On this date back on 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand (who just passed away earlier this year) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal reached the summit of the highest place on earth. Mt. Everest is over 29,000 feet above sea level and continues to get taller and taller every year (only a couple of millimeters) due to geological forces. It has become an extremely popular feat to attempt. There are several expedition companies that send teams of climbers out every climbing season. Although it is still extremely difficult, the number of successful summits increases every year. It could be due to better technology and better conditioning of the climbers, or just because the number of attempts is increasing every year. But there are still several deaths each year on the mountain and most of the time the bodies are left where they stop due to the danger of trying to retrieve them. It is hard to enforce a “pack in pack out policy” when it comes to your buddies dead body. So far this year, there has only been 1 death with 287 successful summits. The worst year in the history of climbing Everest came in 1996 when 15 people lost their lives while trying to reach the summit.
Listen, I love a good challenge, but I am not sure I am cut out for that! I feel the abuse your body takes from the climbing, the temperatures and the altitude, just aren’t worth it. I will stick with climbing that occasional 14’er in Colorado. That is not as hard and the view is probably just as nice! But for those of you who have the desire to achieve that feat, good luck and more power to ya!
On this date back on 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand (who just passed away earlier this year) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal reached the summit of the highest place on earth. Mt. Everest is over 29,000 feet above sea level and continues to get taller and taller every year (only a couple of millimeters) due to geological forces. It has become an extremely popular feat to attempt. There are several expedition companies that send teams of climbers out every climbing season. Although it is still extremely difficult, the number of successful summits increases every year. It could be due to better technology and better conditioning of the climbers, or just because the number of attempts is increasing every year. But there are still several deaths each year on the mountain and most of the time the bodies are left where they stop due to the danger of trying to retrieve them. It is hard to enforce a “pack in pack out policy” when it comes to your buddies dead body. So far this year, there has only been 1 death with 287 successful summits. The worst year in the history of climbing Everest came in 1996 when 15 people lost their lives while trying to reach the summit. 
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