Passing of a Legend

Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary died today (Jan 11 9am NZ time), at the age of 88. I like to think there aren't many who don't know - not only was Hillary the first man to summit Everest, but he was a pioneer of mountaineering and an inspiration to countless climbers, including myself. His contributions to the mountaineering world probably fall short only to the contributions of Brad Washburn. In a strange twist of irony, Brad Washburn left us exactly one year ago today, Jan 10, 2007 (Jan 11 NZ time), at the age of 96.

Washburn

Notice that they did not die in a crevasse or in a white out storm. Both died of heart failure at ripe old ages. Some would call them lucky, others would call them smart, but I would guess it's probably a combination of the two. Their teachings will live on long past this decade.

Many people around the world suffer the loss of two of mountaineering's godfathers. There is plenty to celebrate in what they've left behind.
This is a typical detailed map, the result of meticulous work contributed by Bradford. The laser-accurate feature map of Mt. Everest.

"It's not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Hillary

My personal favorite:

"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