The Rest of Everest
By Jon Miller
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Podcast Description
An Almost Unabridged Expedition Experience. The Rest of Everest is a video podcast created by documentary filmmaker Jon Miller of TreeLine Productions in Colorado. It is “the rest” of the footage from the groundbreaking expedition documentary “Everest: The Other Side” which engrossed thousands of viewers when it premiered on Dish Network™ Pay-Per-View in May of 2005. The film documents the 2003 expedition to the Northeast Ridge route in Tibet, and coincides with the 50th anniversary climbing season. The story revolves around 23-year old climber Ben Clark and the fulfillment of his dream to become one of the youngest climbers to ever summit Everest. Although the film was very well received, there was so much of the story left to be told. Miller returned from Everest with over 80 hours of tape from the 60 day expedition. The final cut of the film totaled just 84 minutes. Average that out and it appears that only one minute of every hour filmed made it into the finished version. In September 2007, the final episode from the 2003 expedition was released. The podcast began as a way to expand upon the story told in the film but has grown into an entity all it’s own. Since launching the podcast in 2006, Jon has returned to Everest three times to film more content specifically for the show and has recently returned from filming the East Face of Everest in April and May of 2010. Jon has now documented all three sides of the World’s highest mountain on video including special stereoscopic 3D material that will be released in the future with Season 5. Many episodes of the show also cover an entire expedition to Annapurna IV which Ben Clark and his climbing partners Josh Butson and Tim Clarke attempted in 2008. That “Beyond Everest” series brought the podcast back to its mountaineering roots. The Rest of Everest is far more than a look into the alien world of high-altitude mountaineering. It is a look at the places, cultures, people, travelers and mountaineers that call the Everest region and the Himalayas home. Watch a few episodes and you’ll discover that the world portrayed in this series is hardly alien at all. You’ve probably seen some of what it’s like to visit and climb Mount Everest. Well, this is the rest. This is The Rest of Everest.
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| 1 | CleanVideoEpisode 157: The Roger Huff Show | New Laughter From Old Jokes. We spent the night here in Gyangtse and spent the morning touring the Palcho Monastery. It's a wonderful place to visit but one of the most interesting events of the day happened well before setting foot inside the monastery's walls. Just after breakfast Roger, Thilo and Kevin were poking around outside of the restaurant when they were spotted by a group of schoolgirls. With all of our camera gear it's no surprise that we're a bunch of photographers and the girls asked to have their picture taken. When they discovered that these men also spoke English, the girls saw an opportunity to practice their school lessons and invited the travelers into another restaurant full of still more schoolgirls! I was busy planning the day's activities with Lobsang so I didn't get to see any of this happen but luckily Kevin filmed everything. All I can say is, the boys were a hit--especially Roger who is a schoolteacher in Japan when he's not eliciting a cacophony of laughter from Tibetan schoolgirls. Where's a good rimshot when you need it? Maybe at the Badum Ba Ching Monastery... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 29:55 | 2/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 2 | CleanVideoEpisode 156: O Canada | Maple Leaf, OK. Snow Lions, Not So Much. One of the highlights of the Friendship Highway--literally one of its highest points--is the beautiful Karo La. The pass is somewhere around 5000m or almost 16,500 feet high and the view from the roadway is dominated by the magnificent Karo La Glacier. Although I had the good fortune to visit this pass with Scott Jacobs back in 2007, the weather was poor and the view almost nonexistent. At the time I had no idea what was hiding behind the clouds and snowflakes. Today when we came over the pass in the Land Cruisers I stepped out and looked around thinking to myself "Hmmm, I've never been here before. We must be on a different road." After a few minutes, though, I began to get a strong feeling of deja vu and realized that I actually had been here before. Much like my previous visit, there were young Tibetan children running around entertaining themselves with the tourist visitors. They were in for a treat today. Kevin has brought several dozen small LED flashlights with him and decided Karo La presented the perfect opportunity to begin handing them out. Likewise, Geoffrey has brought many small Canadian flags with him and handed a number of them out to the kids. They went absolutely nuts waving the flags in front of all of our cameras. Once The Maple Leaf Melee was over we climbed back into our vehicles for the last push towards Gyantse. In our Jeep Kevin, Jill, Roger and I reflected upon that impromptu show of Canadian Pride. Flags may not seem like a big deal to most people but here in the Tibet Autonomous Region within the People's Republic of China, the Tibetan flag itself is illegal. The penalty upon discovery of a Tibetan flag is imprisonment. That fact makes those waving Canadian flags another truly beautiful view here at Karo La. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:30 | 1/31/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 3 | CleanVideoEpisode 155: Pulse Ox Playoffs | This Is Only A Test. We're continuing out of Lhasa and taking in a lot of mileage on our way to Gyantse. Personally, I am almost never simply a passenger in a car--I'm usually the driver. Sitting in the back seat of our Land Cruiser makes me act just like my two and a half year old son Sam: I am quickly lulled to sleep. Maybe it's the altitude. Maybe it's the constant traveling. Maybe it's the easing up of the emergencies from the past few days. Well, it's probably all three, but whatever it is I just can't seem to stay awake for more than a few minutes once we're moving. My seat mates Kevin and Roger are good sports about my sleep-induced bobble head. I keep waking up with my head on their shoulders. Luckily we're all a bit dehydrated from the Tibetan air so I don't seem to be drooling… Our little caravan stops every so often for "bio breaks" and pictures when a particularly beautiful vista comes into view. On these breaks it's become clear that a new game is quickly evolving amongst the team. "What's Your Pulse Ox?" A couple of the participants have brought pulse oximeters along with them. These are tiny computers that measure both your heart rate and the percentage of dissolved oxygen in your blood. You put the device on a fingertip and within just a few seconds can get a fairly reliable reading. The name of the game is to score the "best" reading. Basically, you want the lowest heart rate with the highest percentage of oxygen. It's becoming pretty competitive but you wouldn't really expect anything less from a group of people whose idea of fun is to trek at altitude in the wilds of Tibet, would you? Fortunately all of us up here have been winners and are passing the Pulse Ox Test. We're working through our discomforts and slowly acclimating. Then, of course, there's Damion. He had a "total fail" the other day at his Pulse Ox Test. But, he's working hard, putting in the hours and scoring lots of extra credit in the hospital. It'll be Damion FTW! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:49 | 1/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 4 | CleanVideoEpisode 154: For Your Eyes Only | Infinitely Improbable. The team finally made it to the Potala Palace today. It was closed yesterday for some kind of administrative meetings so I'm very pleased they were able to visit this amazing complex. The earliest parts of the current palace date back to the 17th century and when I visited with Scott back in 2007 I distinctly remember feeling the age of the place. Actually, I remember having the feeling that it was much older. All of the interior of the Potala is off-limits to photography so it's impossible to properly describe with pictures. I also find that words fail to do the place justice. The Potala is extremely large and it really is more than a palace. It's a community unto itself with places for work, places for worship, places for living and even places for the dead. In fact, somewhere in the core of this great building are the burial tombs of previous Dalai Lamas. These great chambers completely enclose stupa after jewel-and-gold-encrusted stupa containing the remains of these auspicious men. And I'm not talking about small monuments, either. No, the burial stupas are huge. The tombs are dimly lit and the enclosing walls are blackened by centuries of smoke from the many butter lamps providing the illumination. This palpable age, large space and dim illumination led me to describe the Potala Palace as feeling less like it was man-made and more like it's genesis was geologic. Judging from the rest of the team's reactions, I think we're all a bit lost finding descriptive words. I didn't see the Palace with the group. Nope, I went somewhere far more important. I went to hang out with Damion in the hospital. He's going to pull through just fine. