1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: And I'm Tracy Wilson and it's this part two of 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: our Everest podcast. Yes uh. In the first part of 5 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: this episode, we talked about how the British came to 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: identify and name Everest and the subsequent desire to conquer it. 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: We also covered the earliest climbs up to the point 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 1: where World War Two caused a pretty big gap in expeditions. 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: As the nineteen forties stretched on the British efforts to 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: some Everest continued to be on hold and maybe hoping 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: to capitalize on this lack of officially organized expeditions and 12 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: make a name for himself, One man, accompanied only by 13 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: two sherpas, one of whom was tensing rge illegally entered 14 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: Tibet to try to climb Everest in nineteen forty seven. 15 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: This was Canadian Earl Den and he was not super 16 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: well prepared for this expedition, not even a little. He 17 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 1: didn't have enough training or enough resources. He didn't even 18 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: reach the North Call, which is usually the first place 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: that climbers make camp on the mountain proper before he 20 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: had to turn back. Yeah, he had cut rate equipment. 21 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: He had only ever trained in um warmer climates to 22 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:26,119 Speaker 1: climb mountains. He just st ill prepared. UH. But also 23 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: in seven a successor to the Mount Everest Committee that 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: had run the previous expeditions leading up to this was created, 25 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: and that was called the Himalayan Committee. And this once 26 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: again combined the resources of the Alpine Club and the 27 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: Royal Geographic Societies. UH. The newly reformed committee would have 28 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: to face not only the brutal and still unsummitted mountain, 29 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: but also the political problem of China closing Tibet to 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: outsiders in nineteen fifty so they would no longer have 31 00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: access from the north UH to try their essense. In 32 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty, an Anglo American reconnaisance mission led by Bill 33 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: Tillman an American doctor Charles Houston, explored the approach options 34 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: from the Nepal side of the mountain. Tilman ended up 35 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: eliminating the Western comb approach as not being a practical option, 36 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: although it did end up being used. I think he 37 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: just thought at the time it was not going to work. UH. 38 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: In n there was another unofficial attempt, and this one 39 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: was by a danish Man named Klauds becker Larson, and 40 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: becker Larson took sherpa guides with him and he crossed 41 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: illegally to the Tibetan side of the mountain to try 42 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: to climb via the north side. But this time, as 43 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: the group of approached the north coal, the sherpas told 44 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: becker Larson that they weren't going to go any further 45 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: and the entire climb was aborted. Basically, They're like, we're 46 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: not gonna help you after all, and he had that 47 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: sense to go, well, then I'm not gonna make it, 48 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: So that was setting into that. Was it because of 49 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: conditions or some other reason? Uh there When you read 50 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: about it, it's and he's written a book about his 51 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: um Um adventure, but it sounds like there were multiple factors. 52 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: They were uneasy about the political conditions, they weren't super 53 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: confident that he was going to be able to do it. 54 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: It just kind of all felt very bad to them. 55 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: Um One thing that I read that I didn't even 56 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: list as a source because I was it seemed not 57 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: really that um um credible. But it's worth bringing up 58 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: because there are so many rumors around stuff like this 59 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: that there was actually a religious aspect to it, that 60 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: they felt that there were some bad omens in the mix. 61 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: I think that's largely conjecture, but basically they just said 62 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: no and that put an end to that. We're done 63 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: with this. Also in nineteen fifty one there was another reconmission, 64 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: and this one was run entirely by the Himilyan Committee. 65 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: Eric Shipton was once again the team lead. Scotsman William 66 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: Hutchinson Murray initiated and organized this mission in collaboration with 67 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: Michael Phelps Ward, both of whom joined Shipman on the expedition. 