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Return to Everest

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In the Himalayan foothills,

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Kathmandu long has beena crossroads

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its streets and holy places
filled with travellers enroute

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to a thousand destinations
many may never reach.

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Watchedby the gods,
some go to marketto sellor buy,

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00:00:49,616 --> 00:00:54,053
some seek to earn a higher form
in their next reincarnation,

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00:00:54,287 --> 00:00:57,017
some climb the steep
steps to Nirvana,

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hoping to escape the tumult
ofdaily life.

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Sometimes the destinations are
only disguised beginnings.

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For sirEdmund Hillary,
first conqueror of Mount Everest,

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his greatest journey would
only begin at the summit.

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It would traverse not only
thegreat landformsof Earth,

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but a less visible geography

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the private landscapes of one man's
passage through the years.

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At lastamong the long isolated

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Sherpasof the Khumbu region
south of Everest,

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it would bring a new challenge,
a new adventure,

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hardly 20 milesfrom
where his journey began.

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Today Hillary is a folkhero
in the Khumbu.

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With ceremonial scarves or katas,

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the Sherpa children honor not

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the great sahib
who climbs mountains

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but the friendly giant

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who has brought them

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their first glimpses ofa world
they never knew.

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It has been a trade of sorts.

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In changing their lives,
Hillary has changed his own.

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In the Khumbu highlandsof
Nepal each dawn is a discovery.

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Again the peaks emerge

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Ama Dablam, Kantega,
Thamserku, Everest

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silent sentinels of Earth's
highest mountains, the Himalayas.

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In the Sherpa villages
of Kunde and Khumjung,

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less habit yaks and goats are sent to stony pas

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and thejunipersmoke from
a hundred scatteredfires

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carriesmorningprayersto the gods.

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At 13,000 feet the gods
are never far away.

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Formed forty million years ago

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by the collision
of the Indianlandmass

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and theEurasian continent,
Nepal is acountryset on edge.

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Here, near Everest,

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TibetanSherpaslong ago
foundsanctuary.

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Here for centuries theylived
in rigorous isolation,

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an island in time.

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One manhas become
a major instrument of change,

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bringing both blessings and danger.

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With his son, Peter,

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Sir Edmund Hillary has returned
this way many times,

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00:05:00,933 --> 00:05:03,163
but this year holds
a special meaning

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it is the 30th anniversary
of the first conquest of Everest.

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"I get quite a thrill every time

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I come back to
these two main Sherpa villages.

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There'sso muchhere
that's pleasantlyfamiliar.

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There'salso the thought of soon

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being reunited with
somany old friends."

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Again they walk the village lanes,

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welcomed by thegreeting
of clasped hands

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and murmured "Namaste!"

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Alreadyfields are being prepared

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and planted with grainsor potatoes

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for theshort upland growing season.

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Across a wall bounds
an old and irrepressible friend,

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Phudorje, Hillary's companion
on many a climb.

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Everywhere young life
exploresa worldmade new.

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It is spring.

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At lastfather and son
enter the house

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that long ago became a second home.

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"Oh, Ang Dooli! Namaste!"

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"Namaste!"

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"Very good to see you."

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"Yes, same. Namaste!"

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"In this house I can always
besure ofa warm welcome

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and a cup of Tibetan tea.

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Over the years my family and
lhave spent muchtime here

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with Mingma Tsering and
his wife Ang Dooli.

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And they're still
my closest Sherpa friends."

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In daily tasks, Ang Dooli endures.

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Having lost eight of eleven children

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she eagerly welcomed
the Hillary family as herown.

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Upon the wall hang snapshots,

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fragments of life captured longago...

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Hillary's daughters Belinda
and Sarah...

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his wife, Louise, and thechildren...
young Peter with protective god...

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playful Belinda the youngest child.

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"Ah, thank you, Ang Dooli!"

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Now a painter,

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surviving son Temba remains
a victim of iodinedeficiency,

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once common in the Khumbu.

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"Hey, Temba!"

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"Ah, what's that? What's that?"

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"Thyangboche."

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"Thyangboche."

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"There."

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Pivot on which so many destinies
have turned,

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it was Everest that once joined

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00:08:05,051 --> 00:08:08,987
the widely separated lives of
Hillary and Tenzing Norgay,

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his Sherpa partner
on their historic climb.

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Now, amid the peaks on the trail
to Everest, they meetagain.

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Still strong at 69,

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Tenzingand hisdaughter Deki
have come from Darjeeling

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to join the anniversary festivities.

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"Oh, Tenzing! Good to see you."

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"...Deki."

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"Hi, Deki. How are you?"

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"Very nice to meet you."

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"Hi, Peter..."

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"Hi. Long time, Tenzing.
It's good to see you again."

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"Yes, did you have a good walk up?"

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"Very well. Very fine, thank you."

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In Britain today there will be
a more formal celebration,

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but Hillary andTenzing
have chosen tocome here,

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not only to be honored,

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but to honor the families
of so many Sherpas

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who have riskedand often lost
their lives on many an expedition.

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"Ah, that's good."

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"Yes."

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"Namaste, Tenzing."

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"Namaste."

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For a moment two aging heroes
pause tohonor each other,

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look back to the victory
they shared.

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Remote, seemingly beyond
the reach of human effort,

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the towering mass of Everest

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at mid-century had defeated
all attempts to reach the summit.

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Then, as Nepal opened to foreigners,

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assaults at last were possible
from the south.

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In the British Expedition of 1953,
guide Tenzing Norgay,

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alreadyveteranof
five failedattempts,

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would be teamedwith Hillary,

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who earlier hadsighted
a possible route via the South Col.

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With the returnof
thefirst assault team

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the challenge was passed
to Hillary and Tenzing.

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The earlier team had reached

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a pointhardly 300 feet
below the summit.

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Now, exhausted and frozen,

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they were somber evidence of
the teststhat lay ahead.

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But storm intervened.

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Only after a night wracked by
winds could Hillary and Tenzing

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at lastclimb the icy blade
tothe summit.

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There they leftin the snow

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a bar of chocolate and
some biscuits.