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:30 | 1/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 5 | CleanVideoEpisode 153: The Namaste Ninja | Making Lemonade. With Damion stable in the hospital, our Lhasa emergency relaxed a bit and we were able to continue exploring this amazing city. There are so many things to see here and at the top of the list is the Potala Palace. Chimi arranged transportation and we headed over to the Palace to get our minds blown by it's incomprehensible awesomeness. I had been talking up the Potala to the group for days and everyone was very excited to see it. Of course, upon our arrival we discovered that it was closed to visitors for the day. Chimi didn't skip a beat and immediately suggested that we head on over to the Tsamkhung Nunnery not far from the Jokhang Temple. I'd been to many monasteries but never to a nunnery so it sounded like a great idea. We arrived at Tsamkhung and we immediately greeted by the sound of many nuns chanting. We were the only tourists in sight and were allowed to explore at our leisure. The small campus was beautiful and very peaceful. As usual, the monastic culture was so welcoming and open. It was a wonderful afternoon. I only which Damion was here to see it. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 29:37 | 1/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 6 | CleanVideoEpisode 152: HAPE and Red Tape | The Potala And Priorities. Our first day in Lhasa started out just as I had imagined it. We spent some quality time in and around the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. As a tourist, the Jokhang does not disappoint. There are throngs of religious pilgrims praying, chanting and prostrating around the temple and it's grounds. There are a multitude of small chapels full of statues and icons to view and yak butter lamps burning everywhere. There is nothing like this place back home and it's a feast for the senses which adds to the mysticism of Lhasa. But Lhasa can be overpowering. Well, let me rephrase that: Lhasa's altitude can be overpowering. This ancient city stands at nearly 3500 meters or nearly 12,000 feet. It's one of the highest cities in the world. That's an awfully high elevation to fly into after visiting Kathmandu which stands thousands of meters lower. Sudden, dramatic positive elevation change can be dangerous. Our bodies just were never designed to cope with it. Now, most people visiting Lhasa feel pretty lousy for a bit at first. I certainly did my first time coming here. I know that the mental breakdown episode from my 2007 trip was an unforgettable moment in the podcast and it was fueled by the altitude and how crappy it made me feel. Luckily for me I just had mild altitude sickness which is (ironically) like having seasickness. Unfortunately for Damion, the luck of the draw dealt him the most serious form of altitude sickness. The dreaded HAPE, or High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. His symptoms began turning up at dinner after visiting the Jokhang and exploded overnight. His condition deteriorated so much that hospitalization became an absolute necessity. We called for an ambulance and he was picked up and taken to a military hospital a few miles away from the hotel. What day is it now? Only the second day in Lhasa? Really? Wow. The adventure has only just begun... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 36:12 | 12/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 7 | CleanVideoEpisode 151: A Long Way To Travel To See A Friend | What A Journey, But Totally Worth It. Today we finally returned to the Kathmandu airport after several days of sightseeing and hanging out in Thamel. Our destination today? Lhasa, Tibet! That's right today we finally flew back into Tibet. It feels so great to be back here as I haven't been back since Scott Jacobs and I visited in 2007. That seems like and eternity ago. Most importantly, though, was the fact that I was able to greet my dear friend and guide Lobsang in person. When we walked off of the plane and went through customs I was jittery with excitement because even though I couldn't see Lobsang, I knew he was waiting for us right around the corner. You see, Lobsang and I became close friends over the week Scott and I spent with him in 2007 but our friendship has grown stronger over the intervening years due to lots of emails and Skype calls to his mobile phone. In 2008 when China closed the Tibet border, effectively sealing Tibet off from all tourist traffic, Lobsang was basically out of a job. IT was then that I turned to you, my incredible podcast audience for assistance in helping Lobsang and his family. Your generosity was astounding and it literally made it possible for his family (he lives with his other and Sister) to survive. I thought he'd use the donations to keep his mobile phone bill up to date but instead the donations actually went towards all of the basic necessities like food and school tuition for his younger sister! That entire experience brought Lobsang and I much closer and when I finally saw him in the airport waiting for us I ran up to him and gave him a huge bear hug. I'll admit it, there were a few tears flowing from both of us. It was just so wonderful to see each other in person again and to know that we've got weeks of time to work together, talk together and basically just hang out together on this trip. He's also told me that his mother wants to meet me and give me a gift. I feel honored beyond belief. It's amazing the paths this life takes us on! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 27:52 | 3/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 8 | CleanVideoEpisode 150: Bhaktapur 2010 | Well, Well, Well. Gossip. Today the group traveled to the remarkable ancient city of Bhaktapur for a sight seeing outing. Unfortunately for me, I had to stay behind in Thamel and take care of some behind-the-scenes- business for the upcoming trek. I really regret not being able to join the group. Bhaktapur is a World Heritage Site and I had the good fortune of visiting the city back in 2003. On this day, though, there was some kind of festival going on because people were playing music everywhere. And I do mean everywhere! It made the City of Bhaktapur even more overwhelming than it already is which is quite a feat. It was one of the highlights of the trip. And I missed it. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:02 | 3/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 9 | CleanVideoEpisode 149: The Marquardt Scale | Everybody Poops. The thing is, most people don't want to talk bout it. But when you're traveling in the himalayas, what comes out of your body is just as vital to know about as what goes into your body. It's even more important to know these details when we're trekking at high altitude. If you're not feeling well, the consequences to your hiking performance can be enormous. IF you can't get from point A to point B, well, then, there's a problem. The Marquardt Scale came about out of the 2009 trekking group's need to quickly, succinctly and emphatically give the leaders of the group this vital intestinal information. Yes, Chris came up with the scale and then realized that it was extensible. I'll let the episode we do on The Scale explain all of that. What I can say here, is that The Marquardt Scale has become an invaluable reference for me and anyone who joins us for these trips. I think it should be adopted as an international standard. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:27 | 3/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 10 | CleanVideoEpisode 148: A 365-Step Program | A Toursit, Not A Sherpa Shortcut. Today was a day of many rituals. The entire team has arrived and so it was time to get back to business. Firts order of the day? One of the infamous Thamel haircut/massages! After the shave/haircut/massage/chiro adjustment with Geoff it was time to explore around the Kathmandu Valley a bit. There are more temples here than any other place in the world but we are on a limited time budget before heading off for Tibet. So, we picked the "big" ones to explore and headed off towards Swayambhunath--popularly known by tourists as "The Monkey Temple" for obvious reasons. There are, er, a lot of monkeys living on, in and around the temple grounds. The Temple is located high up on a hill and has a long, steep staircase leading up from the bottom to the top where the stupa resides. As it turns out, the extremely steep hillside contains 365 steps. One step for each day of the year. Have I mentioned how steep the staircase is? Luckily I've been here many times before and know that there is a road that winds up the back side of the hill where taxis and busses can drop tourists right off at a ticket gate. I know many of us would rather take the pilgrimage route up the steep staircase to Swayambhunath instead of being dropped off at the top but it was not to be. No worries though. We can walk down the steps today. We'll have plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks to walk up steep hillsides... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 33:45 | 2/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 11 | CleanVideoEpisode 147: “Meet Me In Kathmandu” | New Faces, Old Places. It's so great to be back in Kathmandu and so cool to be starting this new Everest adventure! This is going to be the longest trip I've made back to the Himalayas since the original Everest expedition way back in 2003. It's wonderful to have this much time to spend here in Nepal and soon Tibet but I always miss my family when I leave home for these trips. Luckily I have so many new teammates to get to know on this workshop. I always enjoy getting to know new people and this is definitely an intense way to get to know someone! Then, of course, I'll have Chris Marquardt and Monika Andrae to help me chase away the homesick blues. In fact, they're more than simply friends of mine. After last year's trek to Everest's South Side these guys are more like extended family! I've said it a million times but I firmly believe that you come out to this part of the world for Everest but come back for the people. Those "people" consist of my fellow workshop participants as much as our friends on the Nepali and Tibetan staff. Rounding things out this year will be Thilo. He's turning into what I like to call our "frequent flyer" as I'm fairly certain he'll attend every himalayan workshop we hold. It will be fun having him along on this new trek and we'll surely have plenty of opportunities to reminisce about last year's team. I'm also extremely excited to return to Tibet for the first time in 3 years and to meet up with Lobsang. As you may remember, Lobsang was the Tibetan guide that Mountain Tribes hired for Scott Jacobs and I in 2007 when we returned to Everest's North Side. Scott and I were only able to spend a week with Lobsang but we forged a lifelong friendship in that short time. we've spoken on the phone and emailed regularly since then but it will be so great to see him in person. My Rest of Everest audience really met the challenge when I asked everyone to consider donating some funds to help support Lobsang and his family when the Tibetan border was closed in 2008 for several months. Lobsang makes his living from guiding tourists through his amazing country but if the border is closed that means no tourism. He lost the entire season in 2008 but we were able to make up that financial loss with the money everyone donated. He literally used the donations to keep his family fed and to make sure that his sister's school tuition was paid. I can't thank everyone enough for showing so much kindness to this Tibetan family. See? It all comes down to people. I guess my extended family is larger than I originally thought. