These were the first words that Sir Edmund Hillary said to his friend George Lowe upon his return from the first ever successful ascent of Everest. He sadly passed away this morning in New Zealand.
When we trekked in the Singalila range, most huts had photographs of him and Tenzing Norgay. It was here that he and many others after him, trained before attempting the ascent of Everest.
As Raoul and I arrived at Everest base camp 3 years ago, we started to understand the difficulty of the task.
The pair certainly inspired generations of mountaineers; but their achievement – which happened when India was a newly independent country- also profoundly marked others.
The prestigious Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling was founded as a tribute to their joint achievement by Nehru himself, the first Prime Minister of India.
He said:
The lure of the Himalayas is spreading now all over India among our young people, and that is a sign and symbol of the new life and the new spirit that is coursing through India’s veins.
This certainly is still a relevant quote in India today. India is as young and energetic as ever and it seems that there ain’t no mountain high enough (don’t think Nehru sang that one though!)
Bon, avec le titre de la page “Well George…”, j’ai d’abord cru que vous parliez d’Howard!
Richard