“You Have Shown Hope”

Park Young-seok, a leader of the South Pole Expedition team, arrived in Oakland via Chile after arriving at the South Pole. On the next day, as soon as he unpacked his luggage, he inquired about the possibility of meeting Sir Edmund P. Hillary, who lives here. But Hillary’s secretary refused the meeting by saying, “Sir Hillary doesn’t meet anybody from outside due to his old age.” In fact, his health is fragile and he has to wear a mask that supplies him with oxygen.

Should Park have given up? At that moment, the unexpected occurred.

“Did he climb 14 Himalayan bases of around 8000m, the highest peaks over seven continents, and even go to the South Pole this time? I should see him, then,” said Hillary, accepting Park’s request for a meeting despite his secretaries’ advice to hold it back.

The meeting lasted for about an hour. Their interval of standing on the world’s highest peak is 40 years, considering that Park succeeded in climbing Mt. Everest in 1993. Although Sir Hillary showed his fatigue from time to time, his mind was clear and asked lots of questions of Park.

After he received a picture postcard in commemoration of Park’s activities, he asked, “You will complete the mountain grand slam only when you have stepped on the North Pole. What’s your plan after achieving the grand slam?” When Park answered, “Much work remains yet,” he became lost in thought, saying, “Freezing, isn’t it? I remember when I was at the South Pole.” He pointed to Park’s face on which several black scars came into being due to frostbite.

It has been nearly half a century since Sir Hillary crossed the South Pole. He used a farming tractor from 1957 to 1958, whereas Park arrived there by foot. Hillary remembered, saying that “in those days, it was impossible to even imagine crossing the Atlantic Continent, and I tried it because a tractor company supported my plan. It was terribly cold because winter clothes were not so good.”

They talked about age, too. When Park answered that he was 41 years old, Hillary encouraged him by saying, “It is a golden age, having both stamina and experience, for an explorer.” He looked at Park as if he thinks much of Park and said, “It’s not easy to mount a peak. It needs one’s best. I saw hope in the challenging spirit of explorers.”

An accompanying reporter asked a delicate question: “Is it still a controversy over who stepped on the Everest peak first between Sir Hillary and Tenzing Norgay?”

June Hillary then recommended a book, saying, “It’s mentioned here in detail.” The book, titled “View from the Summit” was published as a new edition last year in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first climbing of Mt. Everest. In the book, Hillary describes the moment of conquest like this: “For the last two-and-half hours, I led the team and arrived at the peak sooner than the others for the time of climbing a rope. It became a matter later on when I said we stepped on the peak at the same time in regard to Tenzing Norgay’s position.” (Tenzing confirmed this in his autobiography, “Man of Everest: the autobiography of Tenzing,” stating that “I followed Hillary at an interval of two meters with a bundle of rope.” Tenzing also wrote that “if I had not fully prepared a rope, Hillary would not exist today when he fell into a crevasse.” (Hillary admitted this, saying, “I would have fallen if the rope was not tight.”)

Hillary seemed to be pleased at the dialogue with Park, shown by gestures such as patting him on his back while saying “my junior” and seeing him to the porch despite his discomfort. He was delighted with Park’s presents: ginseng teas and a wall tapestry of the Seven Treasures.

Meanwhile, five South Pole expedition members including Park will return through Incheon International Airport on KAL (Korean Air Line) Flight 8828 at 6:50 a.m. on February 5.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com