68 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: Ward had been examining maps and photos from the Royal 69 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: Geographical Society archives and he used his research to identify 70 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: a route up the mountain from Nepal. So he was 71 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: spending his time while they weren't doing things, just pouring 72 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: over the information that they already gathered so that he 73 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: could figure out a way that they could get up 74 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: the mountain this way, since they didn't have the Tibetan 75 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: side anymore. Also joining we're physicist and rocket researcher Thomas Duncan, 76 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: board Long and to New Zealanders, beekeeper Edmund Hillary and 77 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: lawyer Harold Earl Ridford, and in Murray's account of this expedition, 78 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: he says, quote, it's worth recording that this is the 79 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: first instance where the members of an expedition to Everest 80 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: have chosen themselves, chosen their leader, and initiated the expedition. 81 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 1: Is unlikely to happen again. So because these were mounted 82 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: and funded by a committee, the committee always picked when 83 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: it was going to happen, who was going to go, 84 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:55,679 Speaker 1: who's going to lead it. But this is the first 85 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: time that guys got together and so we think we 86 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: figured this out, here's what we'd like to do, and 87 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: they kind of pitched it to the committee and the 88 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: committee said, yes. Marie's group encountered a whole lot of 89 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: obstacles along the way. There were leeches that caused septic sores, 90 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: they were washed out bridges, a hornet swarm, like everything 91 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,359 Speaker 1: you can think of. You know, when you read his 92 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: account of the whole, like his mission report, you're just 93 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: like you have got to be then hornets. Yeah, it 94 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: sounds like an episode of Land of the Lost. I mean, 95 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: there are so many crazy things that have been of 96 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: those poor guys. In spite of all that they were 97 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,799 Speaker 1: able to detect a feasible path up to the south 98 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: coll and so, and eventually this whole mission was considered 99 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: to be a success. Yeah, they didn't they had never 100 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: planned the summit on that one, but they identified this 101 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: new route thanks in large part due to this research 102 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: that they had been doing. So it uh was resounding success. 103 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,720 Speaker 1: So the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research sponsored its OH 104 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: ninety two expedition, which was headed up by Edward with 105 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: Dunnant Intensing or Gay was also on this expedition and 106 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: while he, along with Raymond Lambert, was able to set 107 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: a new record in climbing altitude, though they struggled to 108 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: do so. They were crawling on all fours before they 109 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: finally reached their limit. Like these guys were really trying 110 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: to keep going and they just couldn't do it. There 111 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: was a second Swiss expedition in the fall of nineteen 112 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 1: fifty two, but the death of one of the sharp 113 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: is on the mission, who was killed by falling ice, 114 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: combined with bad weather to put an end to it 115 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: before they could have any real push for the summit. 116 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: And there's also a really interesting rumor that there was 117 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: a Russian attempt on the Tibetan side in although both 118 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: Russia denied it had ever happened and China had never 119 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: acknowledged it, there was allegedly a camp found in nineteen 120 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: sixty that supported this rumor, though in article for the 121 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,040 Speaker 1: Alpine journal Mountaineer You of Getting Given, writer describes the 122 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: search he attempted into the rumored expedition. He made inquiries 123 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: with mountaineering organizations, personal contacts, government offices, sports associations, and 124 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: trade unions. And he found no evidence that any of 125 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: the alleged members of the Mystery Ascent party ever existed. Yeah, 126 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: it seemed like they were completely fabricated names and people. 127 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: So uh still a rumor, not supported in any way 128 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: that we can find. Uh. And in nineteen fifty three, 129 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: another expedition was led by Henry Cecil John Hunt, Lord 130 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: Hunt of landfair Waterdine, although this impressive moniker is not 131 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: the one that is most commonly associated with this trip. 132 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: Also climbing were Robert Charles Evans deputy leader, George Christopher 133 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: Band who was the youngest team member at age twenty four, 134 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: Tom Boyon as the oxygen officer, Alfred Gregory in charge 135 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: of photography, Edmund Hillary, whilst George Lowe Cuthbert Wilfred, Frank Noyce, 136 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: Mike Ward as expedition physician, Michael Horatio Westmacott as ice 137 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: Fall trailmaker, and organizing secretary Charles Jeffrey Wiley, who was 138 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: also in charge of the service sherp attending Orge was 139 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: also on the ascent team, and it was his seventh 140 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: trip up to the mountain, and when this group arrived 141 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: at Temboche Monastery on the early part of their journey, 142 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: tending Orge's mother actually