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00:11:16,509 --> 00:11:19,967
At a lower camp, the main party
waitedin growing suspense

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while leader John Hunt scanned
the ridges and icefallsabove.

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Then atlast
the returning climbers appeared,

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led by a teammate lifting
his thumb ina sign of triumph.

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Brieflythe triumph wasshared
only with comrades.

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Then word flashed to the world.

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00:12:06,926 --> 00:12:09,156
"This is the BBC Home Service.

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00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:10,953
Here is the news.

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Mount Everest has been conquered

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by members of the British Expedition

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00:12:15,101 --> 00:12:18,002
The news reached London
in a message to the Times.

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It saidthat Mr. E.P. Hillary,

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00:12:20,306 --> 00:12:23,742
a New Zealander,
and Tenzing Bhotia, aSherpa,

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00:12:23,976 --> 00:12:27,912
had reached thesummit
last Friday, May 29th.

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The message added, 'All is well.'"

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00:12:32,918 --> 00:12:34,180
In London the coronation of

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the Queen now was marked
by a fitting tribute.

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For a new Queen Elizabeth,

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an obscure New Zealand beekeeper
had set a flag in high, thin air,

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passed a boundary
never crossed by man.

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Quickly knighted by the Queen,

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Sir Edmund soonpledgedloyalty
to another lady - Louise,

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the young musician
whobecame his wife.

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Yet domestic bliss soon
would be exchanged

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for thewintry wastes of Antarctica.

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There, Hillary would lead

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a caravan of modified farm
tractors tothe South Pole,

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00:13:14,293 --> 00:13:18,730
settingup supply depots for
the first Antarctic crossing.

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00:13:18,964 --> 00:13:22,456
Hero tothe world,
symbol of high adventure,

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00:13:22,701 --> 00:13:25,363
his life would become
a continuing odyssey,

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00:13:25,604 --> 00:13:29,165
seekingnew challenges
around the globe.

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Sometimes,
with the indomitable Louise

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on lessspectacular expeditions

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00:13:36,849 --> 00:13:39,545
in New Zealand or
the Alaskan wilderness,

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he discovered the new adventure
of watching his children grow.

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But always Hillary
came back to Nepal.

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Long a forbidden kingdom
locked from the world,

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Nepal had barely 200 miles of road

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00:14:07,813 --> 00:14:11,579
when atlast opened to
foreigners in 1949.

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Its few vehicles, machines,

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00:14:13,719 --> 00:14:15,914
and even grand pianos were brought

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over the southern ridges
on the backs of men.

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00:14:25,931 --> 00:14:29,458
Its terraced uplands,
built bythe labor of centuries,

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were joined by a labyrinth
of trails on which

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00:14:32,404 --> 00:14:34,133
astonishing burdens were carried

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00:14:34,373 --> 00:14:39,538
by the hardy hillfolk or
theircaravans of yaks.

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00:14:54,193 --> 00:14:56,093
Later each return of the family

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00:14:56,328 --> 00:14:58,421
would become a journey
of discovery,

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00:14:58,664 --> 00:15:01,724
particularly for Louise
whose lighthearted accounts

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00:15:01,967 --> 00:15:05,664
of their travels soon
became best-selling books.

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Learning the country
by climbing it,

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00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:17,072
the children were takenby
their father to seethe great peak

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00:15:17,316 --> 00:15:20,410
that changed his destiny and theirs

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00:15:20,653 --> 00:15:23,918
For thefirst time 12-year-old
Peter would glimpse themountain

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00:15:24,156 --> 00:15:28,422
that one day would drawhim like
an inescapable challenge.

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00:15:34,533 --> 00:15:37,161
With deepening regard for
the warmhearted Sherpas,

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00:15:37,403 --> 00:15:40,702
the Hillarys eagerly lent
a hand wherever needed,

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00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:45,206
opened the doorto a culture
distant from their own origins.

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00:15:45,444 --> 00:15:48,675
On a mountainside at Thami
notfar from the Tibetan border,

200
00:15:48,914 --> 00:15:53,408
they helped build a supporting
wall for a Buddhist monastery.

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00:15:58,857 --> 00:16:01,189
Its newleader was
a 12-year-old boy,

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00:16:01,427 --> 00:16:07,263
believed to be the reincarnation
of a previoushead lama or rimpoche.

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00:16:10,436 --> 00:16:12,199
"When I first went to the Himalayas,

204
00:16:12,438 --> 00:16:15,771
my major interest really was
in climbing mountains.

205
00:16:16,008 --> 00:16:17,134
I got to know the localpeople,

206
00:16:17,376 --> 00:16:20,004
the Sherpas,
and enjoyed them very much.

207
00:16:20,245 --> 00:16:21,906
And by spending time in the villages,

208
00:16:22,147 --> 00:16:26,083
it became impossible for me
not to realize that

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00:16:26,318 --> 00:16:28,013
there were so many things lacking.

210
00:16:28,253 --> 00:16:31,313
So manythings that we took for
granted in oursociety,

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00:16:31,557 --> 00:16:33,218
they simply didn't have.

212
00:16:33,459 --> 00:16:36,587
And because I was very fond
ofmy Sherpa friends,

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00:16:36,829 --> 00:16:39,662
I had this sortof nagging
worry all the time

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00:16:39,898 --> 00:16:41,866
shouldn't we betrying to
do something

215
00:16:42,101 --> 00:16:43,932
about the future of theSherpas?

216
00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:46,694
And to help them to
withstand the changes

217
00:16:46,939 --> 00:16:48,497
that were likely to take place?"

218
00:16:51,443 --> 00:16:53,138
Around Hillary, often watching,

219
00:16:53,379 --> 00:16:55,176
were the beautiful Sherpa children

220
00:16:55,414 --> 00:16:59,976
open, quick to laugh,
endlessly inventive in play.

221
00:17:00,219 --> 00:17:03,780
Yet untaught, their innocence
one day could become a prison.

222
00:17:04,023 --> 00:17:08,016
In all of the Khumbu there was
not a school tohelp them grow.

