How did you reach the first human foot on Everest ?

The first Everest climber Tenzing Norgay's Everest ascent and life's thrilling story.

Tenzing Sherpa - An immortal, immortal and respected name in the field of mountaineering, which is remembered not only in Nepal, not only in India, but all over the world with great respect and reverence. Born in Tsa-Chuma, a remote and remote village in Nepal, Tenzing's name has become an extraordinary and unforgettable name in human history. As the first person to step on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, he has established himself as an immortal character in world history. Thus, the story behind Tenzing's name being erased in a series of histories of human conquests over nature is no less interesting, exciting and adventurous !

Born on Mount Everest, Tenzing's childhood dream was to reach the summit. And, to fulfill this dream, Tenzing spent nearly 20 years of his life participating in almost all human endeavors to reach Mount Everest. In this process, he participated in such campaigns as an ordinary porter and also as an honorary member of the Sardar and Abhiyan Dal. He tried to climb Mt. Everest not only with the British expeditions of 1935, 1936, 1938 and 1953, but also with Earl Denman in 1947. What a unique way to climb Mt. Everest in Tenzing. After climbing Mt. Everest, he once said, "My heart's desire was to go to the top of Mt. Everest ... The attraction of Mt. Everest was many times more powerful to me than any other power in the world."

In fact, Tenzing's participation in human endeavors to conquer Mt. Everest was not limited to living like other Sherpas of his time. Instead, the participation was the result of Tenzing's strong desire, passion and dedication to climb Mt. Everest anyway. Therefore, those who analyze Tenzing's tune, his dedication and his enthusiasm still say that Tenzing was indeed the first person to climb Mt. Everest. 

After all, he was probably the first person to spend the most time in the Everest region until 1953. Just a month before climbing Mt. Everest with Edmund Hillary, he joined the Swiss expedition and reached about 1,000 feet below Mt. Everest with Raymond Lambert. Probably the first time people reached the highest point in the world by then.

Lucky boy

Tenzing Sherpa was born into an ordinary Sherpa family living in Thame, a remote and remote village in Solukhumbu, Nepal, about 32 kilometers from Mount Everest, which made Tenzing world famous. Tenzing's family's permanent residence was in Thame village. But when Tenzing was born, his mother was in Ghang La, Bihar, a sacred place for Sherpas in eastern Nepal. He was born there.

Tenzing Norgay Sherpa was born in May 1914. His date of birth is based on the Tibetan lunar calendar. Because at that time there was no practice of giving birth. Tenzing was the eleventh child in a family of 13 children.

Tenzing's real name was Namgyal Wangdi. His name was changed to Tenzing Norgay by a famous local lama. In the Sherpa language, Norge means "fortunat", meaning a person who has always had good fortune and is accompanied by opportunity.

The boy who grazed the yak escaped and reached Darjeeling !

Tenzing spent his childhood grazing yaks in the highlands. At the tender age of 13, he ran away from home with the dream of building a beautiful future. He came to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, hoping to find a way to fulfill his dream of climbing Mt. Everest. But he could not stand in Kathmandu. Again, while living in Kathmandu, he did not see the way to fulfill his dream of climbing Mt. Everest. So he returned to the village.

About five years later, in 1932, he ran away from home again and returned to Darjeeling. Even after running away from home and going to Darjeeling, his only wish worked, that is, to join the British team that is trying to climb Mt. Everest at any cost and to climb Mt. Everest! At that time, Nepal was off-limits to foreigners and until then, all attempts to climb Mt. Everest had been from the northern face. In this context, since the first attempt to climb Mt. Everest in 1921, the British had recruited Sherpas living in Darjeeling to join the team for various tasks, including porters. This is why Tenzing also lost to Darjeeling with high hopes and dreams of joining the British expedition.

When Tenzing became a porter !

Fortunately for Tenzing's Norgay, he joined the 1935 British expedition led by Eric Shipton as a porter. He was just 19 years old at the time. Thus, now Tenzing has the opportunity to go mountaineering. She danced with joy as her childhood dream of climbing Mt. Everest began to come true.

After winning the hearts of blondes ...

