Sir Edmund Hillary

Hello there. My name is Edmund Hillary, and I was an adventurer from a country called New Zealand. I was born there on July 20th, 1919. When I was a boy, I didn't spend all my time dreaming of mountains. I actually worked as a beekeeper with my family, helping to take care of bees and collect honey. But something amazing happened in 1935 when I was on a school trip. I saw the huge, snowy mountains of New Zealand for the very first time. They were so beautiful and grand. Seeing them sparked a love for climbing inside me. From that day on, I knew I wanted to explore high places and go on big adventures.

As I grew older, my dream grew bigger too. I wanted to climb the tallest mountain on the entire Earth, Mount Everest. It was a very big and dangerous challenge that no one had ever completed before. But I knew I couldn't do it alone. I had a wonderful climbing partner and good friend named Tenzing Norgay. He was a brave Sherpa from a country called Nepal, where Mount Everest is located. Tenzing knew the mountains better than anyone. Together, we made a great team. On May 29th, 1953, Tenzing and I began the final part of our long journey. We carefully climbed through the steep ice and deep snow, helping each other every step of the way. It was very hard work, but we kept going. Finally, we did it. We stood on the very top of the world, the first people ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Standing on top of the mountain was an incredible feeling, but my adventure didn't end there. During my climb, I saw how kind and helpful the Sherpa people were. They were essential to our team's success, and I felt so grateful for their friendship and support. I knew I wanted to do something to help them back. The Sherpa families lived in small villages in the mountains of Nepal with very few resources. So, in 1960, I started a group called the Himalayan Trust. Its goal was to help the Sherpa community. We worked together to build schools so children could get an education, and we also built hospitals so people could have doctors and medicine when they were sick.

My life was full of many more adventures after climbing Mount Everest. In 1958, I even traveled all the way to the South Pole. I lived a long and exciting life for 88 years. People around the world remember me and Tenzing Norgay for being the first to climb the world's highest mountain. But I hope you also remember that the most important adventures are the ones where we help others. Reaching a goal is wonderful, but helping the people who supported you along the way is the best prize of all.