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00:17:08,360 --> 00:17:11,454
He would alwaysremember
the words of a village leader:

224
00:17:11,697 --> 00:17:15,394
"Our children have eyes,
but they are blind."

225
00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:20,164
"And itwas then at
that particular occasion

226
00:17:20,539 --> 00:17:21,631
that I decided that
instead ofsort

227
00:17:21,874 --> 00:17:25,071
of thinking about it for years
and talking about it,

228
00:17:25,310 --> 00:17:28,643
maybe Ishould try and
do something about it."

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00:17:36,221 --> 00:17:39,850
Abruptly, Sir Edmund Hillary
became a part-time carpenter.

230
00:17:40,092 --> 00:17:43,619
Drawinghelp from contributors in
New Zealand and the United States,

231
00:17:43,862 --> 00:17:47,320
he formed the HimalayanTrust
to support the program.

232
00:17:47,566 --> 00:17:50,501
Today, still building after
more than two decades,

233
00:17:50,736 --> 00:17:52,101
he has completed and staffed

234
00:17:52,337 --> 00:17:56,239
no fewer than 22 schools
across the Khumbu.

235
00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,040
"We have a good,
experienced team to do the job.

236
00:18:04,283 --> 00:18:06,877
My brother, Rex, is a builder
by tradeback inNew Zealand.

237
00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,577
And he's come over herequite afew
times to help on these projects.

238
00:18:10,823 --> 00:18:14,384
But without Mingma's organization
and authority amongst the Sherpas,

239
00:18:14,626 --> 00:18:16,651
I could have done nothing."

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00:18:18,430 --> 00:18:20,523
The patterns ofconstruction
have changed little

241
00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:24,429
since the building
of the first schoolin 1961.

242
00:18:24,670 --> 00:18:26,467
Some children help

243
00:18:27,239 --> 00:18:33,235
some children watch
some children imitate.

244
00:18:33,479 --> 00:18:36,812
For some,
classes havealreadybegun.

245
00:18:55,834 --> 00:18:57,199
"...has entered."

246
00:18:57,436 --> 00:18:59,097
"He has entered."

247
00:18:59,338 --> 00:19:00,100
"His house."

248
00:19:00,339 --> 00:19:01,328
"His house."

249
00:19:01,573 --> 00:19:03,734
"The men are climbing the mountain."

250
00:19:03,976 --> 00:19:05,705
"The men are climbing the mountain."

251
00:19:05,944 --> 00:19:06,672
"The mountain."

252
00:19:06,912 --> 00:19:07,844
"The mountain."

253
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:08,978
"The mountain."

254
00:19:09,214 --> 00:19:09,578
"The mountain."

255
00:19:09,815 --> 00:19:12,113
"The men have climbed the mountain."

256
00:19:12,351 --> 00:19:15,286
"The men have climbed the mountain."

257
00:19:23,929 --> 00:19:26,159
"This is the thing I've
alwaysliked about theSherpas.

258
00:19:26,398 --> 00:19:30,357
They always areprepared
and know whatthey can do.

259
00:19:30,602 --> 00:19:32,092
And they know that
they don't have money,

260
00:19:32,337 --> 00:19:34,862
but they have the strength
of their hands.

261
00:19:35,307 --> 00:19:38,208
In daysgone by,
even my own children,

262
00:19:38,443 --> 00:19:39,740
Peter, Sarah, and Belinda,

263
00:19:39,978 --> 00:19:42,208
used towork inwith
the localchildren,

264
00:19:42,447 --> 00:19:45,245
carrying rocks and
carrying chunks of timber,

265
00:19:45,484 --> 00:19:47,748
and I really think they enjoyed it.

266
00:19:52,057 --> 00:19:52,648
It is quite exciting

267
00:19:52,891 --> 00:19:55,519
to watch aschool rise up
from its foundations

268
00:19:55,761 --> 00:19:57,319
and to see the rock
I used to climb

269
00:19:57,563 --> 00:20:00,054
being fashionedinto
schoolhouse walls."

270
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,461
A rudimentary structure, unheated,
dependent on natural light,

271
00:20:05,704 --> 00:20:10,300
the newschool at Chaunrikarka
is a center of village pride.

272
00:20:10,542 --> 00:20:13,204
Quicklythe people gather,
bringing bottles ofchang,

273
00:20:13,445 --> 00:20:15,777
the local spirits,
forthe celebration.

274
00:21:15,741 --> 00:21:16,969
"I always feel a slightdegree

275
00:21:17,209 --> 00:21:19,439
of apprehensionabout
get-togethers like these.

276
00:21:19,678 --> 00:21:20,940
Any Sherpa gathering tends to

277
00:21:21,179 --> 00:21:23,170
become a somewhat festive occasion

278
00:21:23,415 --> 00:21:24,780
with the local beer andspirits

279
00:21:25,017 --> 00:21:28,817
flowingrather freely and
mostly in mydirection.

280
00:21:29,054 --> 00:21:30,316
And it's reallyquite achallenge

281
00:21:30,555 --> 00:21:33,353
to survive these functions
in an upright position."

282
00:21:42,834 --> 00:21:44,358
"On behalf of the Himalayan Trust

283
00:21:44,603 --> 00:21:48,198
and allthose who have helped
build this school,

284
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:53,935
I have much pleasure now
in declaring the school open."

285
00:22:07,926 --> 00:22:12,420
For thefirst time the children
enter the still empty classroom.

286
00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:13,722
Here, in this vacancy,

287
00:22:13,965 --> 00:22:17,025
each will embark on
a new journey of discovery,

288
00:22:17,269 --> 00:22:20,204
find new mountains to climb.

289
00:22:22,808 --> 00:22:25,800
Today across the Khumbu
the school bells ring,

290
00:22:26,044 --> 00:22:30,606
many the empty oxygen flasks used
by Hillary and otherclimbers.

291
00:22:30,849 --> 00:22:32,248
Over the highland ridges more than

292
00:22:32,484 --> 00:22:35,942
a thousand Sherpa children
hurry to class eachday,

293
00:22:36,188 --> 00:22:39,680
some toschoolsmore than
a three-hourjourneyfrom home.

