Into The Vast Unknown: The First American Ascent of Mount Everest

This is Lisa leaving Mrs. L American stories.

The show were Americans the store and the American people search the American stories podcast the iHeartRadio app the Apple podcasts forever. You get your pod. Next, a story about a 29,032 foot tall mountain in the Paul and the ragtag group of men from across the United States who decided to climb during one of the most transformative years in our nation's history, 1963 dear to tell the story is brought over author of the vast unknown. Let's get into the story I was in the seventh grade in middle school in Tacoma, Washington when the students in our class were summoned to the assembly hall to listen to a guest speaker and in walked a man with a grizzled beard and laserlike eyes, and he looked at all of us reach down open the zipper of his Kelty frame pack and pulled out a bottle and passed it around the room. It contained his nine blackened toes that had been amputated in the capital city of Nepal and we were horrified and delighted and at that point I was hooked. The man was really unsold and it turned out that Willie unsalted led a life of charity because he was rescued in 1949 after making an attempt on the peak in India by some missionaries and they turned him on to a life of service, so I really wanted to follow in Willie unsold's footsteps. I joined the Peace Corps was assigned to Nepal and I learned about the American Everest expedition of 1963, United's was really in a time of tremendous uncertainty, the Cuban missile crisis was underway, where the Soviets were attempting to deliver nuclear armed missiles to Cuba. The civil rights movement was ramping up and in 1958, just a few years earlier. The Soviets had launched a basketball sized satellite name Sputnik and the beat beat beat of Sputnik became something of a soundtrack for the suspicion that our adversary is the Soviets were going to take the high road in claim supremacy in the space race. So America was behind the eight ball, and it inspired Pres. John F. Kennedy, in his famous moon speech in Houston in 1962, declare that the United States would place a man on the moon by the end of the decade by some salable. I chose this is a and they may well ask why climb Mount my 35 years ago by the Atlantic. Why does Rice Lake Texas we chose to go to the moon and the other thing is because they said entities and scale speed. He invoked the great British climber George Mallory who was lost on Everest headed for the summit and all great British explorer George Mallory was to die, I want to climb. He said because it is basically fine.

It was Mallory. Reaching into the vast unknown that inspired Kennedy and the Americans to want to take on task is daunting and uncertain as climbing Mount Everest in 1949, India became independent from Britain and so the British were trying to maintain some kind of colonial presence around the world.

They lost India, but maybe they could capture Everest the British and the Swiss had long had a proprietary interest in mountains of the world. The British were the primary climbers in the Alps of Switzerland and Italy and they were guided by the Swiss so the Swiss were also quite interested in reaching the top and in fact, in 1952 a year before the British. The Swiss were able to stage II expeditions to the mountain.

They came very close to the summit but they didn't reaching and so an opportunity opened up for the British in 1953. Now one gentleman who was on the Swiss expedition 1952 he was tweaked by this achievement of the British. He had long assumed that the Swiss would make it to the top. He was a Swiss Austrian himself.

His name was Norman. During first accepted Norman during conference parents were great explorers and mappers and climbers of the Himalayas in the early 1900s.

They were concerned about the development of Nazi-ism in Europe. Norman's mother Hedy was half Jewish. So I Norman was a teenager in 1938 he and his mother emigrated to the United States and while Norman was in the US, he dreamed that perhaps Americans the people of his new country could staging expedition to Everest and you're listening to brought Coburn tell the story of the ragtag group of men across this country decided to climb Mount Everest. When we come back more. This remarkable story on our American stories. If you love the stories we tell about this great country, especially the stories of America's rich past.

Know that all of our stories about American history toward innovation culture and faith are brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale College placement. Students study all the things that are beautiful in life and all the things good in life.

If you can't get the Hillsdale that will come to you with a free and terrific online courses go to Hillsdale.edu to learn more and we continue with our Americans stories and the story of the first American accent of the world's highest mountain and Everest. We last left off brought Coburn, author of the vast unknown is telling us about the state of the world. In 1963, were in the midst of the Cold War tensions were high. However, there was a growing desire to explore the vast unknown one place. It was unknown to Americans with space, the other the summit of Everest and one European immigrant to this great country had a desire to change that. His name was Norman. During first let's get back to the store perhaps one of the biggest challenges of Everest is just getting to the base of the mountain.

There are no roads in eastern Nepal. So getting there required an 18 day track up and down a vertical equivalent of Everest itself just to get to base camp and once they arrived at base camp.

