Thursday; May 29
On this day in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzin Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest. That sounds kind of cool doesn’t it. But let’s think about that for a little bit. Seventy-two years ago, two men were the first to reach the summit of a mountain that is almost 30,000 feet in elevation! This was before modern protective equipment. This was before today’s tactical gear. This was before advanced logistical assistance was available. Basically, the Hillary party just climbed up the tallest mountain in the world. Now that is more than cool – it is impressive! As I think back on accomplishments like this, I can’t help but think about how the single most important aspect of their quest was their willingness to do it. How many times had people told them it was impossible? How many times had they heard about the dangers (including the risk of death)? How many times had they been laughed at or mocked? Yet, they ma...