(Image: Finest America)

Sir Edmund Hillary passed away today of a heart attack, at age 88.

He was the first man to stand atop the world’s highest mountain, together with his Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

It has been 55 years since the first ascent of Mount Everest.

I wonder how he felt when he finally stood on top of Everest after so many failed expeditions before his.

He was also so humble to the point that he only revealed that it was him who first set foot on Everest only years after Tenzing’s death. There have been previous controversies about who was the first man to reach the summit.

I guess to him, it wasn’t about the fame and glory, but rather it was about the brotherhood.

He also did alot for the people in Nepal, he helped funded and built schools, hospitals, health clinics and airfields. Nepal was a place that held such a special meaning in his heart.

Although he is no longer present, I believe his heroic and selfless deeds and his legacy of adventure and exploration will continue to live on.

When we embark on our Everest climb in mid March, which is also the 55th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest in 1953, I believe it will also be a climb to remember Sir Edmund Hillary, together with Tenzing Norgay, for they were the ones who showed the world that it was humanly possible to reach the top of the world’s highest mountain.

“The explorers of the past were great men and we should honour them. But let us not forget that their spirit 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, not for what he may find. ” – Sir Edmund Hillary