294
00:22:41,126 --> 00:22:43,287
"Are you sleeping,
areyou sleeping?

295
00:22:43,528 --> 00:22:45,758
Brother John, Brother John.

296
00:22:45,997 --> 00:22:48,158
Morningbell isringing,
morning bell is ringing.

297
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,233
Ding done ding,
dong ding dong."

298
00:23:01,513 --> 00:23:05,472
At Khumjung, Hillary remains
close to its day-to-day activities,

299
00:23:05,717 --> 00:23:09,153
still enjoys visiting
the first schoolhe everbuilt,

300
00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:10,912
watching children draw pictures

301
00:23:11,156 --> 00:23:15,559
of a wider world they have never
seen outside a book.

302
00:23:17,596 --> 00:23:21,191
Largestof Khumbu schools with
an enrollment of nearly300,

303
00:23:21,433 --> 00:23:24,800
Khumjung has a proud record of
outstanding students,

304
00:23:25,036 --> 00:23:28,597
some already entering leadership
rolesin Nepal.

305
00:23:40,919 --> 00:23:44,514
The soccer team, of course,
remains invincibleto lowland teams

306
00:23:44,756 --> 00:23:48,988
who quickly struggle
for breath at 13,000 feet.

307
00:24:11,683 --> 00:24:13,241
But schools areonly part of

308
00:24:13,485 --> 00:24:16,511
a widereffort by Hillary
and his associates.

309
00:24:16,755 --> 00:24:17,687
Under his direction,

310
00:24:17,923 --> 00:24:21,051
three landing strips have been
carvedon the mountainsides,

311
00:24:21,293 --> 00:24:26,128
ending forever the centuries-long
isolation ofthe Sherpas.

312
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,637
In the mysterious symbols
printed on the cargo,

313
00:24:38,877 --> 00:24:42,108
pasing childrensometimes
try to imagine the wonders

314
00:24:42,347 --> 00:24:45,544
of the world from whichit came.

315
00:24:49,020 --> 00:24:51,989
Built by Hillary,
scattered clinics and two hospitals

316
00:24:52,224 --> 00:24:54,351
at lastprovidemedicalcare

317
00:24:54,593 --> 00:24:56,925
and have brought a new awareness
amongthe Sherpas

318
00:24:57,162 --> 00:24:59,687
that smoky dwellings and
lack of sanitation

319
00:24:59,931 --> 00:25:02,627
cause many of their chronic maladies

320
00:25:03,602 --> 00:25:05,570
At Kunde even the local lama

321
00:25:05,804 --> 00:25:08,898
has found a newtrust
in modern medicine.

322
00:25:22,921 --> 00:25:26,755
In a region where formerly half
the youth diedbefore twenty,

323
00:25:26,992 --> 00:25:28,584
there has been
a dramatic improvement

324
00:25:28,827 --> 00:25:30,556
in the treatment of
children'safflictions

325
00:25:30,795 --> 00:25:34,356
and a corresponding drop
in the mortality rate.

326
00:25:35,166 --> 00:25:38,363
For some, the cure seemed
nearly miraculous.

327
00:25:38,603 --> 00:25:42,130
Here, aboy, whose hearing has
been severely impaired since birth,

328
00:25:42,374 --> 00:25:46,708
can hear the full wonder of sound
for the first time.

329
00:25:50,882 --> 00:25:51,906
But as Hillary learned during

330
00:25:52,150 --> 00:25:55,813
the building of
Phaphlu hospital in 1975,

331
00:25:56,054 --> 00:26:00,388
preparations for errands of mercy
are sometimes of little use.

332
00:26:00,625 --> 00:26:02,559
Eagerlyawaiting the arrival
of his wife, Louise,

333
00:26:02,794 --> 00:26:05,888
and young Belinda from Kathmandu,

334
00:26:06,131 --> 00:26:09,157
he learned thatboth had been
killed in the crash

335
00:26:09,401 --> 00:26:11,733
of their plane shortly
after takeoff.

336
00:26:16,775 --> 00:26:19,266
For Hillary that day was darkness,

337
00:26:19,511 --> 00:26:21,035
the beginning of a long journey

338
00:26:21,279 --> 00:26:26,148
across a private wasteland
without compass or place torest.

339
00:26:53,878 --> 00:26:55,573
"I didn't really know
what else to do apart

340
00:26:55,814 --> 00:26:57,714
from going on building the hospital,

341
00:26:57,949 --> 00:26:59,849
and then later
we wentback toKhumbu

342
00:27:00,085 --> 00:27:01,552
and spent time with Mingma and

343
00:27:01,786 --> 00:27:03,378
Ang Dooli and various
other friends,

344
00:27:03,622 --> 00:27:08,423
and that was it. And they,
you know, they allhelped a bit."

345
00:27:39,924 --> 00:27:41,892
Shaken, Hillarywent back to work,

346
00:27:42,127 --> 00:27:45,654
building new classrooms,
adding to others.

347
00:27:46,631 --> 00:27:49,429
"Thin walls. A bit bulgy."

348
00:27:49,668 --> 00:27:50,600
"Yeah."

349
00:27:51,403 --> 00:27:53,234
"Well, I think we had better
do a proper job of it."

350
00:27:53,471 --> 00:27:54,665
"Uh, hum."

351
00:27:56,574 --> 00:28:00,032
"You'llhave toput a lot of
frameworkin, won't you?"

352
00:28:00,278 --> 00:28:04,442
"Yeah. Let's measure."

353
00:28:06,718 --> 00:28:09,209
Now at Namche Bazar
with his brother, Rex,

354
00:28:09,454 --> 00:28:10,819
he studies the damage of time

355
00:28:11,056 --> 00:28:13,581
and weather to a school
built years ago,

356
00:28:13,825 --> 00:28:16,988
draws plans forneeded repairs
on its structure.

357
00:28:21,032 --> 00:28:22,431
"Namaste."

358
00:28:22,667 --> 00:28:24,601
"I think we're going to..."

