My Trek to the Top of the World Journals

Journal Entry #1 Begin your journal by describing yourself and why you want to join Hillary’s expedition. What are your feelings about going on this trip, knowing the risks that will be involved if you are to succeed?

Journal Entry #2 March 26, Tengpoche Monastery As you begin your journal, keep in mind that your writing should reflect the knowledge you gain from reading about this expedition. A good writer uses his senses in describing for the reader what he is experiencing. What do you feel as you look at the photo on this page? Include in your journal how it felt to cross the Katmandu Valley.

It took 16 days to travel the 170 miles from Katmandu to Tengpoche Monastery, how many miles did the team travel, on average, each day?

Write a letter home to your family about your adventures up the Khumbu Icefall. 5 – 8 descriptive sentences. Use your 5 senses to help us picture your adventure.

Journal Entry #3 April 12, 1953 – Base Camp How far have you climbed from the Monastery to the Base Camp? Describe why climbing the ice fall is hard. Again, use your senses in your descriptions. Tell about your training and how it prepared you for the climb. What problems might you have at this camp, keeping in mind that you will be here for seven weeks? Why does the expedition establish so many camps? Who stays at which camp?

Journal Entry #4 April 26, 1953 – Camp IV: 21,200 feet Pretend you were watching Norgay’s rescue of Edmund Hillary. Describe it using exciting details. After reading the profile of Tenzing Norgay, add a few details about him in your journal. What do you think are the most important traits for a climbing companion to have? Describe a few of your friends who might have come on this journey with you. Be sure to include traits that would make them good companions for climbing. Make a list here of your 14 team members.

Journal Entry #5 May 26, 1953 – South Col: 26,000 Now you are ready to make your final assault to the summit! Will you fail like many others before you? How can high altitude affect you as you climb?

Hilary’s son, Peter, climbed Mt. Everest in As you can imagine, his experience was very different from his father’s. How do you think mountain climbing has changed? Hint: Think about clothing and technology. Do you think that Peter’s trek was more difficult than his father’s trek? What do you think might be invented in the future that would make climbing Mt. Everest different from Peter’s experience?

Journal Entry #6 May 28, 1953 – Camp IX: 27,900 Describe your feelings as you approach the summit. What might the conversation be like today in the camp? How have your conditions changed?

Journal Entry #7 May 29, 1953 – Summit: 20,028 Describe your final climb. What countries could Hillary and Norgay see? Why do you think they stayed on the summit for only 15 minutes?

Final Journal Entry Discuss your feelings of success and the fears you overcame. Use Hillary’s quote to conclude your journal entry. Sir Edmund once said, “It is not the mountain we conquer, it is ourselves. If you can overcome your fear, you are frequently able to extend yourself far beyond what you normally regard as your ability.” – Stewart, Whitney. "Relive Edmund Hillary’s Trek to the top of the World." Scholastic. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar Have you ever been scared of something? How did you overcome that fear?