greeted them. She wanted to make 143 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: sure her son was okay and give her blessing for 144 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: him to climb, which she did. After making their way 145 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: to the South Call over the course of many weeks, 146 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: the first summit push was made by Evans and boardingon on. 147 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 1: The pair got to the South Summit in the early afternoon, 148 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: but only made it to twenty eight thousand seven ft 149 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: which is eight thousand, seven hundred seventy before depleted oxygen 150 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: supplies and inhospitable winds forced them to turn back, and 151 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: three days later, on May, Edmond, Hillary and tensing Orge 152 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: headed up from a starting point of Camp nine at 153 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: thousand feet or eight thousand fives, which had been set 154 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: up by Hunt in a team of sherpas for the pair, 155 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: while Evans and Boordeon were making their bid for the top, 156 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: so they were kind of prepping for the second go 157 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: at the top even as the first one was happening, 158 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: because he just wanted to be ready. They left camp 159 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: at six thirty am and had reached the south summit 160 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: by nine am, and at one point ten Signora had 161 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: seemed to be in distress, but Hillary found that the 162 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: line of his Oxiden tank had been blocked with ice, 163 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: and they were able to fix that situation and keep moving. 164 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: The next two and a half hours were carefully spent 165 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: uh picking their way up a forty ft or twelve 166 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 1: point two nearly vertical wall of rock and ice, which 167 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: is now known as the Hillary Step, and then at 168 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: last they had reached the elusive summit of Mount Everest, 169 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: the highest point on Earth in that moment, a dream 170 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: that was more than three decades in the making for 171 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society, and a 172 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: century from the time that British surveyor As had first 173 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,359 Speaker 1: seen the mountain was finally realized. The pair took photos. 174 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: They looked around briefly for any sign of the lost team. 175 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: Mallory and Irvine uh Norgay buried Buddhist offerings in the snow, 176 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: and Hillary buried a crucifix. They ate a mint cake, 177 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: so sort of like the power bar of the past. 178 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: I guess uh. They only spent about fifteen minutes up 179 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: there at the summit. The photos taken were of the 180 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: view from the top, largely as proof, and Tensing waving 181 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: his ice pick with flags of the United Nations, Great Britain, 182 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: India and Nepaul attached to it. No photos were taken 183 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: of Hillary. Yeah, Tensing Orgie didn't know how to work 184 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: the camera, although he said in subsequent uh interviews and 185 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: I think in a book that he had offered to 186 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: try and Hillary and said no, no, it's fine. So 187 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: there are no pictures of Edmond Hillary at the top, 188 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: the pair had to carefully make their way back down. 189 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: Their steps had already been erased by wind, and on 190 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: the way back down from that loftiest of heights, they 191 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,200 Speaker 1: were met by George Lowe from the expedition, who has 192 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: made his way up to meet them. And this is 193 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: when Hillary famously said to him, well, George, we've knocked 194 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: that bastard off I love how many pithy quotes around 195 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: everything we have to think, like, as an adventurer, you're 196 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: just at the ready with sound bites. Yeah, Holly, would 197 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: you like to take a second talk about a word 198 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: from our sponsor? So going back to Everest post Summits 199 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 1: writing about the importance of that first summit for Smithsonian 200 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: Magazine in two thousand three, A journalist who had been 201 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 1: part of that historic expedition wrote, fifty years on, it's 202 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: hard to imagine what a golden moment that was that 203 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: the young British Queen, at the very start of her reign, 204 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: should be presented with such a gift. A British expedition 205 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: reaching the top of the world at last seemed then 206 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: almost magical, and a generous world loved it. The news 207 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: ran around the globe like a testament of the light, 208 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: and was welcomed as a coronation gift to all mankind. 