Hillary Steps to Heaven

“Conquer the unconquerable”, is the spirit of man and the adventure is a part of human nature. The highest mountain in the world, the ‘Mount Everest’ was a challenge and several attempts were made to reach the peak of the Mount Everest unsuccessfully. Mountaineers simply disappeared in the clouds never to be seen again. Yet the undying spirit of man to conquer the Mount Everest continued until Edmund Hillary with Tensing succeeded in putting their feet on the highest peak in the world in 1953.

The name ‘Everest’ for the highest mountain in the world was named after Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor general of India. The height of the Mount Everest is 8,848 m approximately 29000 feet. Mount Everest attracts many climbers. British mountaineers were the first climbers. They made several attempts unsuccessfully. Finally it took Edmund Hillary to succeed to conquer Mount Everest in 1953.

The famous ‘Hillary steps’ is 12m high and nearly a vertical climb at the top before the peak. Due to the earthquake in 2015, these steps disappeared. The British mountaineer Tim Mosedale said on May 16, 2017 that she was sure that the steps were gone. The question is whether the steps made climb more dangerous? Or the climb became easier because it does not involve vertical rocks. But there may be limited paths and climbing might become dangerous. Hillary steps are associated with the history of Everest.

The Hindus believe that the Everest was actually ‘Kailasa’ the abode of Lord Shiva. It is an abstract idea. One cannot experience this idea with logic or intellect. Only faith takes us nearer to the idea.

Because of the suspicion that the British might cause political upheaval the British were not given permission to enter Nepal. Hence British were forced to take a detour via Terrai. The conditions in Terrai was very bad because of heavy rains. Despite innumerable hurdles which made the climb very difficult man finally succeeded conquering and enter the……

Peak of Heaven.