“It is not a mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
Sir Edmund Hillary, first to summit Everest
Men will live in vain, no matter how secure and comfortable their existence may be, if they allow the spirit of adventure to die in their souls.
For these people, there is no room for greater progress that would allow them to penetrate the depths of nature and the spirit. They will live like well-fed cattle and die no better.
Half the spell of mountain climbing was born in visions prior to this practice, visions of something mysterious, remote, inaccessible, and on all other levels of our lives—in that yearning to explore—the vision is realized, to venture far and reach a little further. This alone justifies man's hope of enjoying life to the fullest; that is, of unfolding and fulfilling the faculties of his soul. This enterprising spirit must not be allowed to die if man's true path and goal are not to be betrayed by a general dullness of will and lack of purpose.
WM Murray