The daunting challenge that presented itself right away is the treacherous cool blue ice ball, which is a moving river of apartment house size blocks of ice that can collapse in crush climbers in a second, and in fact, by 1953 after dancing nor gay and and Ellery climbed to the top twice as many climbers had died on the mountain as had reached the top, but Norman dear. First, now in American had been on Everest in 1952 and he really had a grasp of the challenges that they would phase it had been high on the mountain. He knew it was possible to reach the top and he knew it would be especially possible for young tough strong Americans to be able to reach it as well. Norman knew that opportunity excellence, perseverance and success were really at the heart of the American dream. Perhaps there could be a core of people were driven to climb mountains just as they were in Europe and so he turned to the Tetons of Wyoming and there he ran into a core of college students really who were exemplified by the young man Barry Corbett and Jake Wright and Bob. These were Dartmouth students who every summer used to drive their battered 1949 Hudson across the US before the freeways were installed and knockoff new roots up that peaks in the Tetons and Norman knew that these guys were at least the beginning of forming a team consisting of the right stuff. In fact, very, and Jake in particular were referred to as SAB's or supremely able-bodied and their other Tetons climbers Dick Emerson sociologist was a guide during the summers in the Tetons really unsold so he recruited these gentlemen. Any also went out to the Pacific Northwest where one of the legends. Jim Whitaker known as big Jim Whitaker had climbed Mount Rainier more than 100 times and he and his twin brother were recruited to the expedition.

They also suggested that a Sherpa was a nephew of Tenzing nor gay name now on gumbo also be included on the expedition. He had carried heavy loads to very high elevation, and Norman knew that he would need some science to go along with the expedition. The National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, the US, in particular would want to learn more about the glaciology of the mountain so they took on a geologist named Maynard Miller and they took on Jim Lester, a psychologist from Southern California Barry Bishop of the National Geographic Society with the media connection in Lodz. Erstad, a hotshot guide and climber from Oregon would definitely be a strong climber for the expedition that loot use to surprise his guided clients on Mount Rainier. When they reached the summit of the 14,000 foot peak.

He would open up his rucksack and pull out an entire watermelon, but experience alone is quite enough for a mountain as big and as far away and distant and isolated as Everest so he was also looking for some character attributes such as maturity and ability to respond to extremely difficult situations, and a willingness to face risk because there was a likelihood that one or more of the members of his team would not return his biggest challenge.

At that point was convincing, sponsors and the government of the US into endorsing and hopefully funding and expedition to the mountain.

Why would anyone in America really care about Everest. Everest was a geological oddity. It was a long way from anywhere that mattered to Americans. And it had little to offer sponsors who were looking for productive applications in technology defense now in Europe politics was closely intertwined with athletics, not like in the US and the Soviets had budgeted very large amounts to their athletic teams to essentially show that Communism was the best form of government but Americans were left with very little support when Norman Darren Firth approached the US government and tried to get a meeting with Pres. Kennedy. They rebuffed him in a sense, America was a little bit afraid failure would be a big embarrassment.

It would be an embarrassment not only in the context of athletics and timing relative to Europe and the rest of the world, but in an era when we were striving to solve our domestic problems. It was considered to be dangerous.

America had more to lose than it had to. He but Norman and these other young idealistic climbers new a place like Everest was a venue where they could project their dreams. Gradually they overcame that resistance and they realized that of course if America could place a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Why should they be able to put a human on top of the world's highest point, and it was at the National Geographic Society that they decided to take on this project. Of course they knew that one of the key outputs from their point of view would be media photographs, movies, and so on. Norman Darren Firth was a filmmaker he'd had a television program, and he was a director of one of the film schools at the University of Southern California and he jumped at the possibility of being able to document this expedition for the Americans and we been listening to brought Coburn, author of the vast unknown and by the way, what a story he's telling is Norman Darren Firth was assembling this team. He knew that experience wasn't enough.

He was looking he said maturity and ability to confront catastrophe in the appetite. This, and then hoping for an endorsement from either a corporate sponsor or government-sponsored National Geographic Society's stepped-up was the upside media folks great stories great pictures and great film. When we come back more of the remarkable story of America's first beam scale amount of beer on our Americans and we continue with our American stories and the story of the first American accent of Mount Everest.

When we last left off brought Coburn, author of the vast unknown was telling us about the nation Norman Darren Firth that he put together climb the mountain, consisting of climbers. The Tetons and Pacific. Let's pick up were brought. Norman had his hands full and in trying to manage this odd collection of characters who had come together in a single unified goal because of all the funding that was at stake. Norman had essentially guaranteed the National Geographic Society that they would deliver the summit and the easiest way to deliver Mount Everest in the sense was to climate by the root that had already been climbed by the British and the Swiss some tensions began to develop. There was a faction, consisting mainly of climbers from the Teton who wondered if it might just be possible to pull off a new route on Everest something that would impress even the great European climbers or the Swiss.

