Asked why he wanted to climb Mt Everest, “Because it’s there!” was the reply.
Edmond Hillary and his guide Tenzing Norway lead the first successful expedition up the great Mount Everest.
Towering 5 ½ miles above the earth, Everest has tempted countless adventures over the years to scale her treacherous slopes.
Faced with the constant threat of death, avalanches, starvation, high winds and treacherous slopes, adventures each year attempt to meet the challenge.
As Hillary, Norway and their team ascend inch by inch, their once large expedition continued to decrease as they ascended the mountain, each camp smaller than the last.
Then it happened.
At 11:45am on May 29, 1953 Hillary and Norway stood at the top of the world.
Want to know the crazy part?!?
After a mere 15 minutes, due to howling winds and snow, they were forced to begin their decent.
Scarred and frostbitten, sore, and struggling to move, the duo began their treacherous decent.
Unless they began an immediate decent back to their most recent base camp, night would soon overtake them and they would surely lose their lives to the elements.
All that for 15 minutes at the top of the world…