359
00:28:28,573 --> 00:28:31,064
Still Hillary'strustedsirdar
or foreman,

360
00:28:31,309 --> 00:28:33,209
Mingma Tsering jokes
over the division

361
00:28:33,445 --> 00:28:35,504
of labor in providing the lumber

362
00:28:35,747 --> 00:28:37,908
who will cut and who will carry.

363
00:28:38,149 --> 00:28:39,173
"...okay, carry."

364
00:28:39,417 --> 00:28:40,179
"Will they help you carry?"

365
00:28:40,418 --> 00:28:41,180
"Yes. It's o.k.?"

366
00:28:43,321 --> 00:28:44,845
"Yeah, that's good."

367
00:28:45,190 --> 00:28:45,884
"Big help."

368
00:28:46,124 --> 00:28:49,685
"Those are cutting...,
and they carry."

369
00:28:49,928 --> 00:28:51,156
"Yep."

370
00:28:57,569 --> 00:28:59,298
Drawn closer by tragedy,

371
00:28:59,537 --> 00:29:02,938
Hillaryand Peter each feel
a renewed awareness of therisk

372
00:29:03,174 --> 00:29:06,541
that lies in every human attachment.

373
00:29:06,778 --> 00:29:10,646
Now veteran climbers both,
often in personal peril,

374
00:29:10,882 --> 00:29:15,945
each has seen close friends and
companions lost on mountain walls.

375
00:29:16,621 --> 00:29:18,486
Even Peter was nearly sacrificed

376
00:29:18,723 --> 00:29:21,954
on the soaring altar ofAma Dablam.

377
00:29:30,602 --> 00:29:33,162
Struck by an avalanche high
onits icy wall,

378
00:29:33,404 --> 00:29:36,703
severely injured and
climbing equipment swept away,

379
00:29:36,941 --> 00:29:38,499
Peter nearly died in the two days

380
00:29:38,743 --> 00:29:42,235
before he finally could
be lowered to safety.

381
00:29:57,629 --> 00:30:01,998
For Hillary himself thesummits
have anew andpoignant meaning.

382
00:30:02,233 --> 00:30:05,532
He can never again return to
those icyheights.

383
00:30:05,770 --> 00:30:07,135
Several times in recent years

384
00:30:07,372 --> 00:30:08,862
he has sufferedcritical

385
00:30:09,107 --> 00:30:12,406
attacksof cerebral edema
or altitude sickness.

386
00:30:12,644 --> 00:30:14,612
Twice in delirium he has had
to be ledor

387
00:30:14,846 --> 00:30:16,711
carriedfrom the thin upper air

388
00:30:16,948 --> 00:30:19,917
to lower altitudes to save his life.

389
00:30:20,151 --> 00:30:22,483
Today,
the manwho first climbed Everest

390
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,349
must remain below 14,000 feet.

391
00:30:28,092 --> 00:30:32,051
But today with Peter and Mingma
he will press the barrier,

392
00:30:32,297 --> 00:30:36,791
view ata distance the summit
on whichhe stood 30 years ago.

393
00:30:37,035 --> 00:30:39,560
For at last Peter is ready to
answer the summons

394
00:30:39,804 --> 00:30:41,829
he first felt as a 12-year-old boy

395
00:30:42,073 --> 00:30:46,134
staringin awe at the mountain
his father had climbed.

396
00:30:46,377 --> 00:30:48,072
AlreadyPeter has made preparations

397
00:30:48,313 --> 00:30:53,273
for an attempt on Everest
by its formidable West Ridge.

398
00:30:54,619 --> 00:30:58,419
A geologic accident that
became the highest point on Earth,

399
00:30:58,656 --> 00:31:02,092
Everesthas long been
a challenge to Western man.

400
00:31:02,327 --> 00:31:06,127
But to the Sherpas the peaks
were something else.

401
00:31:07,866 --> 00:31:10,767
Migrating from Tibet
several centuriesago,

402
00:31:11,002 --> 00:31:15,905
the Sherpas found an endlessly
changing world of mist and stone

403
00:31:16,140 --> 00:31:18,540
where peaks andtrees and streams

404
00:31:18,776 --> 00:31:22,473
appeared and vanished
with magical swiftness.

405
00:31:22,714 --> 00:31:24,841
Quickly their imaginations populated

406
00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:29,452
the landscape with gods, demons,
and spirits of every kind.

407
00:31:29,687 --> 00:31:31,018
Even the trees were sometime

408
00:31:31,256 --> 00:31:35,283
believed to be
the dwelling place of sacred beings.

409
00:31:41,499 --> 00:31:43,967
In a continuingdialogue
with the invisible

410
00:31:44,202 --> 00:31:46,693
or disguised powers around them,

411
00:31:46,938 --> 00:31:49,566
they have givenprayer
a thousand forms,

412
00:31:49,807 --> 00:31:52,435
a thousand means of transmission

413
00:31:52,677 --> 00:31:55,805
writtenon hand-turned
cylinders and waterwheels,

414
00:31:57,148 --> 00:32:02,017
printedon prayer flagsand
banners waving in the wind,

415
00:32:05,723 --> 00:32:12,219
inscribed on shrines or chortens

416
00:32:13,031 --> 00:32:16,797
engraved on stone tablets or manis

417
00:32:17,468 --> 00:32:22,667
even onrocks in rivers
and trailside boulders.

418
00:32:26,177 --> 00:32:27,872
Committed to the elements,

419
00:32:28,112 --> 00:32:32,310
it is hoped that the prayers
will reach their protective gods.

420
00:32:32,550 --> 00:32:35,110
The sun diffuses the fading prayer,

421
00:32:35,353 --> 00:32:37,981
rain spreads it through the rivers,

422
00:32:38,222 --> 00:32:41,316
wind carries it to the heavens.

423
00:32:49,634 --> 00:32:51,295
Surrounded by prayer inlife,

424
00:32:51,536 --> 00:32:54,403
Sherpasare followed byprayer
even indeath.

425
00:32:54,639 --> 00:32:58,439
Into the ear ofthe dead,
the dying, or those soon to die,

426
00:32:58,676 --> 00:33:01,941
a monk chants passages from
the Tibetan Book of the Dead

427
00:33:02,180 --> 00:33:03,306
to guide the consciousness

428
00:33:03,548 --> 00:33:07,780
of the deceasedin the interval
between death and rebirth.

