapers.

I'm a person, as I've said, of modest abilities, with a good deal of determination, and I do quite a lot of planning ahead. With careful planning and good motivation, I think you can often achieve things that other much more talented people would probably do much more easily. But then, a lot of these very talented people are not as strongly motivated to carry out the things that I've been involved in."

That gives me hope.  I'm also a person of modest abilities, with a good deal of determination.  Now I just need to plan ahead.

Farewell and Godspeed, Sir Edmund.  New Zealanders are mourning their hero today, and the world remembers you and the heights you climed, both literally and figuratively.