Participating in the British attempt to climb Mt. Everest, Tenzing became a favorite of the British because of his unique ability and skill to play with the mountains. During this ascent in 1935, Tenzing's hard-working habits, mountaineering skills and helpful demeanor won the hearts of the white British who worked tirelessly to climb Mt. Everest. After winning the hearts of the whites, Tenzing's presence became mandatory in every British expedition. Immediately after the 1935 ascent, Tenzing was added to the British ascent in 1936 and 1938.

Meanwhile, World War II began. British efforts to climb Mt. Everest were postponed due to the outbreak of World War II with the participation of British imperialism. But Tenzing did not give up his efforts to climb the peak. Even during the war, he continued his mountaineering career by participating in team climbs of Nanda Devi in ​​India, Tirich Mir and Naga in Pakistan, and Langtang in Nepal and Garhwal in India. 

He also participated in archeological research in Tibet in 1948. During World War II, Tenzing also worked as a ski instructor for the Indian Army.

When the chief from the porter !

After the end of World War II, there were many upheavals and changes in the world. Nepal could not remain untouched by these upheavals and changes. As a result, Nepal's borders, previously prohibited for foreigners, are now open to foreigners. At the same time, the Chinese People's Revolution spread to Tibet, and feudal and religious leaders fled the country. Now the Tibet region has become a no-go area for foreigners. Due to this, the British efforts to climb Mt. Everest from the northern face came to an end. The British no longer had a monopoly on their attempts to climb Mt. Everest. 

Tenzing, who worked as a porter for the British expedition and tried to climb Mt. Everest, had become an established name among mountaineers by this time. By this time, he was not a porter, but a leader of the porters and a leader who guided and helped mountaineers. Meanwhile, in 1952, Tenzing was invited to join a Swiss expedition to climb Mt. Everest. He was invited to join the team not as a porter or other similar participant, but as a respected and experienced climber in an attempt to climb Mt. Participating in the expedition, Tenzing Sherpa, along with another climber named Lambert, managed to reach 778 feet below the summit of Everest, or 28,250 feet. The second attempt to climb in the winter was abandoned due to bad weather.

British attachment to climb Mt. Everest !

This effort by the Swiss expedition team and its success to such an extent is now clearly understood by the British - now the British monopoly was broken in the attempt to climb Mt. Everest. So, in 1953, he started trying to climb Mt. Everest again. In the changed world situation, not only the British, but all the foreigners were waiting for their turn to climb Mt. Everest behind the British expedition. 

In such a situation, the British clearly understood that if the Everest could not be climbed this time too, now any other country can snatch this honor !

There was another reason for the British to climb Mount Everest in 1953, at a time when British hegemony was being broken around the world, to once again prove British supremacy to the world by climbing Mt. Everest with the chance of their queen's coronation! So this time the British had killed Mount Everest. 

Who was on the climbing team ?

The British gave so much importance to this expedition that they even changed the leader of this expedition at the last moment. In fact, the team that arrived in May 1953 was led by the then famous British mountaineer Eric Shipton. He had tried to climb Mt. Everest before, but was later replaced by Colonel John Hunt. Hunt was a wanderer. He was not so famous as a climber. But Hunt was a skilled coordinator. He included New Zealand mountaineers Edmund Hillary and George Lowe in his expedition, as well as the then-famous Nepali mountaineer Tenzing. Hunt's group includes Charles Evans (post-Hunt group leader), George Bond (the youngest 22-year-old climber in the group), Tom Bourdillon, Alf Gregory, Wilfrid Noyes, Drs. Mike Ward, Michael Westmacott and Charles Wiley. Another member of the group, Dr. Griffith Pagh was hired as a physician for the climbers. Dr. During the Choyu Mountain climb last year, Paghle looked at the physical infrastructure, such as clothing, nutrition, and oxygen levels for climbers (since the level of oxygen had to be determined according to the altitude). His work was no less important in his quest to climb the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. 

Another member of the group, Tom Stobart, was the official filmmaker. Similarly, James Morris was a correspondent for The Times of London. He was given the task of using sign language to convey the news of the ascent to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the UK. The climb was sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society of Britain and the Joint Himalayan Committee of the Alpine Club. 

