Reaching the Summit – in Hillary’s own words
![Excerpt from Hillary’s expedition diary, 1953, handwritten, ring-binder style with loose leaves. Nepal.]()
Excerpt from Hillary’s expedition diary, 1953, handwritten, ring-binder style with loose leaves. Nepal.
Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira
May 30. South Col to IV
"Another foul night with strong wind and very cold. We all packed up and left and then with Tenzing and me on O2 we crossed traverse and down to Camp VII. Here we were cheerfully greeted by Charles Wylie and some Sherpas. A cup of lemon juice gave us the strength to stagger down to VI, to V and finally to IV. Here we were greeted by the whole gang including James Morris, Mike Westmacott and Griff. All were very pleased at the news and James Morris took a quick despatch."
This series of articles formed a companion to our exhibition From the Summit – Hillary’s Enduring Legacy, which ran from 19 April – 29 September 2013 in the Sainsbury Horrocks Pictorial Gallery.
Auckland Museum thanks the Hillary family for their permission to reproduce these excerpts from Sir Edmund Hillary’s diary.
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Post by: Auckland Museum
Auckland War Memorial Museum tells the story of New Zealand, its people, and their place in the Pacific.
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