Want to be humbled by nature? Take a picture of the tallest mountain on Earth and contemplate what it takes to reach its summit.
Mt. Everest—known also as Sagarmatha in Sanskrit and Chomolungma in Tibetan—has been challenging determined humans for decades. Raising more than 29,000-feet above sea level, its summit is the tallest on Earth, making it quite literally the pinnacle of our Planet.
George Mallory, who is often quoted as answering the question “why climb Mt. Everest” with the cheeky “because it’s there,” may never have actually said those words. What he did say, however, is far better. Here’s his answer (which was read beautifully by Arctic Explorer Ben Saunders during his TED talk, in case you’re interested):
People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer must at once be, ‘It is of no use.’ […] If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.
The tallest mountain on Earth, the challenge in that title, calls to something in us all. Some, no doubt, more than others—maybe some of us want simply to stand at base camp and photograph the mightiest mountain—but the pinnacle of the world beckons nonetheless.
Some of you have no doubt already photographed this peak. If you have, please share your photos in the comments! If you haven’t, let the photos below inspire you and maybe, just maybe, make plans to trek out to the Himalayas one of these days:
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