It just might be possible to forge a new route up the West Ridge of Everest. Many of the other members of the expedition and Norman felt that applying too much attention to this new route on the West Ridge could jeopardize their chance of bringing home the summit and one of the big problems that they recognize was that if the West Ridge of Everest could be climbed. They all knew that those climbers would not be able to descend by the same root for various technical reasons and shape of the rock that they would be descending those climbers would have to descend by the standard South: root. In other words, they would have to descend by root. They had never seen. And so Norman decided after a lot of discussion and bickering that they would climb the easy route up Mount Everest. If you want to call it that.

And if there was time and supplies and material and supplemental oxygen remaining after that climb, then the West Ridge faction would have a shot by their daring new roof now here they are at base camp facing the daunting cool blue ice fall and they didn't have exactly a plan because there were so many variables at that point which climbers would be strong. Which would be sicker suffering from altitude sickness, what with the weather conditions bring them there was a lot of uncertainty Norman Darren Firth assigned big Jim Whitaker and non-Gumbel to be the first party to climb the mountain via the standard South coal on the second day of climbing Jake Brighton box and Dick, now in Gil Roberts and his Sherpa were climbing through the cool blue ice fall and Jake ascended in a vertical sheet of ice on the far side of a crevasse, and as he was approaching the top the whole face of this glacier broke off and collapsed. Jake was crushed 30 tons of ice so the team returned to base camp and they asked the question, should they continue with the climb, and it was Jake's best friend Barry Corbin who said why would we not climb when that is exactly what Jake has dedicated his life to will climb the mountain, not without Jake. But for Jake. So they decided to continue in on May 1, 1963 big Jim Whitaker and non-Gumbel were able to plant the flag of the United States on the summit of avarice, but it wasn't what they found on the summit that was interesting is what they didn't find they were half expecting to find the best of Chairman Mao that the Chinese said they had left on the summit three years earlier, in 1960, but the climate that the Chinese claim of Everest in 1960 has been disputed.

They arrived at the summit at 4 o'clock in the morning in complete darkness and had no photographic evidence of their climb and so whether they made it to the summit or not and still being disputed, but it underscores what was at stake geopolitically.

But at least the Americans had made it they'd reach the top, and so when big Jim Whitaker and non-Gumbel return to base camp. It was now the turn for the West Ridge contingent, except many of the Sherpas importers had already run off down Valley and it wasn't clear whether there would be enough supplies to be able to support another try on the mountain. Norman and some of the other said, we've already reached the top. Why do we have to do it again but the West Ridge faction was persistent and they knew that it would put a gigantic feather in the Of the United States if they could even make a serious attempt by that daunting new route. So in late May with diminished supplies. A core of seven climbers and as many Sherpas took off headed for the West Ridge of Everest and they came up under the West shoulder and they were able to establish camp or West and then they continued up to the base of the very steep part of the West Ridge and establish the camp at 22,000 feet and that evening Willie unsold walked out the tent to look 10,000 feet down to the wrong book glacier into that and over the other side of the ridge 6008 down to the Western Coombe below him and he was wondering why the snow in front of them so scoured, but they would find out that night when they were in their tents that they had pitched their tents and what is arguably one of the windiest places in the world and near hurricane force winds that night elevated their tents and tumbled them 60 feet down slope. They came to rest perch just above the gigantic drop down to the wrong book glacier into they regathered themselves.

The next day and realized that continuing with their West Ridge attempt would be mistaken.

But Tom formed by state up late that night, calculating, and he calculated that if they reduced their sonic team from three to only two members, and if they established only one higher camp rather than to the just might be able to pull it off and at the same time there was another American hundred miles away hundred miles away almost directly straight up who provided Tom with some inspiration, astronaut Gordon Cooper of the final flight of the Mercury mission was orbiting the earth and flew directly over the Himalayas that evening. Another American who is pushing his way into the vast unknown and even listening to Coburn until a heck of a story about the First American team to scale Everest and they succeeded. It was that Western slope. What would happen next. Only return more about Coburn. Our American story, and we continue with our American stories and the final portion of our story on the First American ascent of Mount Everest is old by brought Coburn, author of the fantastic book the vast unknown pick it up at your local bookstore, Amazon or ever buy your books only last left off Americans and finally planted their flag on the summit of Mount Everest by taking the so-called easy. However, another group of climbers in the group wanted to do something truly unique finally climbed West Ridge of the mountain. Not all of them could do it though.

Some had to turn back. That's return to the story.

Here again is brought over the next day. The remaining team gathered there supplies and materials and took off. Actually skirting the north side of Everest into the bad and found their way up. What would be called the horn buying couloir and Willie unsold and Tom horn buying establish their high camp at 27,000 feet on the ledge that was only 18 inches wide and Barry Corbett and Dick Emerson in the Sherpas descended leaving those two gentlemen alone.