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:28 | 2/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 12 | CleanVideoRest of Everest Season 5 Overview: Tibet In 3D | A New Dimension In The Himalayas. Season 5 of The Rest of Everest begins this week with a special episode of the podcast. This is definitely a first because everything you're about to see was filmed in 3D. I'm very proud to be able to offer this new kind of video and excited that this is the first 3D material to be filmed in Tibet. There's palpable texture to the episode that is unlike anything I've ever released before. This episode provides a brief summary of our trek to Everest's wild East Side (The Kangshung Face) but I have so much more footage of the experience. As usual, the trip in it's entirety will be released in episode of the show. To get the most out of this 3D podcast you'll need red and blue "anaglyph" glasses. If you happen to have some sitting around from a DVD or movie theater they will work perfectly. If you don't have any and would like to experience The Rest of Everest in 3D, anaglyph glasses are easy to find on the Internet through a quick search. If you're not interested or 3D simply gives you a headache, jump to the middle of the episode where all of the video repeats in standard 2D just as normal. Enjoy! Regular Season 5 episodes begin next week. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 52:16 | 2/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 13 | CleanVideoEpisode 146: The End Of The 2009 Everest Trek & Photography Workshop | All Good Things Come To An End. It's difficult to believe that we've reached the end of this amazing experience but here we are. The past couple of days in Kathmandu have been pretty amazing. I look forward to going home to my family but I'm incredibly... | 12/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean2011 Kailash Trek & Photography Workshop Update | Here is an excerpt from a Tips From The Top Floor episode where Chris Marquardt and I discuss all things Kailash. As most of you know, registration for the workshop trek is open and we still have space available. If you'd like more information or would like to register, please visit himalayanworkshops.com Thanks Everyone! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:40 | 12/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 15 | CleanVideoEpisode 145: Full Circle | Tipping Karma For Good Karma. Tonight we officially ended the trek by both checking in to our hotel and then showering for the first time in 2 weeks. I guess you could think of the shower as a sort of rebirth because there is not a single person on this trip who is currently the same person they were when we all arrived in to Kathmandu a couple of weeks ago. This trip has changed everyone in personal, yet profound ways. Like I always say, "Everest if the excuse" to visit this part of the world but it's not the thing you remember most from the adventure. Since this was the end of the line for trek our staff threw us a big feast. There was an insane amount of food and snacks and the guys even baked us a cake! They put on quite a party but in my mind the evening was more about them than about us. Since we are leaving tomorrow via plane for Kathmandu this was going to be the last time we'd see most of our beloved staff. That meant it was tip time! I always feel that it's important to show respect to the men and women who work so hard to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable adventure. One of the ways I do this is by frequently thanking them for their hard work while the trip is underway, sharing my drinks and snacks with them as I would any of the participants and by letting them know that they are the leaders, not me. The final way that I show respect is by making sure that I leave everyone on the staff a large tip for their good work. The handing out of the tips is one of my favorite things because the sentiment is so clear and doesn't need to be translated: "I appreciate you and the great work you provided us. Thanks." We handed out the tips one by one to every staff member that was present. I found that by the end of the evening my face was sore because I'd been smiling from ear to ear. That's one of the aches and pains of a trek that I don't mind. I think everyone had a really good time. It was truly a celebration. We came to walk to Everest and back and that's exactly what we did. We are all successful and we'll all remember this trek for the rest of our lives. Certainly a moment worthy of celebrating. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 39:38 | 11/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 16 | CleanVideoEpisode 144: The Gates To Paradise | No Paradise In Sight. Today was the last day of the trekking portion of our workshop. It's kind of hard to believe that we've made it this far and that tonight we'll be sleeping in a hotel. The day started off as all of the trekking mornings have with the last of the Jon & John morning shows and we began walking around 8:30 am. Thilo and I ended up hiking together and it quickly became clear that we were now in very good physical shape! He and I were hiking extremely fast and were able to keep up with the group at large even though we regularly took long rest breaks to enjoy the scenery. When lunch rolled around the group stopped at a teahouse but Thilo and I decided not to take the pit stop. A quick conversation with Karma showed that we had earned his complete trust as he agreed to let us continue hiking unaccompanied by one of the staff members. I have to admit, that was very special to me. We burned through all of the terrain that was vaguely familiar since we had seen it on our very first day of trekking. Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago now! We even caught up to and passed our porters. My "personal" porter Passang Dawa and his friend actually hiked with us for several hours. That kept our egos in check because Thilo and I may have been hiking very fast but those two guys were matching our speed while carrying 60-70 pound (30kg) loads in reed baskets on their backs! It was a very fun day even though we did get completely sick of all of the steps we had to walk up on our way back to Lukla. After a number of hours of cruising along, Thilo and I caught sight of a familliar gate in the distance. It was the gate to Lukla and the landmark showing the unofficial end of the trek. We rejoiced knowing that we were now only minutes away from our hotel and REAL bathrooms! How fitting that the hotel's name is The Hotel Paradise! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:46 | 11/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 17 | CleanVideoEpisode 143: High Bridge Hijinks | One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Sherpakind. The rest of today was the kind of day where you feel like a kid again. Thilo, Kyle and I were hiking with Sonam and were really enjoying our nice, leisurely hiking pace. Obviously Sonam thought the day could be a lot more fun and told us to run across every bridge with him. Well, that sounded pretty good to Kyle and I so we fell into line behind Sonam and booked it across the first bridge. At first I could hear the familiar guitar riff of "Crazy Train" in my head as the blood pumped through my brain and my body felt slightly out of control as we ran down to the middle of the bridge. When you cross these bridges you come to realize that they droop quite a bit in the middle so the first half is a downhill walk while the second half of the bridge is an upward slog against gravity. There on the downhill run gravity was pulling me forward so strongly that it seemed as if my legs would not be able to keep up with the rest of my body and I'd either fall on my face and skid to a stop (and have Kyle run over me) or I'd somehow override the protection of the railings and free fall down to the river at the bottom of the bridge! The out of control feeling quickly evaporated as I bottomed out on the bridge's middle and began the uphill portion. You want to keep your speed going but the bridge gets steeper and steeper the closer you get to either end and your legs begin to scream under the heavy load. We all made it to the other side safely and had a bit of a giggling session as we caught our breath. On the next bridge we ran across again but this time went one at a time so Thilo and I could film the running from several angles. Kyle darted across after me with a smile from ear to ear. Next up was Sonam who taught us a quick lesson about style when it comes to suspension bridge running. He hopped from foot to foot, no, BOUNDED across