'If allowed, I would have climbed Mt. Everest two days before Tenzing-Hillary.'

Solukhumbu. Born in Namche, Solukhumbu, Kancha Sherpa was an associate member when the first successful ascent of Mt. He was a member of the High Altitude Porter when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa climbed Mount Everest. Only Sherpas who became members of the first Everest expedition are still alive. He is now 87 years old.

He said that when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa climbed Mt. Everest in 1953, he too had reached the summit. The Namche market in Solukhumbu produces nothing but potatoes. The locals used to go to the lower part of the district thinking of doing some work after not getting food all the year round and some of them used to go to work elsewhere. The youngest Sherpa, who is only 20 years old, also went to Darjeeling, India in search of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in search of employment. Sherpa, who went to Darjeeling with his father's name, worked there for three months.

Three months later, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and the younger Sherpa came to Raxaul by train. We reached Kathmandu after walking for 3 days from Raxaul. After coming to Kathmandu Valley, they set up camp in Bhaktapur. He stayed in Bhaktapur for a week and arranged for a porter to carry all the food and for the mountaineering. Arrangement of 400 porters was made from Bhaktapur itself. At the same time, a 15-member climbing team, including New Zealand's Edmund Hillary, arrived in Nepal. Kancha Sherpa said that he first saw Edmund Hillary in Bhaktapur. Big life, white shiny body, blue eyes, looking edible life. He also said that he was scared to see Hillary bigger than the average Nepali.

The younger Sherpa still remembers Ubela. After staying in Bhaktapur for a week, the preparations for the Everest climbing team were completed. First day trip. He went to Banepa with 400 porters. He remembers having to live in four groups as it would be difficult to arrange accommodation for the porters. On the second day we reached Panchkhal of Kavre and on the third day we reached Namche Bazaar of Solukhumbu in 16 days. After returning all the porters from Namche Bazaar, all the heavy yaks were transported. At that time, no one knew the way to Everest. Even though the youngest Sherpa was born in Namche, he did not know it.

At that time, Mount Everest was called Chomolongma, not Mount Everest or Mount Everest. As the locals of Namche only heard the name, there was no way to get there. After settling in Namche for a week, 20 Nepalese high-altitude porters and 15 Arohan team reached Tengboche via Namche. Although there was a monastery in Tengboche, there was no human settlement. Recognizing the path, the team moved forward. Going forward, there was a small settlement in Pangboche. Although there are human settlements up to Gorakhpur now, Kancha remembers that there was no settlement above Pangboche at that time.

It was not easy to pave the way. He said that he reached the base camp of Everest paving the way. After walking for 6 days through Pangboche, Feriche, Lavuche, Goraksep, all the teams reached the base camp of Everest. It was suggested to set up camp there. According to Kancha Sherpa, the same place is still considered as a base camp.

Surprisingly, there is also green grass around the Everest base camp at that time, so he remembers the yaks carrying heavy loads to graze in the base camp. He said that there was unorganized garbage and pollution due to lack of grass and herbs. The younger Sherpas are concerned that Everest has become ugly due to pollution, climate change and rising glaciers.

After staying at the Everest base camp for a week, the team set up camp again and reached Camp One. According to Kanchha, they have set up camps from Camp No. 1 to Camp No. 2, Camp No. 3 and Camp No. 4 to transport food and oxygen and also participated in the road construction work.

The three high-altitude porters are the youngest to reach the 8,690-meter South Summit after all the members could not leave Camp Two-Three. Sherpa is tired of not being able to fulfill his dream as he is a porter even though he has the courage to climb from the summit near South Summit. He says that one day he stopped working in the mountains, thinking that he would reach the summit.

On May 27, 1953, a team of three, including friends Dawa Tenzing Sherpa and Chhutare Sherpa, arrived at the South Summit and set up tents. He said that he had pitched a tent at the South Summit and slept at an altitude of 8,000 meters. After the three-man team returned to South Cole, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa slept in the South Summit tent on May 28 and made a successful ascent on the 29th.

On the morning of May 29, Kancha Sherpa found out that two people had gone to kiss the summit of Mount Everest at 1 pm. He proudly says that all the members are happy to know about it through walkie-talkies. He said that after the successful ascent of the summit, the news came from above that 'Camp number two is coming down, we are coming'. Immediately, the members of the Arohan team went to the base camp. Nepalis who have gone as High Altitude Porters remember that they stayed in Camp Two to drop off their belongings at Camp Two and Camp One.

During the one-week stay, all the necessary and good and useful items were dropped off at the base camp and the useless stoves and gas shells and the rest of the food were left in the two camps, Kancha said. He had heard that the food had been eaten by other members of the Arohan team for a few years.

Kancha Sherpa, who became a member of the Everest expedition team on a 90-day contract for Rs 8 a day, got to work for 45 days. However, he said that he received only Rs. 720 for 90 days. Kancha Sherpa, who said that he got more tips than salary, said that he was very happy to see New Zealand sending medals.

Sherpa, who went to the highlands in 1953 as a member of the Everest expedition, worked in the mountains until 1973. While working, he stopped working in the mountains in 1973 after seeing eight people killed in an avalanche on the same day. Sherpa said that his family did not allow him to go when he was frustrated. Kanchha says that he did not send his children and grandchildren to the mountains if he did not have to grieve for what he did when he saw the Arohan helpers of the same age dying in an avalanche.

He said that he did not have permission to climb Mt. Everest because he did not have permission to do so. Two of his friends had reached an altitude of 8,690 meters.

He says that he is doing social service through Kancha Sherpa Foundation even though he is not able to work in the mountains. He said that he is currently helping children studying in various educational institutions in Solukhumbu and Kathmandu. He has 2 sons, 2 daughters and 8 grandchildren. Even though Sherpas now live in Namche, they have been living in Kathmandu for four months in winter as they cannot stand the cold.