429
00:33:13,791 --> 00:33:17,283
Yet prayers must be learned and
preserved by the living.

430
00:33:17,528 --> 00:33:21,055
At Thami Monastery, itsgrea
library of Buddhist scripture

431
00:33:21,299 --> 00:33:24,132
must be read and taught each year.

432
00:33:35,346 --> 00:33:39,783
Once itwas customary for one son
in each family to become a monk.

433
00:33:40,018 --> 00:33:41,542
But with the growth of tourism

434
00:33:41,786 --> 00:33:44,380
a youngmonk may well envy
theWesternclothing

435
00:33:44,622 --> 00:33:48,524
and wrist watchof brother
whohas become a trekking guide.

436
00:33:53,865 --> 00:33:56,060
First encountered as
a12-year-old boy,

437
00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:58,768
the head lama again welcomes
an old friend.

438
00:33:59,003 --> 00:34:00,027
With Peter and Mingma,

439
00:34:00,271 --> 00:34:03,672
Hillaryhas come to help
preparations for ManiRimdu,

440
00:34:03,908 --> 00:34:06,809
a yearly Buddhist festival
to protect the Khumbu.

441
00:34:07,045 --> 00:34:07,909
"Ah, namaste."

442
00:34:08,146 --> 00:34:08,976
"Namaste. How are you?"

443
00:34:09,213 --> 00:34:10,544
"I'm very well, thank you!"

444
00:34:13,584 --> 00:34:15,051
"Namaste."

445
00:34:22,126 --> 00:34:23,593
In the courtyard of the monastery,

446
00:34:23,828 --> 00:34:25,523
helped by barelegged monks,

447
00:34:25,763 --> 00:34:28,231
Rex andthe rest of
the Hillary construction team

448
00:34:28,466 --> 00:34:31,765
are swiftly completing improvements
onthe paved court

449
00:34:32,003 --> 00:34:33,493
and adjoining structures.

450
00:34:55,359 --> 00:34:56,485
With time growing short,

451
00:34:56,727 --> 00:34:59,321
Hillaryand Peter also
join the crew.

452
00:34:59,564 --> 00:35:02,556
Soon the balcony and yard
willbe crowded withSherpas

453
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,927
and a few tourists who have
made the pilgrimage

454
00:35:05,169 --> 00:35:06,898
over the steep mountain trails,

455
00:35:07,138 --> 00:35:10,733
some from villages
many days' walk away.

456
00:35:28,392 --> 00:35:32,624
With a soundingof horns
the great cycle of dances begins.

457
00:35:32,864 --> 00:35:35,628
As in the religious mystery
plays of the Middle Ages,

458
00:35:35,867 --> 00:35:40,201
the Sherpas actout their myths,
make theater out of faith.

459
00:35:40,438 --> 00:35:43,236
Often using thesymbolsof
ancient beliefs in magic,

460
00:35:43,474 --> 00:35:47,570
the dances again promise
the victory of good over evil.

461
00:35:47,845 --> 00:35:50,780
In the Khumbu every mountain
has a spirit.

462
00:35:51,015 --> 00:35:54,746
Mani Rimdu exorcises the demons
that threaten it.

463
00:36:04,595 --> 00:36:07,155
Backstage in the gompa or temple,

464
00:36:07,398 --> 00:36:09,958
anotherritual is taking place.

465
00:36:10,268 --> 00:36:12,862
Donningthe sacred masks
and costumes,

466
00:36:13,104 --> 00:36:15,902
decorated with an array
of mythic symbols,

467
00:36:16,140 --> 00:36:18,700
men arebecoming gods.

468
00:36:18,943 --> 00:36:19,637
For a little while

469
00:36:19,877 --> 00:36:24,371
they will become the holy figures
invented by human need.

470
00:36:55,146 --> 00:36:56,135
Now, like a challenge,

471
00:36:56,380 --> 00:36:57,677
a crashof cymbals demands

472
00:36:57,915 --> 00:37:00,748
the attention of
the threatening adversaries.

473
00:37:00,985 --> 00:37:03,681
For it is in the dance of
the so-called Eight Furies

474
00:37:03,921 --> 00:37:07,755
that the climactic struggle
with the evil spirits occurs.

475
00:37:07,992 --> 00:37:11,155
In it the benign gods
rise in terriblewrath

476
00:37:11,395 --> 00:37:14,421
to defeat and drive away the demons.

477
00:38:42,787 --> 00:38:46,985
Once again the protective gods
disappear into the gompa.

478
00:38:47,224 --> 00:38:52,457
Once again the villagesare safe
from demons for another year.

479
00:39:07,378 --> 00:39:11,075
As always, the people form a line
to pass the rimpoche,

480
00:39:11,315 --> 00:39:14,751
bring gifts wrapped
inceremonial katas.

481
00:39:14,985 --> 00:39:16,714
One by one theyare blessed,

482
00:39:16,954 --> 00:39:21,118
take a sip of tu or holy water
with a sprinkleon the head,

483
00:39:21,359 --> 00:39:25,159
then taste a bit of torma,
made of flour and butter -

484
00:39:25,396 --> 00:39:26,693
the ritual greatly similar to

485
00:39:26,931 --> 00:39:30,196
Christian communio
with its wine and wafer.

486
00:39:35,106 --> 00:39:37,802
Yet, watching the rimpoche
bless the people,

487
00:39:38,042 --> 00:39:39,976
Hillary remembers another visit

488
00:39:40,211 --> 00:39:41,701
when the head lama was a child

489
00:39:41,946 --> 00:39:45,746
and theHillaryfamily
helped build a wall.

490
00:39:55,426 --> 00:39:57,291
On the western ridge above Kunde,

491
00:39:57,528 --> 00:40:01,259
Mingma's wife, Ang Dooli,
alsoremembers.