The members of the expedition used oxygen, specially made shoes and clothing, and portable radios. Various base camps were set up for the ascent. 

After reaching the top of the peak ... 

Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon, members of the British team, reached the summit on May 26, at an altitude of 28,750 feet. Now Mount Everest was only about 300 feet away. This means that the Swiss team reached the top of Sargamatha last year. 

It was a great victory and a source of pride for them to be able to reach even higher than where they had been before. Now Evans and Bordillon are on their way to the summit of Mount Everest. But unfortunately, a big problem arose when one of the oxygen cylinders carried by these two climbers crashed into a plant that was supplying oxygen. After that, they could not continue their ascent. So, sadly, they abandoned the ascent.

Tenzing and Hillary fined !

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa were named as capable climbers from the same group after Charles Evans and Tom Bourdillon abandoned the ascent. These two brave mountaineers, carrying the excitement of Mount Everest victory, decided to move in that direction. A camp was set up at 27,900 feet above South Cole to get them to the summit anyway. 

Preparations including body warming were completed before dawn on May 28. The snow melted in the cooker as he had to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. The lamas regularly prayed for the climbers at the Tengboche monastery. At 6:30 in the morning, after completing all the preparations, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa headed for the summit.

Moving on to the summit ...

Tenzing, who was part of the British expedition for the seventh time in the Everest conquest, and his New Zealand climbers set out on a difficult, arduous journey to the summit, with the goal of reaching the summit. The journey to the summit was not easy. The hardest and most challenging moment of the ascent effort had now arrived. But Tenzing was well aware of the dangers of mountaineering and how to cope with it. He did not try to overcome the problems encountered during mountaineering by force, but he knew the ways and means of avoiding and waiting for them by respecting them.

In particular, he was well-versed in the art of mountaineering, decision-making, and leadership. Sir Edmund Hillary, who climbed Mt. Everest with Tenzing, said: "Tenzing is a very skilled mountaineer and he will always be a source of inspiration and inspiration for other mountaineers." 

At that time, there were nine base camps for climbing Mt. Everest instead of four. The ninth base camp was set up about 1,000 feet below Mount Everest. This is about 2,000 feet above today's fourth base camp. But then the first base camp was set up far below today's base camp.

Tenzing picked up a stone and put it in his pocket !

While climbing Mt. Everest, Tenzing and Hillary somehow reached the ninth camp. After some slowing down there, they moved forward again. In the process, they were both exhausted and exhausted. So they began to slow down again on the rocky cliffs of Mount Everest. As he slowed down, Tenzing looked up and saw that the summit of Mount Everest was near, and it was not difficult to get there with a little force. This thought relieved their fatigue. These two brave climbers began to climb the peak again.

As they continued their arduous journey to the summit, they now reached about 100 feet below the peak. There was a place where two tents could be hung on a bare rock. There they rested for a while. To show the world the rock of the world's highest peak, Tenzing picked up two pieces of stone from there and put them in his pocket.

When Tenzing screamed happily !

In the end, Tenzing's skillful guidance left a human footprint on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. Enthusiastic Sherpa Tenzing, born in a remote village in Nepal, and Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper, finally died on May 29, 1953. At 11:30 a.m. on June 3, 2010, the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, was reached. 

After stepping on the summit of Mt. Everest, Tenzing shouted happily, "We finally climbed Mt. Everest!" Even then, Hillary did not realize that she had conquered the world's highest peak. "Even after reaching the summit, I did not believe that we had climbed Mt. Everest," she said. I was standing on the hill thinking about how much longer it would take to reach Mt. Everest. '

After reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, Tenzing hugged Hillary in Guam and signaled their victory over Mt. Hillary finally realized that they had climbed Mt. Everest. After that, Tenzing and Hillary hugged for a while and shared their historic happiness.

When Tenzing became emotional, he buried a blue pen on the peak ...

Tenzing and Hillary dug a hole for the symbols they had brought and sent by relatives. At that moment, Tenzing, a Buddhist devotee who was overjoyed with the victory, had an emotional thought of leaving his clothes and equipment behind, but it was practically impossible to do so. So he buried some biscuits, some chocolates and a blue pen. The blue pen was given to him by his younger sister Nima to leave a mark on the summit of Mount Everest. 

