The First

May 28^th 1953.

Edmund Hillary’s Diary

“We are holed up in our tent. The weather has been treacherous. We have just got the news that the first summit team of Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans have returned. Bourdillon and Evans had crested the South Summit—at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters), and were only 330 feet (101 meters) short of the top—by 1 p.m. on May 26. But Evans was exhausted, and both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back. Had they continued, they would surely have been the First on the Summit. Someday surely they will regret the decision.”

“With 362 porters, twenty Sherpa guides and 10,000lb of baggage the party set out from the Nepalese base at Katmandu on March 10. Gradually we had made our way up to a point where we were all set to scale the final peak. My partner in the tent today is Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, someone who had been a part of a strong Swiss team in 1952 that included legendary alpinist Raymond Lambert. Lambert and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had reached all the way to 28,210 feet (8,598 meters) on the Southeast Ridge before turning back—probably as high as anyone had ever stood on Earth till then.”

“We have to surely make an assault tomorrow as we had news that monsoon was set to arrive on 1^st of June when heavy snows would make climbing almost impossible. This is my fourth attempt at Everest and no way am I going to let it pass.”

“Tenzing and I had formed a good partnership throughout the climb from the base camp to where we are today. Tenzing was also the most experienced climber alive with six previous attempts in the past. No wonder our leader Col. Hunt chose us to be a team together.”

“I am still wondering about tomorrow when we reach the summit, the highest place on earth, why should I allow the Sherpa to step on top and claim any credit. After all he is just a paid person who has neither dreamt of climbing the mountain and is too naïve to understand the implications of reaching the peak for the first time in human history. He joined us for money that we have been paying him and many like him since we started on the expedition.”

“While I am frantically writing with shaking fingers, Sherpa Tenzing sits quietly in one corner of the tent with a look of contentment and joy. He keeps smiling back at me. I am unable to not understand this tiny mountain man who knows no fear. He seems happy at all times.”

“How many remember the sailors who went with Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama on their maiden voyages as they discovered West Indies and India? No one. The books and history will always show the name of one man only, the person who led the expeditions. In this case Col. Hunt had led the expedition and if at all anyone other than me whose name should figure when the newspaper headlines are written tomorrow, it should be his. Not of this Nepalese porter surely.”

“I am sure Norgay does not know how to read and write. So he will surely not see the newspaper or any book in his lifetime. To him this is one more expedition and an opportunity to make some good money from foreign mountaineers.”

“If I let him go atop the peak, I may have to unfurl the flag of Nepal as well. How will I place the flag with two triangles beside the Union Jack? No way. Tomorrow morning when the weather clears, I shall walk out of the tent with Tenzing and climb the remaining distance. Finally I shall step on the Mount Everest, thump my chest in glory and put the flags of victory on the peak, admire the view, take pictures before beginning the descent.”

“It is getting late so let me take some rest for tomorrow is a big day.”

“No sooner had I closed my diary than I saw Tenzing stand up and start walking towards me. He put his hand inside his thick jacket and I thought he may be bringing out his khukri which is the favorite weapon of the Gurkhas to kill their adversaries. I got defensive and put my hand to the axe lying beside me. Tenzing took out what appeared to be a picture with which he first touched my forehead and then handed it over to me. It was the picture of the Hindu God Shiva. The picture had become faded. Tenzing explained to me that Lord Shiva was the Supreme God. This picture had been given to him by his mother to ensure the God protects him whenever he goes for such dangerous adventures on the mountains. I am amazed and feel so small. Here I was being selfish just to stand on top of the peak and here was a simple soul who just gave away his lifeguarding symbol to me.”

“Next morning we took off together. Slowly but steadily, we made good progress till the two of us reached the Highest Point on Earth at 11.30am on May 29^th. We shook hands, in good Anglo-Saxon fashion. Tenzing clasped me in his arms and pounded me on the back. We spent only 15 minutes on top. Three flags were placed on the peak together- the Union Jack, the United Nations flag of a white globe on a blue background and the Nepalese flag.”

“As we made our way back down, the first climber we met was teammate George Lowe, also a New Zealander, and I said to him: "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off!"

“As we were leaving the mountains, our fame was spreading. When we came out toward Kathmandu, there was a very strong political feeling, particularly among the Indian and Nepalese press, who very much wanted to be assured that Tenzing was first. That would indicate that Nepalese and Indian climbers were at least as good as foreign climbers. We felt quite uncomfortable with this at the time. John Hunt, Tenzing, and I had a little meeting. We agreed not to tell who stepped on the summit first.”

"To a mountaineer, it's of no great consequence who actually sets foot first. Often the one who puts more into the climb, steps back and lets his partner stand on top first." The pair's pact stood until years later, when Tenzing revealed in his autobiography, Tiger of the Snows, that Hillary had in fact preceded him. Hillary always maintained, “We climbed Mount Everest.” Interestingly there is no picture of Hillary atop the peak. He, in fact, took a picture of Norgay on the summit but when Norgay offered to return the favour, he declined.

My mind wanders to July 20^th, 1969 when Neil Armstrong made his historic speech of “, one small step for a man and a giant leap for mankind,” as he put his first step on Moon. Should he have taken Edwin Aldrin with him as well? Edwin Aldrin was the pilot of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong was the Commander of the mission. Could Neil and Aldrin have stepped on the moon surface together? Today not many will remember Aldrin but everyone will remember Hillary & Tenzing- together, forever. In the race to be the Best and the First we forget the people who got us there and claim individual glory. Often what the materialistc world believes is a Giant Step Forward for Mankind’ is in fact a Giant Step Backward for Humankind. 

NB. This article is a product of my imagination blended with facts.

SS