492
00:40:01,499 --> 00:40:04,798
In a more private ritual
she brings juniper tothe shrine

493
00:40:05,035 --> 00:40:07,435
she andother villagers
built long ago

494
00:40:07,671 --> 00:40:10,663
for Louise and Belinda Hillary.

495
00:41:17,274 --> 00:41:18,935
Yet even the Eight Furies cannot

496
00:41:19,176 --> 00:41:23,078
protectthe Sherpa villagers
from the risks ofchange.

497
00:41:23,314 --> 00:41:27,614
Once reached only by anarduous
two-week walk over mountain trails

498
00:41:27,852 --> 00:41:29,547
the distance from Kathmandu now

499
00:41:29,787 --> 00:41:32,722
canbe covered by plane
inless than an hour

500
00:41:33,123 --> 00:41:35,182
provided of course that
the Lukla airstrip,

501
00:41:35,426 --> 00:41:38,020
which bears some resemblance
to a ski jump,

502
00:41:38,262 --> 00:41:41,163
can be found in
the frequent overcast.

503
00:42:01,919 --> 00:42:03,409
Speaking a dozen languages,

504
00:42:03,654 --> 00:42:05,349
tourists from Europe, Asia,

505
00:42:05,589 --> 00:42:08,353
and America disembark
from theaircraft,

506
00:42:08,592 --> 00:42:12,289
pass through the villages
alarming small dogs,

507
00:42:12,530 --> 00:42:14,122
awakening the merchants,

508
00:42:14,365 --> 00:42:15,889
and delighting the local children

509
00:42:16,133 --> 00:42:21,230
who have discovered theblessings
of balloons and bubble gum.

510
00:42:30,414 --> 00:42:34,248
Today the Khumbu is invaded
yearly by thousands of trekkers

511
00:42:34,485 --> 00:42:38,319
and porters plodding the steep
trails and spreading their bivouacs

512
00:42:38,556 --> 00:42:42,720
across the upper slopeslike
an occupying army.

513
00:42:43,060 --> 00:42:47,394
More ambitious are
theexpeditions intent on conquest

514
00:42:47,631 --> 00:42:50,156
Since Hillary and Tenzing
first reached the summit,

515
00:42:50,401 --> 00:42:54,701
nearly 150 men and women
have stood onEverest.

516
00:42:54,939 --> 00:42:57,499
In Kathmandu there is
a growing list of other teams

517
00:42:57,741 --> 00:43:00,175
bookingdates on which
they too can attempt to

518
00:43:00,411 --> 00:43:04,074
climb Everest or a score
of other peaks.

519
00:43:12,690 --> 00:43:15,887
Everywhere the sound
of the saw is heard.

520
00:43:16,126 --> 00:43:18,822
Hillary tells of its impact.

521
00:43:19,964 --> 00:43:23,559
"I believe the problem of
conservationin the Khumbu area

522
00:43:23,801 --> 00:43:25,894
is a very serious one indeed.

523
00:43:26,136 --> 00:43:29,128
There are literally dozens
of small hotels

524
00:43:29,373 --> 00:43:32,433
being constructed with the view
to supplying accommodation

525
00:43:32,676 --> 00:43:35,338
to walkers and trekkers
and climbers.

526
00:43:35,646 --> 00:43:37,876
This has put
avery considerable pressure

527
00:43:38,115 --> 00:43:40,913
on the local timber resources.

528
00:43:43,487 --> 00:43:47,082
In the old daysthe Sherpas
used to have very strict rules

529
00:43:47,324 --> 00:43:49,383
about where they cut firewood,

530
00:43:49,627 --> 00:43:51,254
and how much they cut.

531
00:43:51,495 --> 00:43:55,226
And thewhole society was well
balanced ecologically.

532
00:43:55,466 --> 00:43:57,024
All that has changed.

533
00:43:57,267 --> 00:44:01,829
Nowadays most of the upper valleys
have been completely denuded

534
00:44:02,072 --> 00:44:06,441
and many of theforestshave
been thoroughly thinned out."

535
00:44:08,212 --> 00:44:09,372
As the Sherpas are learning,

536
00:44:09,613 --> 00:44:13,014
their mountain homelandis
astonishingly fragile.

537
00:44:13,250 --> 00:44:15,912
Not only in theKhumbu
but throughout Nepal,

538
00:44:16,153 --> 00:44:18,951
trees are beingcut
ata devastating rate

539
00:44:19,189 --> 00:44:22,625
one third the nation's forest
in the last decade.

540
00:44:22,860 --> 00:44:27,058
Alreadyravished slopesare
bringing disastrous penalties.

541
00:44:27,297 --> 00:44:28,491
No longer held by trees,

542
00:44:28,732 --> 00:44:30,825
landslides are destroying terraces

543
00:44:31,068 --> 00:44:33,764
built by centuries
of patient labor,

544
00:44:34,004 --> 00:44:37,633
have even sweptaway
or buriedentire villages.

545
00:44:57,194 --> 00:44:59,321
With the help of
Hillary's Himalayan Trust,

546
00:44:59,563 --> 00:45:04,830
at least one resident is being
banished from the Khumbu parklands.

547
00:45:05,069 --> 00:45:08,698
Relentless foragers of seedlings
and low vegetation,

548
00:45:08,939 --> 00:45:11,737
goats long havethreatened
theslow-growing shrubs

549
00:45:11,975 --> 00:45:14,205
and trees of the high country.

550
00:45:25,923 --> 00:45:30,553
Now Hillary, too, joinsin a great
goat roundup with Mingma Norbu,

551
00:45:30,794 --> 00:45:35,026
warden of the Sagarmatha National
parkon the flanks of Everest.

552
00:45:35,265 --> 00:45:38,393
From the scattered slopes almost
five hundred goats atlast

553
00:45:38,635 --> 00:45:40,626
are gathered near Namche Bazar

554
00:45:40,871 --> 00:45:44,807
and driven to the less vulnerable
lowlands in the south.

555
00:45:51,415 --> 00:45:52,609
At park headquarters,

556
00:45:52,850 --> 00:45:55,284
Warden Mingma Norbu leads
an intensifying

557
00:45:55,519 --> 00:45:58,716
effort to save
the Khumbu fromcalamity.