209 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: It was nothing like so momentous and achievement as that 210 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: giant moonstep the Americans were presently going to take. But 211 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: it was altogether simple, a political, untechnological and exploit still 212 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 1: on a human scale. And Holly good, I don't know 213 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: if I'd go so far to say, Holy good, I 214 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: don't either, but uh, there's some waxing rhapsodic about that's 215 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: very rhapsodic. And there are also a number of issues 216 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:25,079 Speaker 1: that go along with this entire thing that go everywhere 217 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,320 Speaker 1: from colonialism to the fact that the whole place is 218 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: covered in garbage. Now, yeah, which we'll talk about into 219 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: just a minute. So neither Edmund Hillary, nor Tenzig nor 220 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: climbed Everest again. Hillary was given a knighthood and Tensing 221 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: received Britain's George Medal in recognition of his courage. They 222 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: were also decorated in many other ways, and certainly I 223 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: know Edmund Hillary um went on to you know, have 224 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: endorsement deals, etcetera. But one of his ongoing missions and 225 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,719 Speaker 1: his passions in his life after the summit was the 226 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: sharp of people and their well being. The Sir Edmund 227 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:02,679 Speaker 1: Hillary Foundation was formed the nineteen seventies and since its foundation, 228 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: it's funded and supported the development of medical care center, schools, 229 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: and conservation initiatives in Nepal. He went back all the time, 230 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: he brought his whole family. Uh wasn't so interested in 231 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: going up the mountain again, but he really wanted to 232 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: try to do what he could to take care of 233 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: the people around it. Although Hillary died in two thousand 234 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: eight at the age of eighty eight, this foundation and 235 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: its work go on. Tensing, for his part, continued to 236 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: escort explorers and to train climbers, and he eventually founded 237 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: an adventure tour company, which was taken over by his 238 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: son after Tensing died at the age of seventy two. 239 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: There have been more than three thousand, five hundred people 240 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,680 Speaker 1: at the peak of Everest since that first summit, and 241 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: more than two hundred people have died trying, and most 242 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: of those bodies remain on the mountain. For a lot 243 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: of reasons. A litter problem has also, as we said, 244 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 1: developed on this once pristine landscape as used supplies are 245 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: dropped to lighten the loads of climbers. More than thirteen 246 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: tons of garbage have been collected by the Eco Everest 247 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: Expedition Group since two thousand eight. As well as human 248 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 1: waste and a handful of bodies. There's an estimated ten 249 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: tons of trash left on the mountain. Yeah, this is 250 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: where I still have a fundamental problem with it. Yeah. Well, 251 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: it's hard to imagine why people would just leave their 252 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: their trash there until you read the first person accounts 253 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: of how grueling it is to make it to the top. Really, 254 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 1: people will be taking a step and then having to 255 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: take multiple breaths before they can take another step because 256 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: they're so exhausted. Yeah, so lightning the load becomes important. Yeah, 257 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: Lightning the load becomes important. And and picking all of 258 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: that stuff up to try to take it back down 259 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: in a lot of cases becomes a life threatening attempt. 260 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: Um Like, you can either leave that stuff there or 261 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: you can make it down alive. And that does not 262 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: seem like a very good choice, which is still part 263 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: of why I struggle with it, because it kind of 264 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: in deciding that you're going to do this thing, you're 265 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: kind of putting your desire over the mountain. I mean, 266 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: this was once a holy place and now there's well, 267 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: and it's after a huge cleanup effort, there are still 268 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: ten tons of garbage there. Well, and it's it's still 269 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: a holy place. It's just a holy place that has 270 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: trash all over right now. Yeah, it's the holy place 271 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: covered in garbage. Yes, And it's also extremely expensive to 272 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: climb Everest. This was one that I kind of stumbled 273 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: across in my research, and I totally got sticker shock. 