Two of Time Magazine’s Persons of the 20th Century were the duo of Sir Edmund P. Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay. Their accomplishment was simply mindboggling. In an era in which there existed the most rudimentary of climbing gear, the two men became the first to summit Everest on nothing but heart.
On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first human beings to conquer Mount Everest—Chomolungma, to its people — at 29,028 ft. the highest place on earth. By any rational standards, this was no big deal. Aircraft had long before flown over the summit, and within a few decades literally hundreds of other people from many nations would climb Everest too. And what is particularly remarkable, anyway, about getting to the top of a mountain?Geography was not furthered by the achievement, scientific progress was scarcely hastened, and nothing new was discovered. Yet the names of Hillary and Tenzing went instantly into all languages as the names of heroes, partly because they really were men of heroic mold but chiefly because they represented so compellingly the spirit of their time. [Link]
Tenzing was born in Tibet and grew up in Nepal. He was one of “Chomolunga’s people,” and so it was fitting that he was part of the first summit. Almost every great prize in moutaineering to be won, has now been won. Still, every mountaineer worth a dime aspires to one goal, however impossible it may seem. The Seven Summits. These are the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents: Kilimanjaro, Denali, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Vinson, & Everest. To date, less than 130 climbers have bagged all seven peaks and not a single one has been Indian, which is especially surprising given that India lies in the shadow of Everest. Well Gautam Patil is out to change that.
As an avid mountaineer, Gautam has been invited to present motivational talks at various venues including Sierra Club, REI Company Stores, and Any Mountain Company. He has shown bravery in dealing with people and situations in extreme conditions including those involving death and dramatic rescue operations. Gautam’s professional background is in Technology Product Management in Enterprise Software Products. He is a founding director of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association Inc.
He has already completed Kilimanjaro, Denali, Elbrus, Aconcagua and is currently mounting an expedition up the Vinson Massif.
This being 2006 you could have guessed that Patil…has a blog:
January 17th, 2006Hello Everyone….
Well, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first? How about the bad? We did not attempt summit today. The good: we got a rest day!
We had plans on making the first summit attempt today but because the weather took a slight change for the worse and the team needed another day to replenish strength, we decided to attempt summit tomorrow. This means another early wake up at 7am.
For the most part, I am completely packed. All my gear is inside the tent, arranged just so. My overboots are on top of my plastic boots and I dedicated each of the four pockets in my parka to a particular system. For example, all eye wear is in one pocket and all hand and foot warmers are in another because organization is a must to a safe and successful summit!
And of course, everyone always wants to know what you are going to do or say at the top:
We were asked by President KalaamŽs office what my message would be and here is what we sent them. If the scheduling works out, will call him from the top: “I want every young person in India to follow their calling, to scale every height, and to give back to India in service and love as she has given to us. To do it selflessly and in the spirit of service. To take two steps forward for the less fortunate when taking one step for oneself.”
The first step in completeing the Seven Summits is to be well funded. An ascent up Everest may run you $50,000 for equipment and guides.
We wish Patil well!