The next morning Willie unsold and Tom horn buying found their way after great difficulty in problems with their supplemental oxygen up to the crest of the West Ridge and there they looked across at the south summit of Everest and at the fifth highest peak load say which was now below them in elevation and they were able to find the root to the summative Everest and on May 22. They planted their flag on the top.

It was nearly 6 PM and they turned and realized they would have to find their way down the southeast ridge down the route they had never seen with darkness fast approaching, but they saw something in the foreground that gave them a little bit of hope.

There were footprint in the snow and in that windswept environment. Any footprints would be covered over very quickly. So they realized that Lodz Erstad from Oregon and Barry Bishop of the National Geographic Society must have come up to the summit sometime before them, and in fact lewd and Barry had time there ascent in order to be able to try to intersect with Willie unsold and Tom horn buying, but they were three hours ahead of them and had already descended and so as Tom and Willie descended down the southeast ridge into darkness they could no longer find their way and randomly hopelessly might say Willie unsold started yodeling into the darkness as he was. He was apt to do and amazingly shouts in your totals came back in return because Barry Bishop and Lodz.

Erstad had also been knighted on the southeast ridge at about 27 1/2 thousand feet just below them, and so using your total echolocation. Willie was able to guide himself and Tom down to where loot and Barry were huddled on the southeast ridge and the four of them converged and sat down to die as Lodz Erstad later wrote.

We saw each other but could not see. We felt each other but did not feel we knew each other was safe, but we knew nothing. Man vanished into nothingness. But in that nothingness, lay the strength and dignity which man's soul is capable of, and as they stared into the darkness.

They were to where of the American that was only 100 miles away, a Jesuit priest in Kathmandu who was the headmaster of a private school there and also a well-known ham radio operator. He had been listening to the radio dispatches from base camp and when he learned that these four gentlemen were stranded on one of the highest bit of waxing on the side of Mount Everest. He gathered together, the priests of the school and they spent the night kneeling in prayer praying that the winds on Everest would be called and miraculously wins on Everest were call and they all live in were saying from base camp Barry Bishop and Willie unsold had to be carried to a waiting helicopter at a village at 12,000 feet down Valley and as they stuffed Barry Bishop and Willie unsold into the helicopter. The rest of the team gathered for a final team portrait. The last portrait taken of the team when they were altogether. All of them except Jacob Reichenbach, who was left on the mountain. The team walked the 18 days back to Kathmandu. They had lost an aggregate of 500 pounds of body weight during the expedition and when they near the edge of the Kathmandu Valley.

They were greeted by the US ambassador and his wife and ministers from the Nepal government were thrilled that these Americans had reached the summit and when they return to the US. They were honored in the Rose Garden of the White House by Pres. John F. Kennedy, who awarded them all the National Geographic bird metal which is normally given only to individuals but in this case to all the members of the expedition, including five Sherpas who had also been brought to the US since 1963. The process of climbing Mount Everest has been completely transformed more than 4000 people have reached the summit as if 2021 in 6000 individual sense or climbs and it's become commercialized and helicopter assisted business-oriented enterprise really Dr. David slam started a clinic near the base of Mount Everest pointed out that nowadays it's as if those going to Everest don't really want to acclimate. They want to have climbed the mountain is even become the venue for what one climber calls splat sports, parachuting, hang gliding, wing suit, diving, extreme skiing, snowboarding, and so on. So what does all this mean what did Everest mean really for the Americans.

The mountain became the venue where American climbers were called upon to exhibit some of our basic human values, diligence, persistence, teamwork, and also compromise. But there was something more individual at stake. Also, for these climbers and that was friendship a shared communion on the mountain, the brotherhood of the rope, and specifically, it meant a lot for America as encapsulated by Pres. John F. Kennedy, who was inspired to initiate a physical fitness craze took over America that included 50 mile hikes, and so it appears that the meaning of the expedition has radiated outward in unexpected ways. One climber said that the best journeys, answer questions, you didn't even think to ask, but maybe it comes down to spirit that was really what united the members of the 63 expedition a half-century ago. This spirit incarnated in a handful of tough men coincided with the aspiration of a still young nation from competing objectives and differing opinions. They forged compromise while suspending personal desires for the sake of common goals with supreme effort fortified by dreams and bonded by cooperation America and its mountaineers climbed to the hilltop to Pres. Kennedy spoke in their for at least a moment they found great and a terrific job in the editing and storytelling by Monty Montgomery and a special thanks to Brett Coburn's book, the vast unknown is available at local bookstores and Amazon. Wherever you buy your book a terrific story about so many things including the American spirit. The first group of Americans to scale Mount Everest dear in our American story