I’ve always been fascinated by those who have pushed the edge with exploration. It’s probably because of where I grew up and now live. Books by Bernard Hubbard, S.J. about exploration in Alaska, books by and about Shackleton, books like Blue Nile and White Nile: these have always been fodder for the imagination. The exploits of Sir Edmund Hillary took place in my lifetime, making them all the more thrilling. He was a class act.