On this day in 1953, New Zealand adventurer Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (1919–2008) and climbing companion Tenzing Norgay of Nepal reached the top of Mount Everest, at 29,035 feet (8,850 metres), the highest place on earth.

"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals," Hillary once said.

A beekeeper and fastidious planner, Hillary prepared for every challenge in his quest for Everest. "Each night when I went to bed, I'd let my mind dwell on the likely things that might happen the next day," he explained. "And think out carefully the sorts of decisions that might be necessary to make."

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves," said the man who was also the first to stand at both poles and explore the source of the Yangtze River.

In 1961, Hillary established the Himalayan Trust to help find long-term solutions to the problems confronting the Sherpas and others living in the Everest district of Nepal. With courage and compassion, practice and focus, Hillary and his Trust have built schools, airfields, bridges, and hospitals, awarded scholarships, and planted over a million trees.

Since Hillary’s historic ascent in 1953, more than 6,000 climbers from across the globe have reached the summit of Mount Everest. But the mountain still humbles—and the feeling at the top remains unforgettable.

“Everest is an icon,” said Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing, who passed away in May 1986. “The legacy continues.”

Sir Edmund Hillary reflected on that legacy with reverence and heart:
“The explorers of the past were great men and we should honor them. But let us not forget that their spirit still lives on. It is still not hard to find a man who will adventure for the sake of a dream or one who will search, for the pleasure of searching, and not for what he may find.”

That searching spirit—the quiet courage to keep climbing, step by step—lives in each of us. 🗻✨