Creature of the Mountains

High on the mountaintops, the wind howled. The air was as cold as ice. Don Whillans shivered in his tent. It was an early morning in 1970. Whillans was camping in the Himalayan mountains, the tallest mountains in the world. 

Whillans stepped out of his tent into the freezing air. He was shocked to discover a line of giant footprints in the snow. Even stranger, there were claw marks all around his campsite. 

That night, Whillans spotted something moving in the glow of the moonlight. He raced to grab his binoculars. That’s when he saw it: a huge, hairy creature running through the snow. The beast looked powerful, almost like a bear. But it wasn’t moving like a bear. 

What was this strange beast? Whillans had a guess: He had been visited by a creature called the yeti.

The wind howled. The air was as cold as ice. It was a morning in 1970. Don Whillans was high on the mountaintops. He shivered in his tent. He was camping in the Himalayan mountains. Those are the tallest mountains in the world. 

Whillans stepped out of his tent. He was shocked to find a line of giant footprints in the snow. Even stranger? There were claw marks all around his campsite. 

That night, Whillans saw something moving in the moonlight. He ran to grab his binoculars. That’s when he saw it: a huge, hairy creature running through the snow. The beast looked powerful. It almost looked like a bear. But it wasn’t moving like a bear. 

What was this strange beast? Whillans had a guess: He had been visited by a creature called the yeti.

It was 1970. Don Whillans was camping in the Himalayan mountains. The air was as cold as ice. 

Outside his tent, Whillans found a line of giant footprints in the snow. He also saw strange claw marks around his campsite. That night, Whillans saw a huge, hairy creature. It was running through the snow. 

What was this strange beast? Whillans had a guess. He thought it was a creature called the yeti.

In 1921, a group of explorers went to the Himalayas. They discovered giant footprints. Their guides told them the footprints belonged to the yeti, a mysterious creature they described as a “man-bear snow-man.” 

The explorers later shared what they had seen with a journalist. But the journalist didn’t speak the local language. He misunderstood the phrase “man-bear snow-man” and thought they had said “filthy snowman.”

The journalist changed the word filthy to abominable. That’s how the yeti’s nickname, the abominable snowman, was born!

In 1921, a group of explorers went to the Himalayas. They found giant footprints. Their guides told them the footprints were from the yeti. They said this mysterious creature was a “man-bear snow-man.” 

The explorers later told a journalist what they had seen. But the journalist didn’t speak the local language. He didn’t understand the phrase “man-bear snow-man.” He thought they had said “filthy snowman.”

The journalist changed the word filthy to abominable. The yeti’s nickname was born: the abominable snowman!

On September 10, 1960, Hillary and his team started their search. They looked in the areas where people said a yeti might live. For months, they didn’t find anything. But then they found huge footprints with claws! Someone else brought them a piece of fur. Were these clues from a yeti?

Hillary studied the evidence. His team realized the footprints were probably from a smaller animal, like a snow leopard. They also looked at the fur. It likely came from a serow, an animal that is like a goat. Hillary kept looking. But he never found evidence.

Without proof, most experts don’t think the yeti is real. But other “monsters” used to exist only in stories. The Komodo dragon is one example. Then scientists proved it was real. And new animals are discovered every year. Why couldn’t the yeti be one of those creatures?

Real or fake, people today love the yeti. They still believe the creature is real. Do you?  

By the 1950s and 1960s, new technology allowed people to visit places they had never seen before. Astronauts traveled to space looking for aliens. Explorers journeyed deep into the sea and high into the mountains, looking for mysterious creatures . . . like the yeti!

One such explorer was Edmund Hillary. He was a famous mountain climber who had traveled through the South Pole. He and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, were also the first people to climb to the top of the tallest mountain in the world: Mount Everest.

Hillary was ready for his next big adventure. People believed the yeti was out there. But no one had ever caught one—or seen one up close. Hillary was up for the challenge. Could he be the one to prove the yeti was real?

By the 1950s and 1960s, people used new technology to visit places they had never seen before. Astronauts traveled to space looking for aliens. Explorers dove deep into the sea and climbed high into the mountains. They looked for mysterious creatures . . . like the yeti!

One of these explorers was Edmund Hillary. He was a famous mountain climber. He had traveled through the South Pole. He and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, were also the first people to climb to the top of the tallest mountain in the world: Mount Everest.

Hillary was ready for his next big adventure. People believed the yeti was out there. But no one had ever caught one—or seen one up close. Hillary was up for the task. Could he be the one to prove the yeti was real?

On September 10, 1960, Hillary began his journey in the Himalayas. He had a team of expert climbers and scientists with him. 

News spread that Hillary was going to search for the yeti. The whole world was watching. 

Hillary and his team explored the mountains and valleys where local people said a yeti might live. They hiked through the snow. They carried cameras, telescopes, and other heavy equipment. Their days were long and cold. For months, they had no success.

They were about to give up. Then they saw something in the snow: huge footprints with claws! A few days later, a person from a nearby village brought the team a clump of fur. 

Were these clues from a yeti?

On September 10, 1960, Hillary began his journey in the Himalayas. He had a team of experts with him. They were climbers and scientists. 

News spread that Hillary was going to look for the yeti. The whole world was watching. 

Hillary and his team searched the mountains and areas where people said a yeti might live. They hiked through the snow. They carried cameras, telescopes, and other heavy tools. Their days were long and cold. For months, they didn’t find anything.

They were about to give up. Then they saw something in the snow: huge footprints with claws! A few days later, a person from a nearby village brought the team a piece of fur. 

Were these clues from a yeti?