the bridge with these enormous strides. It literally reminded us all of Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin as they bunny-hopped across the surface of the moon. "Here sherpa from the Khumbu Valley first set foot upon this bridge May 2009, A.D. They ran in peace for all mankind." Jon Miller Total Running Time: 34:03 | 10/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 18 | CleanVideoEpisode 142: Snot Rocket | One Of The Happiest Days Of My Life. We had a pleasant, almost balmy, evening last night and are now on our way back towards Namche Bazaar. These elevations seemed a bit high over a week ago but now the atmosphere seems luxurious! We're finally officially back below the treeline and the views you get from this part of the trek are absolutely breathtaking. We still see Everest now and again but primarily our views are dominated by Ama Dablam. A-D is one of the most striking and picturesque mountains on the planet and I simply don't tire of looking at it. Today is going to go down in the books as a special day for me on this trek. The group as a whole has gotten to know each other and has become like an extended family. Our staff has gotten to know us and we've gotten to know them. Everyone is having a good time and excited to have been to Everest and are even more excited to begin the process of returning home to share their amazing adventures with distant friends and family. I'm very excited to return home because I've really been missing Heidi and Sam. Through all of the fun we've been having, the ache of missing my family has been ever present sometimes in the foreground, sometimes in the background, but always there. Today has been a bit different, though. I am now in the process of returning to my family and will get there when I get there. Instead of thinking about them constantly while hiking I've been reviewing the trek and the experiences we've been having together as a team. I'm well aware that every trip I take out here changes my life in a positive way but I'm starting to see the same things happening to the rest of the group. No one is the same person they were when they left home a few weeks ago. It's obvious this trip is having a profound effect on everyone. Everyone is falling in love with this part of the world--just like I did back in 2003. It was that love that helped me make the film and that led me to create the podcast. I've always tried to share as much of the "feeling" of being in these places as I could through the show, but there's always been the huge limitation that what I've been showing is my experience. Now this group has experienced this place first hand and have their own stories, experiences, adventures and opinions of everything. So, in the end I guess that what I'm feeling today as I hike is pride. I'm really proud of myself for all of the years of the podcast I've produced and that it's led to this amazing experience with these wonderful people. It's hard to get over the fact that I'm able to keep returning after that first trip and I'm loving every step I've been taking today as we hike down. This has been a very good day. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 35:48 | 10/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 19 | CleanVideoEpisode 141: The Rest of Jon Miller | Nelly Was Right. We continued down the trail today and finally made it back into the trees. It's always fun to descend beneath the treeline--almost as much fun as passing the treeline on the way up! The only problem I have with descending to lower altitudes is the fact that the lower you go, the warmer it gets. I can hike all day every day when it's cold out and I can easily control my body heat by adding a layer or removing one. Unfortunately, when we're hiking in warm weather I'm not in control anymore and the heat really saps my energy. Luckily there was something I could do today to help myself out: get rid of the long underwear! I think I put my long underwear bottoms on around Dingbotche on the way up and have been quite comfortable in them until today, but they had to come off. Now, me being myself and since I'm not a terribly modest person I dropped trou right there on the trail. I mean, where else was I going to go? I surprised Megan a bit with that but, really, there was nothing to see besides my white pasty knees. I have developed a real trekker tan where my face and neck are nicely tan and my hands are tan up to the wrist. Everything else is white as snow. It's going to look pretty weird when I get home and am wearing short sleeve t-shirts again... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 34:01 | 10/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 20 | CleanVideoEpisode 140: Pillow Talk | Brought To You By [Insert Company Name Here]. We talk a lot about the need for the proper outerwear on this show. We talk about the need for a warm sleeping bag. Hmm, we even spend a lot of time talking about tissue in both the facial and toilet varieties. This morning was a first for the show as Chris, Monika and I spent way too much time talking about pillows! Being away from home at times can be pretty uncomfortable. You miss your family, your friends, your pet and even your regular diet. But one of the things you end up missing that you only think about when you're away from home is how much you miss your own bed. Well, you certainly can't sleep in your own bed every night while trekking and even taking a regular pillow with you is impractical. So, gear manufacturers have seized upon this fact and have developed a plethora of camping accessories to help you get a good night's rest. Personally, I love buying gear. So, you'd think that I had the latest and greatest camping pillow on the planet, right? Well, you'd be wrong. I actually do have a special camping pillow but it's one that I purchased when I was 14 or 15 years old. It's a small green fleece thing that I bought at LLBean. I've had it with me on every single camping trip and long-distance trip that I've taken since before I even had a driving license. It's been to Everest as many times as I have and it will continue to be a trusted friend because it just works. I haven't replaced it because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, now that I think of it, maybe I should consider washing it one of these days... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 35:30 | 9/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 21 | CleanVideoEpisode 139: It’s Just A Phase | Now that we're on our way down from Mt Everest the group has settled in to the daily routine of trekking in the himalayas. We hike for 6-8 hours each day and then walk into our nightly camp which is usually a tea house. After we drop our gear off in our tents the group heads inside to relax. For the majority of the trekkers, relaxing means playing a certain card game called "Phase 10". Megan brought the game with her and it's proven to be very popular and somewhat of a godsend. It was Phase 10 that kept the group sane during our unplanned layover in Dingboche on the way up. After playing a few rounds of cards we usually have a large dinner prepared by our staff. After that is more time to relax and play cards. Most of us are pretty exhausted by day's end so we retire to our sleeping bags. In the morning we have our sherpa alarm clock knock on our tents to wake us up. It's usually Chimi and Mingmar with hot tea and coffee. After a few minutes of tea drinking to try and clear the sleep from our heads it's time to pack up and head for breakfast before we begin the day's hiking. You'd think that we'd all have the packing up routine down by now but I have to admit I don't know if I ever will. See, these expedition-rated sleeping bags are extremely warm because they are able to capture a high amount of air inside them which insulates you from the cold. That air is great to have when you're sleeping but when you try to pack your bag it really becomes a hassle. The sleeping bags do not want to relinquish their bounty of trapped air which makes it a real battle to stuff the bag into it's compression sack. Everyone has their own technique but in general you spread your bag out and sit on top of it using your body weight to push the air out. Once you've got it flattened a bit you can fold it in half and then in half again to gather the residual trapped air and you sit on that again to push it out. Next you grab the bag by it's head opening and start stuffing it into your compression sack. It always goes easy at first with the bag all flattened but by nature these bags want to fill up with air and loft. So, while you're stuffing the bag into it's sack it's filling up with air again and you enter a battle with the bag to fight it's lofting. This involves a lot of additional sitting to push the air out, some cursing, more sitting and then more cursing. None of it would be very difficult back at home but here at altitude it can be a real workout. I break a sweat each morning trying to pack away my sleeping bag! In the end though the bag relents and the victor is able to finish stuffing the bag into it's sack and then pulling the compression straps to make the volume of the packed bag even smaller. Another victory! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:54 | 9/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 22 | CleanVideoEpisode 138: Yaks In The Mist | Blame Canada. This morning we began the last phase of the Everest trek...the downhill portion. The views of the high peaks were absolutely stunning as we were setting out in the morning during the best weather of the day. Indeed, these were the finest views we've had thus far on the trek because the weather pattern we've been experiencing for the past week held true. Sunny and clear in the morning and cloudy and questionable in the afternoon. We had a tremendous view of Nuptse for most of the day and since we were so close to the peak the forced perspective made it look like it was the tallest mountain on the planet. It really is a beautiful mountain. Since we were back on the main trekking trail we came back into close contact with yak trains carrying supplies up to Gorak Shep and beyond. It has been a few days since we've been around these animals because you won't find them walking up Kala Pattar and it's mid-season so no trains were headed up to base camp. For a few years now I've thought about getting some cool point of view (POV) shots of the yaks from a super low angle as they negotiate the rocky trail. This year I had a very inexpensive HD video camera with me that was cheap enough to be classified as "expendable". I figured it was time to experiment with putting the camera on the ground in the middle of the trail to see if I can get some yaks to walk over it. If they went a step further and actually stepped on the camera, so be it. Fortunately for me there were a lot of yaks on the trail today so I was able to try for a nice POV shot every few minutes. I was hiking with Thilo for most of the day so we developed a routine to grab the shot. First we'd look for a train in the distance and take a seat on the trail. I'd take the camera out and Thilo would collect some stones for me to place around the camera. I'd try to position the camera near a large boulder and then Thilo and I would sit down across the trail from the boulder (wearing our bright red jackets) so that we could funnel the yaks between the rock and ourselves. It worked like a charm every time. I was able to grab a number of POV shots and not once did the camera get stepped on. Score! As usual our group of trekkers split up into several smaller groups sorted by hiking speed. Thilo, Megan and I were somewhere in the middle of the line and the Wolfe's, Steve Beatty, Monika and John Coleman were up front with Tendi. For some reason Steve Wolfe spent most of the day filming video of the hiking and providing a running monologue of commentary to the footage. Although I'm sure he'll blame it on hypoxia later on, the majority of his commentary revolved around Canada, Canadians and canadian Steve Beatty's preference for hiking over rocky trails instead of packed dirt trails. I guess that's better commentary than the internal dialogue I have, reciting the lyrics to the musical "Chess" with "One Night In Bangkok" over and over and over and over again. And again and again. Hmm, now that I think of it maybe the international theme of our "ear worms" lends credence to the fact that Steve Wolfe and I may be long lost cousins. The horror, the horror. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 34:23 | 9/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 23 | CleanVideoEpisode 137: The Agony Of DeFeet | Where's The Snooze Button On A Sherpa? This morning Jon and I woke up a bit late. The activity of the past few days had left us pretty exhausted and being all warm and cozy in our individual sleeping bags made it tough to get up! Yes, it's very easy to be comfy sleeping outdoors at nearly 17,000 feet... Today will be the beginning of the trek downhill and back to Lukla so we can catch a plane and fly back to Kathmandu. The weather today is glorious--the same weather pattern we've been experiencing for the past several days where it's clear in the morning but cloudy in the afternoon. So, this should shape up to be a very nice day for a downhill stroll. OK, maybe it won't actually be a stroll but we're all acclimated now and we'll be descending to "fatter air". That should give everyone in the group a bit of an energy boost. Before we left Gorak Shep I filmed an interesting ritual of Andi's. She has notoriously bad feet for hiking and has been patching, covering, padding and nursing her feet during this trek. I had wanted to see just what she was doing and now I know. She has a very thorough system of zinc oxide tape from South Africa, lambs wool and various bunion pads that hold her feet together. It all looks extremely painful but it's not slowing her down at all. She has a lot of experience with hiking on those feet and so she's been really proactive about maintaining them. So far her podiatry is paying off--she's having the time of her life and her feet are hardly concerning her at all. It's a great lesson that all-too-often get's overlooked. Keep your feet healthy while on a trek to Everest! Thanks for schooling everyone, Andi! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:14 | 9/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 24 | CleanVideoEpisode 136: A Rare Opportunity | I Was Just In The Neighborhood. I stayed at BC a few hours longer than the rest of our group not to take in the scenery, but to catch up with my old friend Dawa. Jeff was the first to head down and Steve and John followed a bit later leaving just me, Karma and Passang from our workshop group. While technically I'm still a client here in BC, I've finally managed to get the staff to understand that I'm "one of them" and don't need to be catered to in the same way as one of the participants. They've been doing an outstanding job ensuring the success of the group but when it's just me up here they can turn off and just hang out. In fact, I encourage that kind of behavior! With Karma and Passang kicking back and enjoying the fine weather, the rest of the camp staff relaxed as well and I couldn't have been happier. I know I've always got the best staff in the world to help me out but the reason I come back year after year is because these guys become lifelong friends of mine. Camp cook Dawa is a perfect example of that. Dawa and I became close during the 2003 expedition I was on with Ben Clark. Now, my job on that expedition was to document as much of it as possible but I was not a climber. So, Ben would disappear for weeks at a time further up on the mountain leaving me in Dawa's care. That was my first experience in the Himalayas and I was extremely uncomfortable with being waited on hand and foot by the staff every day. Dawa was the one who listened to my incessant complaints about wanting to wash my own dishes and explained to me why it was important to just be OK with it. The staff has an incredible amount of pride in what they do and always strive to do the best job they can. I need to let them do what they do and if I am uncomfortable, just let them know how much I value the work they are doing for my by telling them how much I appreciate it. I took his advice and we became friends. That friendship was a crucial component of that 2003 experience for me and I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the expedition if I hadn't had Dawa. Let me ad to that sentiment: The Rest of Everest may not have existed if it weren't for Dawa making that first trip such an amazing experience. I owe a lot to him and his generosity, kindness, patience and hard work. I thought I would be able to tell him all of that in person in 2007 when I returned to Everest with my friend Scott Jacobs but, alas, it was not to be. Mountain Tribes was scheduled to have a team on the North Side and Dawa was going to be the cook but 2 weeks before the climbing season began the permit was switched to the South Side. When Scott and I walked into BC, Dawa was already encamped on the other side of the mountain. I was crushed because I had come so far from home and was so looking forward to spending some time with Dawa. This year everything worked out perfectly and I was finally able to tell Dawa "thanks" and to reminisce about that 2003 expedition now 6 years in the past. My, how time flies! I was also able to finally show him my favorite portions of the film myself and that was great fun. Another case of art imitating life imitating art. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how that 2003 expedition was going to change my life. Thanks Dawa. Total Running Time: 34:04 | 9/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 25 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Tips From The Top Floor Everest 2010 Teaser | Chris Beat Me To It! Here is the first teaser video from our Everest 2010 Trek & Photography Workshop hosted my Chris Marquardt, Monika Andrae and me! As you'll see, we had quite an adventure. Chris was first to have a teaser episode finished this year so he has kindly allowed me to add this video to my feed in case you haven't seen it on his podcast yet or you are not a subscriber to his incredible, amazing, educational, entertaining and inspirational show. Interested in becoming a new subscriber to his podcast? Check it out atwww.tipsfromthetopfloor.com I'll have the edit for my teaser episode finished soon and once I post it we'll return to weekly episodes from Season 4 which cover the 2009 trek and workshop. I can't wait to show all of you the rest of that amazing trip! Most of the material I filmed on the 2010 trip was shot in 3D using a special camera setup I created with the help of my good friend Danny Dodge. Familiar with the film Everest: The Other Side? Well, Danny is the narrator of that film. Thanks for the help with that, Danny! While the regular episodes of Season 5 will not be released in 3D, I will try to release a bonus "3D teaser" in the coming weeks to show off that extra D and to see how many people I can get to wear the silly red/blue glasses we're all familiar with! Anyway, enjoy this first teaser and be sure to stay tuned after the credits for another video from Chris that explains one of your favorite inside jokes from both the 2009 and 2010 trips. I may be famous for filming toilets in the Everest region but Chris' name is famous for quantifying what you do in said toilets. Enough said. Enjoy! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:02 | 5/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 26 | CleanVideoLive From The Himalayas: EverestTheTrek.com | Jon is currently in Kathmandu getting ready to return to Everest in April and May 2010 | 4/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 27 | CleanVideoEpisode 135: Real Surreal Reality | Hilarious Hypoxia. Visiting at any base camp on Everest gives you an entirely new appreciation for high altitude mountaineering. You're always a bit hypoxic here, and it only gets worse as you move uphill. I've always said that your perspective on most any topic becomes very fluid at altitude. Here we are at the south side base camp and we're feeling the effects of the thin air up here. Now, ask any of the climbers here how base camp air feels to them and they'll tell you it's thick and luxurious! That's a fairly large discrepancy between perspectives. While we walked from Gorak Shep to base camp yesterday I felt great but was physically burned out. It was a very similar feeling as what I experienced walking into ABC on the north side in 2003. I felt good but just didn't have the energy to move my legs any faster. I could see ABC in 2003 just like I could see BC here in 2009 but couldn't speed up from my one-step-every-three-seconds pace. That was a long hike up from Gorak Shep for me. Cut to this morning and Chiri arrived at BC with the car battery we've been using to keep our sat gear and computers running. The battery had been completely drained of power last night and so he brought it up from Gorak Shep to hopefully get it charged. The battery is a true car battery and weighs about 17 Kilos or about 30-40 pounds. It's heavy. Remember me saying that I felt the hike up to BC from Gorak Shep was a long hike for me? Well, it took me about 4-5 hours to make it here. Chiri did the same hike not in 4-5 hours, but in 45 minutes. With a car battery. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:46 | 3/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 28 | CleanVideoEpisode 134: Shhh…It Happens At Base Camp | Can Anyone Say "Sherpa Shortcut"? This fine morning at BC just keeps getting better. We've been able to see climbers going up the Icefall for hours. It really puts the landscape in perspective when you see a climber or group of climbers navigating the obviously dangerous puzzle that is the Khumbu Icefall. You can look at it and tell the Icefall is big. Snag a view of some climbers who appear as miniscule black specs amid the jumble of ice slabs and you get hit with it's true immensity. It goes from looking big to looking BIG. Really, really BIG. Hugely BIG. Truly BIG. Did I mention it looks big? I also spent some time today filming something that is a big deal around here-where to go when nature calls. Yesterday (wow, was that really only yesterday?) I spoke with Apa Sherpa about the human waste situation and regulations at BC. I know from personal experience that the poop situation on the North Side is becoming a real issue. Of course, over in Tibet BC covers several square miles. Here in Nepal, BC is only a tiny, tiny fraction of that much space. It resembles the North Side's ABC with tents stacked nearly on top of another. Ben Clark referred to ABC on the other side of the mountain as "a miniature San Francisco." Ditto for the BC on this side of the mountain. These days, here on the Nepal side, all human waste is collected in large plastic bags and taken out of BC at least at the end of the climbing season if not several times throughout the climbing season. That is a very big deal, isn't it? After I finished my business filming everyone else's "business" I heard some talking down by the dome tent. Jeff was going to try and make it to the top of Kala Patthar today! He was leaving BC before the rest of us to try and make that goal a reality. Amazing. Now, we are much higher in altitude than Gorak Shep, the traditional starting point when climbing Kala Patthar. I do distinctly remember Jeff wondering aloud at breakfast if there was a way to go directly to the summit of Kala Patthar from BC instead of heading all of the way back down to Gorak Shep first. Surely there must be a way to do that. People have climbed every square inch of this valley over more than the past half century. Apparently there is a way to do it. A so-called "short cut". Of course out here everything is relative. Our group joke is that the Sherpa staff has a very different feel for time and distance. Ask any of these amazing guys how much farther will we be hiking to X destination and you'll invariably be told, "Just 10 minutes. RIght around the corner." Translated, that means, "Pal, you've got a ways to go. Probably about 3 hours." The Sherpa people are feats of human engineering and stamina and positive attitude with an almost nonexistent complaint factor. Every one of them. I will always be in utter awe of what they can--happily--accomplish. If Jeff asks The Staff about a shortcut, he better be careful. He might just get what he asks for. A "Sherpa shortcut". Jon Miller Total Running Time: 36:29 | 3/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 29 | CleanVideoEpisode 133: Meanwhile On Kala Patthar | Two Different Places At The Same Time. Morning here at Base Camp was truly glorious. Those of us here are going to hang out a bit, but the rest of the group is on their way up Kala Patthar. As we walked into BC yesterday the clouds were low and we arrived at the Mountain Tribes' orange dome tent in a slight snow flurry. It's always one of those things that you keep in the back of your mind--is the weather going to cooperate and let us have a view of what's surrounding us. Well, Mother Nature must have heard me because today the sky is crystal clear and the shade of blue you can really only get at altitude because we're above so much of the atmosphere! I couldn't be happier for John, Steve and Jeff and everyone going up Kala Patthar. This is the kind of weather you dream about having up here. Speaking of Nature, "nature called" unexpectedly and urgently as John and I were filming our morning update in our tent. Al I can say is thank goodness for pee bottles. Oh, and being me I filmed the process, again putting "The Rest" in The Rest of Everest. That footage will probably be another podcasting first... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:28 | 3/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 30 | CleanVideoEpisode 132: An Unbelievable Base Camp Surprise | Definitely A Day Worthy To Call Mom About. We made it! Yes, we're a considerably smaller group now, but we're here--and my friend Dawa is here. What a charmed life I lead. I know the other three guys I'm with (Steve Beatty, Jeff Coe and John Coleman) are here at Base Camp because it's been a long goal of theirs to make it here. And I couldn't be happier about their success. Very well done, guys. Very well done. For me, though, the "goal" has been a bit different. Everest is a permanent part of my life now. And, while I'll never see the view from her summit first person, the people I've met while at her base have changed me forever. One of the "leading characters" in this endless Everest experience is one of the first people I met after arriving into Kathmandu for the first time in 2003. Dawa Gyaltsen Sherpa. Base Camp Cook and Manager extraordinaire. I met Dawa on the roof of the Hotel Vashali as I held a video light for Major King as he was filming Ben Clark's reunion with Lhawang Dhondup. Dawa happened to be with Lhawang at the time. I had NO IDEA at the time just how special Dawa was going to become to me. Fast forward about 6 weeks and Dawa and I were best pals at Base Camp on the North Side. For nearly an entire month straight during the expedition Ben was at ABC or higher. We had other climbers on our permit but they came and went as well. The only permanent residents of our camp were Dawa and me. I did make it to ABC for a few days, but Dawa was the one who led me there. At one point I was bringing some russian friends over to use our shower tent with their own showering water. A climber from a different russian team followed after us. Apparently this climber, from Moscow, had been accusing Dawa of stealing his hat for several weeks. Every time Dawa went to fetch water and passed this climber, russian curses were unleashed upon my Sherpa friend. Dawa was more than happy to let my friends use our shower tent but when he saw the other guy he looked at me and said "Not HIM!" That was then followed by some cursing in both English and Sherpa. Now, I knew Dawa pretty well and respected him as both a friend and as our Base Camp Manager. I looked at the other russian climber, put my arm around Dawa and told him to get lost. I think Dawa realized at that time that I wasn't really a "client". I was there working, too. When I stood up for him--not knowing a single thing at the time about the feud over the hat--our friendship crystallized completely. That was it. From that exact moment onward Dawa and I were best friends. It had taken me 6 years and two trips to Everest to finally see my good friend again. I consider him a life-long friend. I am going to make the most of the short time I have here at BC to spend as much of it hanging with Dawa. The other three guys on my team, they understand. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 46:02 | 3/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 31 | CleanVideoEpisode 131: High Peaks & High Aspirations | This Is Exactly Why I Came. Continuing onward towards Gorak Shep we finally hit the mother lode--an endless panorama of the World's highest mountains. Leaving Lobuche so early this morning, I think, made everyone a bit tired as we started out and up on the trail. We've been trekking for well over a week now and it's pretty amazing how easily your body adapts to the endless walking. I know, I know...for most people all over the world walking is their primary (or only) mode of transportation. I admit it. As an American I drive pretty much everywhere. We all do. So it's good to know and feel that our legs can still get the job done when asked nicely. Well before we could see Gorak Shep we could see the famous Khumbu Icefall in the distance. After looking a bit harder, we could notice a plethora of multi-colored nylon tents at the base of the Icefall. Base Camp! It was actually in sight. Not very far away, too. First things first, though, a "refueling" stop in the last outpost of Gorak Shep and then after eating we can head up. I'm not sure exactly who will be joining me up to Base Camp, but I know I'm going. It's not Base Camp that I'm particularly interested in. Nope, I want to make it up there to spend some time with my good friend Dawa, the cook and BC manager from the 2003 expedition. We have a lot of catching up to do. