A few days back I wrote about 19-time Everest summitteer Apa Sherpa heading to Nepal to go after his 20th summit and to promote his Apa Sherpa Foundation. It seems he has another mission as well, as he will be carrying the ashes of Sir Edmund Hillary to the summit of the mountain.
According to Yahoo News, most of Hillary's ashes were spread across the sea off the coast of New Zealand after he passed away in 2008. But some were sent to Nepal, where they've been kept in a Buddhist monastery. Now, Apa intends to delver them to the tp of the 29,035 foot tall Mt. Everest when he makes his summit bid this spring.
Hillary first made his mark in Nepal back in 1953, when he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men to summit Everest, the tallest mountain on the planet. But that was just the beginning of Sir Ed's work in the Himalaya, as he came to have a deep and lasting connection with the people that live there, and set up a foundation that works tirelessly to improve the lives of the Nepali people. That foundation has built schools, clinics, and more throughout the country have have helped countless people living there.
As if we didn't already have enough reasons to cheer on Apa, this is another. Going for his 20th summit will be remarkable in and of itself, and it only seems fitting that he'll be taking Sir Edmund along for the ride. Climb safe Apa!
Big thanks to the Outside Blog for the tip on this one. Great story.
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