274 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: I mean I I in my head, of course, I 275 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: was like, yeah, that's gotta be a huge undertating minimum thirty. Uh. Also, 276 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: I can go up into the six figures very easily. Yeah. 277 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: That's also one of the reasons that, Uh, when when 278 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: you see stories about like storms that have killed people 279 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: that were attempting to get to the summit, a lot 280 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: of times there's this thread of this was the only 281 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: time this person and was ever going to be able 282 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: to try it because of the amount of money that's involved, 283 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 1: in the amount of training, and that turning back would 284 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: have meant that all of that I was gonna go 285 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: to waste. Yeah, it's um, it's for most people to 286 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: do it. I would say, it's so once in a 287 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: lifetime thing. There are repeaters, but not very many of them. Uh. 288 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: And that cost is determined by a number of things, 289 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: the permits, the services retained, the ascent path that you use, 290 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: your travel, your training, what guides you hire, how savvy 291 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: you are. I was watching one modern documentary about it, 292 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: and uh, one of the pieces of advice they were 293 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: giving to people was, if you have anyone in your 294 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: party who is a native speaker, already before you start 295 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: hiring guides and buying equipment, let them do all the bargaining, 296 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: because they will completely jack up the prices for anyone 297 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: that's not from the area. Um, it's like wedding planning. 298 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: That's a whole that gonna be a whole other episode. 299 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 1: I feel way is about those things. Yeah. So in 300 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: spite of all the costs and all the danger and 301 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,479 Speaker 1: all the garbage, the Summit of Everest has become kind 302 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: of a bucket list item for a lot of modern mountaineers. 303 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 1: And now there are ladders and guide ropes in place, 304 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 1: and some conveniences that early explorers never had but made possible. Occasionally. 305 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: Now more than two hundred people will reach the summit 306 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,159 Speaker 1: in a single day, yeah, which is just such a 307 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: huge number. And that's certainly not an everyday thing. This 308 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: is a seasonal trip. You can't do it anytime. The 309 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,440 Speaker 1: season to get to the top is extremely limited. Like 310 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: that that that two hundred person day might be the 311 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 1: only day that anybody gets to the summit that year. Yeah, 312 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 1: which is why you can have like, oh, thirty people 313 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: have done it, But wait, if two people a day 314 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: are doing it, that's how that math works. Out is 315 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: it's a very narrow window where two hundred people in 316 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: a day could get up there. Um, it's it's very 317 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 1: interesting to read about modern accounts of of what it 318 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: means to be bull and why they're doing it. I 319 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: think the trying to remember which piece I read. One 320 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: woman described the people in her particular group as largely, 321 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,640 Speaker 1: not entirely, but largely separating into two types. One was like, 322 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: really kind of wealthy, twenty something almost trust fund babies 323 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,239 Speaker 1: that kind of were just kind of adrenaline junkies. And 324 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:26,199 Speaker 1: then older men that were working through some stuff. And 325 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: she was like, I was kind of an outlier because 326 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: I was like a thirty year old woman and I 327 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 1: certainly had my own stuff going on. But those were 328 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:36,199 Speaker 1: for the most parts, she again qualified not everyone, but 329 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: those were the primary two groups. Yeah. I kind of 330 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: wonder if if, like those first explorers, most of them 331 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 1: have died now, because that was a long time. Yeah, 332 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: I kind of wonder if some of these first explorers, 333 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: if they were alive today, would be kind of like, Yeah, 334 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 1: everyone used to be a challenge before they nurved it. Yeah, 335 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: you wanna have some listener mail, I do. That sounds 336 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: spectacular this one goes back. We've had a few listener 337 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: meals about it, and I was debate over whether we 338 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,879 Speaker 1: shoultreat another, but I love them so much. It's another 339 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,400 Speaker 1: haunted mansion one uh And it is from our listener Joe, 340 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 1: and he says, my family went to Disney Room when 341 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: I was six, and I decided I was brave enough 342 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: to go in the haunted house. My older sister and 343 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: brother took me while our parents went to the Hall 344 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: of Presidents. My bravado quickly left me after the stretching room. 345 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,359 Speaker 1: My sister calmly held me and comforted me, assuring me 346 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: I would be fine. She got me through the ride 347 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,880 Speaker 1: while my brother called me a baby and a scarity cat. 348 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,399 Speaker 1: We were almost through when the Doom Buggies came to 349 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: a halt in the cemetery part of the ride, right 350 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: next to that skeleton head that kept popping out from 351 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: behind the tombstone screaming. After a few minutes stuck and 352 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,400 Speaker 1: me freaking out, the ride operators told us we would 353 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 1: have to abandon our buggy and walk out of the ride. 354 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: My patient sister carried a crying me through the graveyard, 355 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: which still had all the happy haunts moving about and 356 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 1: out to safety, and my brother still teases me about 357 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,840 Speaker 1: it to this day. Oh no, why hope in a 358 00:19:57,840 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: good natured way. I mean, well, I think we meant. 