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 37:29 | 2/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 32 | CleanVideoEpisode 130: A True Living Legend | Would You Like Some Yak Cheese To Go With That Whine? We all woke up very early today, because we need to maximize our trekking time. Today, some of us will make it to base camp. It's a very exciting day but I am just NOT a morning person. Especially at altitude. My tent mate John looked a bit groggy too. As we've done throughout the trek, John and I recorded a new "John and Jon Morning Show" segment where we talked about being tired and cold and chapped and short of breath...that kind of stuff. Thinking back on the recording now I feel what we were saying into the camera was a lot of silly whining. I mean, we're in the Himalayas man! How cool is that?!? Well, it's very cool and even though we're having the time of our lives on this trek, it still feels great to complain about a few things and purge our brains of that stuff. I can't speak for John, but after we finished The Morning Show I realized that those whine items were dragging me down. Now that they're gone I feel lighter and the lighter the better at altitude! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 36:11 | 2/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 33 | CleanVideoEpisode 129: The Ultimate Sacrifice | Proof That Climbing Everest WIll Always Be Dangerous. As we continued towards Lobuche today we finally made it to the Everest Memorial, a collection of cairns dedicated to those who have lost their lives on the mountain. This is a place I've been anticipating. It's one of those places I've read about, seen photos of and film about. It's a place I've been wanting to visit for some time now...and at a the same time I've never wanted to see it. Many, many people have lost their lives in pursuit of that tiny patch of real-estate so high up there in the sky. I know many climbers and I respect all of them. In fact, I'm in awe of many of them even if they've never achieved the summit if Everest. At the same time, I just don't have the mountaineering gene and seeing the endless cairns and monuments here at the Everest Memorial makes me so incredibly angry and conflicted. Is it truly worth losing one's life for an Everest summit? That question will never be satisfactorily answered one way or the other. All I know for sure is that people will continue to summit Everest, and many of them will die in the process. I feel like weeping for all of them. Tears of joy and sorrow. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 39:55 | 2/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 34 | CleanVideoEpisode 128: Immortalized In Nepal | Happy Birthday Magan! Believe it or not, the weather cleared last night and we were able to continue our journey towards Base Camp. We figure it was Nature's birthday gift to Megan as today is actually her birthday! How about that? Two members of our team with birthdays during the trek! I think we were all a bit interested/worried/concerned/excited to find out what, if anything, the staff was going to do to celebrate her special day. Just before breakfast Sonam covertly walked up to me and said that he and a bunch of the other guys woke up very early this morning and built something for Megan on the hillside just on the other side of the ridge we climbed during our DIngboche day hike. I think I remember asking Sonam if it was another snowman-er, snowWOMAN? Luckily it wasn't. Nope, this time the guys had spelled out a birthday greeting with rocks, stones and small boulders that we wouldn't be able to see until we literally walked past it. We finished breakfast and headed out to continue the trek. After a bit of hiking Sonam stopped the group and began singing "Happy Birthday" to Megan and all of us joined in. We pointed to the hillside where we could all see this message, written in enormous rock letters: HAPPY B-DAY MAGAN! Yes, her name was spelled wrong and when Sonam discovered this he wilted from sheer embarrassment. The stone typo didn't bother Megan at all. "Best birthday ever, " she said. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 39:35 We are less than 11 weeks away from heading to Nepal and Tibet for the Everest 2010 Workshop & Trek and still have some space available on the team. We're really wanting to have a fully booked trip and so we're locking in the discounted workshop price for everyone which will save you $500! This really is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and if you've been enjoying these recent episodes then consider joining us and experiencing it all first hand. Interested? Then email me directly or register through our online form at everestthetrek.com. Hope to meet a few more of you in person and I can't wait to see everyone who are already on the team! | 1/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 35 | CleanVideoEpisode 127: You CAN Hear Me Now | No Tea, No SMS. We finally got the sat phone working today but not without help and an important lesson learned from another Dingboche proprietor. Sonam and I needed to get in touch with Babu back in Kathmandu but we couldn't do that without the use of another sat phone. Up here in Dingboche, we're too far away from the regional cell phone towers we were using back in Namche. So, Sonam and I headed across the way to another tea house where I was introduced to a kind woman who was happy to help us out. Sonam and I sat down at a table in her tea house and were immediately served a couple of steaming mugs of hot lemonade. I politely pushed mine aside (I'm really not a hot beverage connoisseur) and filmed their conversation in Nepalese. Just a few sentences later Sonam did some translating for me. Apparently, this kind woman had a sat phone and was happy to let us use it--for free--to text a friend in Kathmandu who can tell us what to do to register our sat phone to get it running. The only catch, was that I needed to drink the entire mug of hot juice she served me when we sat down. "No tea, no SMS." Up at these altitudes and in the cold, you drink every drop of a hot cup of tea provided to you. It's just the way it is up here and I was being silly by not just instinctively doing it! A few gulps later we were in business. Our phone was working and Megan made the inaugural call back home to the East Cost of the US. Unfortunately she only was able to leave a voicemail, but the phone worked! Over the rest of the afternoon the phone was in high demand as most of our group checked in with loved ones around the world to say everything was going well. I was the last one to make a call that evening. After getting my wife's voicemail I was able to make a call to my good friend Scott Jacobs to check in with him. Wow, I really wished he was here with us. He was such an outstanding travel partner when we visited Everest in 2007. After saying goodbye to Scott I was finally able to make it through to Heidi. The phone worked perfectly and the connection was loud and clear. Certainly the best sounding call I have ever made via sat phone in the Himalayas. While Chris filmed the entire call, I know I won't share most of it with the audience in the podcast. Some things simply need to be kept privately to ourselves. It's a wonderful thing, really. I was also able to talk with our 17 month-old son Sam although I'm sure he was mostly asleep at the time. No worries, I hope I was able to fill his dreams with feelings of love from his dad all of the way on the other side of the planet. I'm sharing this adventure as much for him as for the rest of the audience. I can't wait to tell him all of my stories in person. But for now the phone is the only way to go. Isn't technology a wonderful thing? Sweet dreams, Sam. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 33:11 We are 3 months away from heading to Nepal and Tibet for the Everest 2010 Workshop & Trek and still have some space available on the team. We're really wanting to have a fully booked trip and so we're locking in the discounted workshop price for everyone which will save you $500! This really is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and if you've been enjoying these recent episodes then consider joining us and experiencing it all first hand. Interested? Then email me directly or register through our online form at everestthetrek.com. Hope to meet a few more of you in person and I can't wait to see everyone who are already on the team! | 1/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 36 | CleanVideoEpisode 126: A Death In The Family | An Absolute Tragedy. While on an acclimatization hike today a message came down from base camp containing the worst news possible. Tendi's brother has died higher up on Everest. Tendi is our pacesetter - the guide at the front of the group with the bright orange pack. Over the past week we've all grown very fond of him and so we were all completely stunned to hear of his brother's death. The news was delivered by my good friend Dawa who received it via radio at a teahouse just below Dingboche. He quickly ran up and was able to find us on our hike and speak with Tendi. After a brief discussion Tendi, Dawa and a few other sherpas from our group told us that they needed to make it up to base camp right away. They needed to recover Tendi's brother and take his body down to a lama to pray over him so his spirit can successfully transition from this life to the next. I know that I will never forget the sight of our guys walking off into the distance towards Everest. It was a uniquely bittersweet moment due to the difficult task that lay ahead of them. They were walking off to recover a body which was so very sad, yet there was Tendi being accompanied by his close friends who were going to be there to help and support him. It was a beautiful expression of community. It's always terrible when someone dies on Everest but what happened to Tendi's brother was especially tragic. As it turns out, he died from alcohol poisoning up at ABC after drinking liqueur he purchased in Lukla on his way in to Everest several weeks earlier. The liqueur he drank was spiked with rubbing alcohol which is poisonous to the human body. I just can't believe this has happened nor can I even faintly understand why anyone would deliberately sell that mixed concoction. I'm so shocked I'm almost speechless. