RETURN TO EVEREST

As reported by National Geographic, that’s what four of the most accomplished climbers in the world are doing right now. They’re ascending Mt. Everest—the tallest mountain in the world (above sea level.) It towers nearly 8,850 meters. That’s nearly nine kilometers tall! (In feet and miles, the mountain is about 29,030 feet or 5.5 miles tall!) Commercial airlines cruise at about 35,000 feet or 6.6 miles or nearly 11 kilometers.

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The following came from the National Geographic article.

The team began its ascent on March 30. Over the next two months, the climbers will make their way up the world’s tallest mountain in dangerous conditions, fighting hypothermia, altitude sickness, and sheer physical exhaustion to achieve something few can boast.

Mountaineer Peter Whittaker gathered the group as part of a quest to continue his family legacy; he is the nephew of legendary explorer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963. Joining Whittaker is Ed Viesturs, a veteran mountaineer who has summitted all 14 of the world’s highest peaks without the aid of bottled oxygen; Dave Hahn, who is going for a record 11th Everest ascent; and Melissa Arnot, who is attempting to become the first female American to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Mt. Everest belongs to the Himalayan range. Have you ever wondered what force created these mountains? India did, or more precisely, the tectonic plate that India sits on, did.

Click here for an explanation.