In a quantum sense, Everest is neither "there" any more than it is "here". It is both here and there equally and simultaneously. The more we know about its position, the less we know about its momentum. And by trying to observe it, we alter it. I suppose it depends on the eigenket of the summit, does it not?
A marvelous book came out recently, "Into the silence", about Mallory's attempts on Everest -- in regards to the famous quote, the author Wade Davis writes (pp. 465-6):
"Asked why he wanted to climb Everest, no doubt for the umpteenth time, Mallory reportedly replied, 'Because it's there.' This simple retort hit a nerve, and took on an almost metaphysical resonance, as if Mallory had somehow in his wisdom distilled the perfect notion of emptiness and pure purpose. It was first quoted in the Sunday New York Times on March 18 [1923], in the opening paragraph of a half-page feature, 'Climbing Everest is Work for Supermen.' In time, it would be inscribed on memorials, quoted in sermons, cited by princes and presidents. But those who know Mallory best, including two of his biographers, his close friend David Pye and his son-in-law David Robertson, interpreted the comment rather more casually. To them it was simply a flippant response by an exhausted and frustrated man who famously did not suffer fools. Or as Arnold Lunn remarked, Mallory, no stranger to New York speakeasies, just said it to get rid of a 'bore who stood between him and a much needed drink.'
Whatever its genesis, the phrase caught on because it did in fact capture something essential. 'Everest is the highest mountain in the world,' Mallory later wrote, "and no man has reached its summit. Its existence is a challenge. The answer is instinctive, a part, I suppose of man's desire to conquer the universe.'"
You write exceptionally well. Thanks for the succinct and poignant thought. When I am on a particularly tough trail or climb it seems there are times that all I can think of is to get into a comfortable bed. Yet when back in my warm safe world all I want to do is to relive the experience and long for a new one. That is why SP is so much better than other sites, in that we can experience others climbs - through words and images. I see myself in places I am not yet qualified to go or cannot afford. You are correct that our imaginations - some based on experience - define what we do and what we might yet achieve.
mrchad9 - Mar 21, 2013 1:06 am - Voted 10/10
Nicely WrittenThought provoking and very interesting. Thanks for submitting!
pvnisher - Apr 1, 2013 7:01 pm - Hasn't voted
it is not thereIn a quantum sense, Everest is neither "there" any more than it is "here". It is both here and there equally and simultaneously. The more we know about its position, the less we know about its momentum. And by trying to observe it, we alter it. I suppose it depends on the eigenket of the summit, does it not?
I climb "because it is not there".
jacobsmith - Apr 1, 2013 7:25 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: it is not thereI've never quite grasped why the Heisenberg uncertainty principle applies to anything other than electrons...
pvnisher - Apr 5, 2013 12:48 am - Hasn't voted
Re: it is not theresigma(x)*sigma(p)>Planck/2
That's why.
LincolnB - Apr 2, 2013 10:11 pm - Hasn't voted
Into the SilenceA marvelous book came out recently, "Into the silence", about Mallory's attempts on Everest -- in regards to the famous quote, the author Wade Davis writes (pp. 465-6):
"Asked why he wanted to climb Everest, no doubt for the umpteenth time, Mallory reportedly replied, 'Because it's there.' This simple retort hit a nerve, and took on an almost metaphysical resonance, as if Mallory had somehow in his wisdom distilled the perfect notion of emptiness and pure purpose. It was first quoted in the Sunday New York Times on March 18 [1923], in the opening paragraph of a half-page feature, 'Climbing Everest is Work for Supermen.' In time, it would be inscribed on memorials, quoted in sermons, cited by princes and presidents. But those who know Mallory best, including two of his biographers, his close friend David Pye and his son-in-law David Robertson, interpreted the comment rather more casually. To them it was simply a flippant response by an exhausted and frustrated man who famously did not suffer fools. Or as Arnold Lunn remarked, Mallory, no stranger to New York speakeasies, just said it to get rid of a 'bore who stood between him and a much needed drink.'
Whatever its genesis, the phrase caught on because it did in fact capture something essential. 'Everest is the highest mountain in the world,' Mallory later wrote, "and no man has reached its summit. Its existence is a challenge. The answer is instinctive, a part, I suppose of man's desire to conquer the universe.'"
pookster1127 - Apr 3, 2013 1:10 am - Voted 10/10
Well writtenYou write exceptionally well. Thanks for the succinct and poignant thought. When I am on a particularly tough trail or climb it seems there are times that all I can think of is to get into a comfortable bed. Yet when back in my warm safe world all I want to do is to relive the experience and long for a new one. That is why SP is so much better than other sites, in that we can experience others climbs - through words and images. I see myself in places I am not yet qualified to go or cannot afford. You are correct that our imaginations - some based on experience - define what we do and what we might yet achieve.