In fact, it was a simple pen, but for Tenzing, who could speak and read seven languages, it was extraordinary, because it was his dear sister's favorite pen. The pen was the most cherished gift sent by Tenzing's family to climb Mount Everest. When he buried the pen on the summit of Mount Everest, Tenzing showed it to Hillary, who also smiled and indicated that she understood him.

The flags of four countries were hoisted 

He pulled out four flags from the goji. The four flags were from the United Kingdom, Nepal, India and New Zealand. He tied the flag-tied rope to a snow-burying tool and waved it in the air. Hillary captured the moment he hoisted the flag in a photo. 

By the time he reached the summit of Mt. Everest, Tenzing was thirsty. He tried to eat the lemon water he was carrying but could not. Because of the cold of Mount Everest, the mouth of his water bottle was frozen. He forgot his thirst and ate some biscuits. He also gave some biscuits to Hillary. 

Remembering a friend ...

The moment they stood on the summit of Mount Everest, the kind-hearted Tenzing remembered his unique friend Raymond Lambert. Exactly one year ago, on May 28, 195, he and his Swiss friend Lambert had to return from 778 feet below Mount Everest due to adversity. 

The incident of Lambert giving a red scarf to Tenzing during the previous ascent, Lambert and the moment he spent the night in the same tent began to flash before Tenzing's eyes like a movie scene. Tenzing had brought the red scarf given by his exclusive friend Lambert from Darjeeling to the summit of Mt. Everest without leaving him. "If Lambert had been with me when I was climbing Mt. Everest now, how many would have gone," Tenzing thought.

When we reached the summit of Mt. Everest, the weather also helped Tenzing and Hillary. At the time they climbed Mt. Everest, the weather was calm and clear. After spending about 15 minutes at the summit, Tenzing and Hillary returned.

Tenzing has become a world hero

The successful ascent of Mt. Everest has now made Tenzing a world hero. He gained world fame, he received various honors from many countries and leaders of the world. He was awarded the George Cross by the British, he was awarded the Nepal Star. Two roads in the UK were named after him.

The Prime Minister of India Nehru came to Darjeeling to meet him. He received invitations to visit from different countries. After a successful ascent of Mt. Everest, Tenzing was summoned to the United Kingdom. "We're ready to go," Edmund Hillary said in an interview. But Tenzing did not have a passport. ” The then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru handed over the passport to Tenzing. It is found that Nehru has given very personal interest in this. The Nepali government did not show as much interest in it as Nehru did. Nehru became the patron of Tenzing. Nehru helped Tenzing open and operate a mountaineering school in Darjeeling. Later, Tenzing also obtained Indian citizenship.

Tenzing was appointed as the first field director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, India's first mountaineering institute opened in Nehru's special interest. At that time, Nehru had said to Tenzing - "Now you have to give birth to thousands of Tenzing."

He was the field director of this organization for 22 years. He named his huge house, built with the help of local people, after his family background, the place of his birth - Ghang La. Not only the summit of Mt. Everest, but also the peak of honor, fame and notoriety, Tenzing did not forget his birthplace.

For Tenzing, climbing Mt. Everest was the biggest bet of his life. He never saw Mt. Everest and the surrounding peaks as mere piles of snow and rock. He always took the peaks alive. At one point in his autobiography, written after the conquest of Mount Everest, he said, "In those great moments of my life, the mountains are not lifeless piles of snow and rock for me, but lively and friendly." In fact, Mt. Everest was my mother and the other peaks around her were the chicks under her wings. '

More than a kilometer long funeral

Tenzing was admitted to a Delhi hospital in 1985 due to alcoholism and poor health. Feeling we have 'Run out of gas' emotionally, he decided to meet his close friend Hillary. 

He reached Darjeeling from Delhi. Hillary died in Darjeeling, Tenzing, on May 9, 1986, before being seen. No matter how popular Tenzing was with the simple, pious and calm nature of the people, the funeral procession at his death was more than a kilometer long !