558
00:45:58,956 --> 00:46:00,355
A student in the first school

559
00:46:00,591 --> 00:46:03,424
built at Khumjung
overtwenty years ago,

560
00:46:03,660 --> 00:46:07,357
he is aproud example of the
educationmade possible by Hillary

561
00:46:10,434 --> 00:46:13,403
Now, speaking both Nepali and
occasional English,

562
00:46:13,637 --> 00:46:16,128
he teaches a new generation
ofSherpa children

563
00:46:16,373 --> 00:46:18,841
to recognize the evidence of
damaged trees

564
00:46:19,076 --> 00:46:22,603
and erosion on the scarred
landscape around them.

565
00:46:22,846 --> 00:46:25,747
He stresses the critical
importance oftree nurseries

566
00:46:25,983 --> 00:46:29,282
and the need for
a wider program of reforestation

567
00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,216
protecting not only
their fragile world,

568
00:46:32,456 --> 00:46:34,822
but Sherpa culture itself.

569
00:46:39,129 --> 00:46:41,359
Celebrated in a museum photograph,

570
00:46:41,598 --> 00:46:44,123
the climbing ofEverest
by Hillary andTenzing

571
00:46:44,368 --> 00:46:47,860
hastened the changes
taking place in Nepal.

572
00:46:53,043 --> 00:46:55,910
Now on the thirtieth anniversary
of that historic event,

573
00:46:56,146 --> 00:47:00,048
the Khumbu is no longer
an island lostin time.

574
00:47:13,263 --> 00:47:15,925
Yet the past sends emissaries.

575
00:47:16,166 --> 00:47:17,565
Announced by the beat of drums,

576
00:47:17,801 --> 00:47:20,531
ancientprotectors of
their Tibetan ancestors

577
00:47:20,771 --> 00:47:24,832
appear amid thevillagers
assembled atKhumjung School.

578
00:47:25,108 --> 00:47:28,077
Believed to be the guardians
of the four gatesof Earth,

579
00:47:28,312 --> 00:47:31,008
"snow lions" have come down
from the icy summits

580
00:47:31,248 --> 00:47:34,115
to dance and cavort for
the honored guests.

581
00:48:12,522 --> 00:48:14,183
While the conquerors ofEverest

582
00:48:14,424 --> 00:48:17,518
sample the home-brewed chang
of the village women,

583
00:48:17,761 --> 00:48:19,251
the school staff prepares a lesson

584
00:48:19,496 --> 00:48:23,091
on how mountains really
shouldbe climbed.

585
00:48:28,138 --> 00:48:29,765
As the guests should know,

586
00:48:30,007 --> 00:48:32,441
a little chang steadiesthe nerves,

587
00:48:32,676 --> 00:48:36,578
helps blur the dangers and
difficulties that lie ahead.

588
00:48:43,921 --> 00:48:46,856
A helping hand is
always appreciated.

589
00:48:50,093 --> 00:48:51,390
Pace yourself.

590
00:48:51,628 --> 00:48:54,654
The steeper theslope,
the more rest you need.

591
00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:59,634
Try not to trip on a tangled rope.

592
00:48:59,870 --> 00:49:02,805
The fall may be
farther than you think.

593
00:49:16,820 --> 00:49:18,583
When altitude sickness strikes,

594
00:49:18,822 --> 00:49:22,280
a whiffof oxygen can work wonders.

595
00:49:30,033 --> 00:49:31,625
When lost, look for the summit.

596
00:49:31,868 --> 00:49:33,597
That's where you're going.

597
00:49:44,214 --> 00:49:48,913
In the final assault onthe last
gale-swept ridge, don't lose heart.

598
00:49:57,928 --> 00:50:00,829
"I'm going to die.
I'mgoing to die."

599
00:50:01,832 --> 00:50:02,764
"Okay"

600
00:50:03,066 --> 00:50:05,159
"Thank you very much."

601
00:50:31,762 --> 00:50:35,323
Celebrating onejourney,
Hillary begins another.

602
00:50:35,565 --> 00:50:39,524
From Khumjung School
he leads a climb of children.

603
00:51:17,074 --> 00:51:18,837
Bearing seedlings of fir

604
00:51:19,076 --> 00:51:21,636
and rhododendron from
Sagarmatha's nurseries,

605
00:51:21,878 --> 00:51:24,904
the students ofKhumjung school
are bringing back growth

606
00:51:25,148 --> 00:51:27,480
to the blightedslopes
below Everest.

607
00:51:27,717 --> 00:51:30,777
Helped by Hillary as
they commit rootsto soil,

608
00:51:31,021 --> 00:51:33,751
they are part of
a newchildren's crusade,

609
00:51:33,990 --> 00:51:39,155
not to seek redemption in heaven,
but to renewlife onEarth.

610
00:52:13,830 --> 00:52:16,196
Around Hillary stand
the silent witnesses

611
00:52:16,433 --> 00:52:19,197
of the journey he beganlong ago

612
00:52:19,436 --> 00:52:26,569
Ama Dablam, Kantega,
Thamserku, Everest

613
00:52:27,110 --> 00:52:28,338
the summit where he andTenzing

614
00:52:28,578 --> 00:52:32,844
once left a bitof chocolate
and a fewbiscuits.

615
00:52:38,088 --> 00:52:40,113
Today he has brought a richer gift

616
00:52:40,357 --> 00:52:42,655
the small beginnings of
a new woodland,

617
00:52:42,893 --> 00:52:47,626
the little trees protect
by the prayers of children.

618
00:52:53,003 --> 00:52:56,962
But theanswer to prayers often
lies in those who pray.

619
00:52:57,207 --> 00:52:59,334
In the opening minds of
Khumbu's children

620
00:52:59,576 --> 00:53:02,443
lies a measure of
their world to come.

621
00:53:02,679 --> 00:53:04,806
In themSir Edmund Hillary
long ago

622
00:53:05,048 --> 00:53:08,484
found somethingmore satisfying,
more enduring,

623
00:53:08,718 --> 00:53:13,712
than leaving a footprint
on a mountaintop.