359 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 1: And when we were doing the episode, one of my 360 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: favorite things in the Haunt ad Mansion is that moment 361 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 1: at the at the end of the stretching room at 362 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: the very beginning, where all of these small children completely 363 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 1: just lose it. But then that makes me sad and 364 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: their patients sister is having to carry them out. This 365 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: is a lot about his sister though, it's very sweet. Yes, 366 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: we have also had a couple more cast members write 367 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: us and confirm the ashes being scattered. Yes, uh, yeah, 368 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: we have enough confirmation now, I think, yes, that we 369 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: can say with certainty, well we're throwing ashes around the 370 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: Haunt image. Yeah. And I had one of those moments where, 371 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: you know, Facebook likes to tell you when some friend 372 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: of yours is talking about something and it's not actually 373 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 1: pertinent you. It was like some friend that had put 374 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: up one of those articles that was about crazy things 375 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 1: that happened in Disneyland, and somebody had was just going 376 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: on about how they scattered part of their father's ashes 377 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 1: there and how important it was to them that was 378 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: you know, they didn't really care because it was so 379 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: important to them to know that part of their father 380 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: was there. And I was like, no, your father got vacuum. 381 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: And I had to very forcibly restrain myself from getting 382 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:19,440 Speaker 1: involved in that of conversation because it was not about me. Yeah. Yeah, 383 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: it's tricky. I mean, I completely man, nobody understands as 384 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 1: much as me that you would want to be the 385 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: thousandth the thousandth ghosts living there like that seems pretty 386 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 1: dreamy to me, but you know, really you will go 387 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: to a vacuum. Yeah. I'm also just sort of in 388 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: favor of not doing things that inconvenience all the other 389 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 1: people on the rides, it has to be shut down 390 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: for the has Matt team to come in. Yeah. Some 391 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 1: people who were really annoyed because they were like, well, 392 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: cremated remains are are not even a hazard because they're 393 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: basically ash, And I was like, that's that's not the point. 394 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: That's still they're still having to call in a cleanup 395 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: crew and shut down the ride. Yeah. Yeah, because if 396 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: you think about it, I mean, if they didn't do that, 397 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: I'll just circle it back to today's episode. It would 398 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: be like everything there, It would be just piles of 399 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: ash everywhere. It really would and nobody wants that. I mean, 400 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: it would take on a whole different kind of Yes, 401 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 1: here we're going through the cremins of lots of people 402 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: who love the mansion. You don't want that. Nobody wants that. 403 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: If you would like to write us talk about where 404 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: you want to put your cremins or whatever else you 405 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: can think of, or if you were scared by a 406 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: fabulous ride as a kids, you can do that at 407 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,960 Speaker 1: History Podcast at Discovery dot com. You can also connect 408 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,120 Speaker 1: with us on Facebook dot com slash missed in History 409 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: and on Twitter at missed in History. We're also on 410 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 1: missed in History dot tumbler dot com and at pinterest 411 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: dot com slash missed in History. You would like to 412 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: do some more research about what we talked about today, 413 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: you can go to our website and type in Everest. 414 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:52,160 Speaker 1: We recommended that last time for the article about dead 415 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: bodies on the mountain, but today we'll go to how 416 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: climbing Mount Everest works, which talks a little bit about 417 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: the history and also about how modern next visions do 418 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: it and sort of what it takes to to get 419 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: up the mountain. If that's something you want to do, 420 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: If you want to research that, or almost anything else 421 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: you can think of, you can do that at our website, 422 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:16,119 Speaker 1: which is how stuff Works dot com for more on 423 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics. Because it how stuff 424 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Netflix streams TV shows and movies directly 425 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: to your home, saving you time, money, and hassle. 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