The Final Destination

The Final Destination M t. Everest is the highest peak in the world. This famous Himalayan mountain is 29,028 feet or 8848 metres tall. One of the first people to try to ascend this mountain was a British man called Maurice Wilson. This was in 1934. But what Mr. Wilson thought would be the climax of his life turned out to be an enormous anticlimax. Maurice Wilson had been a soldier in the First World War. He was so keen on climbing the highest peak in the world that for this he gave up his successful family business. He spent all his money on buying a second-hand aircraft, which he flew, over a distance of some 6000 miles, from England to India, and landed at Purnea, in Bihar. He did not get permission to fly in his plane beyond there, and so he sold it. After this, he set off on his journey to Mt. Everest through Darjeeling and Tibet. Finally, all that he had left with him was a small tent, some rice, a camera, and a few other things. He began his ascent of the mountain, and managed to climb till a height of around 19000 feet. The 21st of April 1934 was to be his 36th birthday, and he hoped to celebrate the occasion atop Mt. Everest. A few days prior to that, he had written in his diary: