Description:

Sir E. Hillary: "my main entrancement is the Himalayas. I am going back to the Everest region next year…" Superb!

A 1p typed letter signed by celebrated mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), as "E.P. Hillary" near center right. Dated June 23, 1962, n.p. Typed on a single leaf of stationery paper decorated with a blind-embossed mountain chain at the top below the letterhead, "Sir Edmund Hillary / Lecture Tour / Himalayan Scientific Expedition / Sponsored by World Book Encyclopedia." (The World Book Encyclopedia of Chicago was a sponsor of Hillary's recent expeditions.) Gently flattened paper folds. Even toning with scattered stains and minor edge chipping, else near fine. 8.25" x 10.875." Accompanied by a photocopy of a newspaper column written by Hillary's letter recipient describing an interview with Hillary which appeared in the "South Gate Press" on November 1, 1962.

Hillary wrote this letter to Skip Echols, a local newspaper columnist from South Gate, California, to answer some of her questions about his adventuring career.

He wrote in part:

"…I must apologize for the long delay in replying to [your letter] but it has been chasing me all over the world…

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the Antarctic but really feel my main entrancement is the Himalayas. I am going back to the Everest region next year. I have become interested in helping the Sherpa people with their educational facilities and their medical problems. We will also be attempting to climb rather a modest mountain…"

Nearly ten years earlier, in May 1953, Hillary had garnered international celebrity for scaling Mt. Everest, the 29,000-foot-high mountain in the Himalayas range and the tallest mountain in the world. Hillary had been the first man, along with Tibetan guide Tenzing Norgay, to summit Mt. Everest. Neither Hillary nor Norgay attempted to summit Mt. Everest after their initial success in 1953, but Hillary did return to the Himalayas in 1956, 1960-1961, and 1963-1965. One of the "modest mountains" that Hillary expressed a desire to climb in this letter could have been Mt. Everest sister slopes such as Kangtega (22,000+ feet) or Taweche (21,000+ feet). Hillary commanded an expedition team, known as the Himalaya Schoolhouse Expedition, in 1963 in which Kangtega was summited and Taweche was attempted.

In the letter, Hillary mentions his continuing desire to help the Nepalese people. In 1960, he had established a charity that helped Nepalese Sherpas called the Himalayan Trust. He would return to the region again and again in the 1960s to supervise the construction of schoolhouses, medical clinics, and water pipelines. Establishing access to routine healthcare and regularizing smallpox vaccinations were also priorities.

Also in the letter to Skip Echols, Hillary refers to his command of the New Zealand section of the 1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. This was when Hillary and others completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, in motorized vehicles, in January 1958. Admiral John A. Tyree (1911-2004) and Paul Siple (1908-1968)--mentioned by Hillary in passing in the letter--had been involved at the South Pole Station. In the letter, Hillary almost certainly refers to his book, "The Crossing of Antarctica," as "The Crossing."

The photocopy of the letter recipient's newspaper article entitled "Giant of Adventure" is included. Skip Echols was Women's Editor at "South Gate Press" and wrote a column called "Skipping Around with Skip Echols." Her interview was conducted with Hillary during the last days of his American lecture tour for his upcoming book "High in the Thin Cold Air."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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