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:21 We are 3 months away from heading to Nepal and Tibet for the Everest 2010 Workshop & Trek and still have some space available on the team. We're really wanting to have a fully booked trip and so we're locking in the discounted workshop price for everyone which will save you $500! This really is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and if you've been enjoying these recent episodes then consider joining us and experiencing it all first hand. Interested? Then email me directly or register through our online form at everestthetrek.com. Hope to meet a few more of you in person and I can't wait to see everyone who are already on the team! | 1/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 37 | CleanVideoEpisode 125: A Sherpa Sense Of Humor | Yes, Definitely A Snow Man. We woke up this morning in Dingboche to a rest day and John Fera's birthday. We had already planned to throw a small party for John but our staff had something more "festive" in mind. The first thing we noticed after waking up were red balloons tied to the top of every tent in our camp. Then Sonam handed out writing paper to everyone so that we could jot down a nice birthday greeting for John. Once we gave our notes back to Sonam he hung them around the inside of our teahouse as decorations along with colorful paper streamers and more balloons. I thought to myself, "Wow, what a sweet thing to do for John. These guys are incredibly thoughtful." Little did I know that the entire guide staff had built another gift for John in back of the teahouse. There was some snickering emanating from the teahouse as some of the participants had already discovered the other "gift." Megan and I had yet to see what the sherpas had built so we grabbed our cameras and walked out back to discover a kind of snowy shrine to John. They had placed a string of multicolored foil letters on the ground that spelled out "Happy Birthday!" They had also written "John Fera" and "51" in the snow. It was all very nice. Then we noticed that next to this snowy shrine was a snowman dressed in a cowboy hat. Once we walked a bit closer it became evident that this wasn't your average snowman. Nope, this snowman was, er, complete. Yes, the sherpas had built John an anatomically-correct snowman, and judging by their laughter they thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. Now that's part of the "Everest experience" you won't see on The Discovery Channel... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 33:12 | 1/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 38 | CleanVideoEpisode 124: A Change In The Air | A Familiar Face. The rest of the hike to Dingboche had a little bit of everything. We enjoyed trees, tundra, flat sections, steep sections, hot temps, cold temps, sunshine and snow! It was one of those days that almost all people who live in mountainous regions like to say to visitors, "Don't like the weather here? Just wait 5 minutes and it will change." Oh, we feel so clever saying things like that to tourists, don't we? Still, it was a glorious day but the scenery and pleasant hiking conditions weren't the highlight for me. What really made my day was stumbling into my dear friend Dawa Gyaltsen Sherpa--the cook from our 2003 expedition on the North Side in Tibet! I was hiking with Karma and Sonam at the time and we came across a couple of friends of theirs who were heading down the trail we were heading up. The 4 of them chatted for a minute in Sherpa while I was fiddling with my GPS tracking device. Obviously I wasn't paying much attention to the two friends because I almost fell over when one of the men said, "Hello, Jon." My attention quickly refocused and as I briefly stared at the man with the familiar voice I realized who it was. I immediately gave Dawa a big hug. I have been trying to visit with Dawa, unsuccessfully for the past 6 years! I was hoping to meet up with him in 2007 on Everest's North side but two weeks before his expedition was to begin, Mountain Tribes switched to a South side permit due to climbing restrictions being enforced by the Chinese Mountaineering Association on that North side. I was crushed when Babu informed me of the route change when Scott and I arrived in Kathmandu that April. On this trip, I've known the entire time that I would be able to see Dawa because he is on Everest's South side, but I wasn't planning on seeing him until I walked into Base Camp in a few more days. We only chatted for a few minutes because he was busy with his own clients but we'll get to hang out a bit when I do make it up to BC. Dawa means so much to me and we became good friends after all of those weeks in Tibet together. What an amazing experience to be walking on the other side of the planet from home and bump into such a good friend! I know the odds are actually pretty good that that can happen here, but it's so wonderful that it actually happened! Can't wait to officially catch up with Dawa in a few days. I just hope the snow storm we've walked into won't hamper our team's chances of making it all of the way up to BC. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 39:27 | 12/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 39 | CleanVideoEpisode 123: Tengboche | The Wheel Keeps On Turning. We did make it to the little town of Tengboche last night and took a tour of the monastery there this morning. It really is wonderful to get to spend some time in a monastery up here, so far away from the chaotic urban landscape back in Kathmandu. It was a totally different experience than the one we briefly shared at Swayambhunath. Wow, that seems like months ago now! I'm also pleased that Sonam was able to give everyone a quick tutorial in the Tibetan Wheel of Life. There was a nice painting of The Wheel just inside the monastery. I became quite taken with The Wheel and what it represents when Lobsang explained it to Scott Jacobs and I in Tibet in 2007. I have never claimed to be an "expert" in anything that you'll find out here in this unique part of the world. While I do have more experience with the region than your average westerner, by and large I am still discovering and learning about everything as I go. What I have come to completely understand, though, is the value of having a guide who is an expert in the local customs, culture, sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Traveling through the buddhist Himalayas is unlike anything else I've experienced anywhere else in the world. While the landscape may appear very austere most of the time at altitude, the local cultures have balanced that monotony with an incredibly rich and detailed culture. In fact, I've spent more time reeling from the dizzying complexity of the local beliefs and customs far more than from oxygen deprivation up here! You can always experience the Himalayas on your own, using only your eyes and your ears and other senses. The mountains will always be beautiful and well worth the effort to come and look at up close. But if you ever really want to try to understand the Himalayas, you need to stop gazing at these high peaks and spend as much time as possible talking with the locals. Do that long enough and you'll find your gaze change from looking at the mountains, to looking upon the local cultures to looking into yourself. This outward journey becomes an inward journey. Do that long enough and you'll come to understand that you may never fully understand this part of the world. But that's OK. Because you're here. And right now, being here is everything. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 32:41 | 12/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 40 | CleanVideoEpisode 122: Nice Lens, Baby | Photo Geeks. We left Namche this morning and resumed our upward progress. Along the way Chris broke out his Lens Baby and we had a blast shooting video with it. As Chris has always said, one of the best reasons to join one of these photography workshops is that you get to play with everyone else's gear. I had never personally used a Lens Baby before but now I'm a true fan of that little lens. As for the day's trekking...it seems like everyone was able to get enough rest in Namche and were really strong today. Ahh, the magic of taking some time to acclimatize! It's true. Here at altitude in the Himalayas, sitting around doing nothing will actually makes you stronger. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 34:33 | 12/15/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 41 | CleanVideoEpisode 121: Sat Phone Conundrum | hat We've Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate. Since today was a rest day here in Namche, I decided to test our satellite gear. It doesn't work. Whenever I visit Everest I always bring some technology that allows me to share my experiences with everyone. One of my favorite things is working with high-tech gear in remote, wild places. My sat phone and sat modem are usually very dependable but as with everything there are times where technical difficulties arise. Today was one of those days. We brought the sat gear so that everyone on the trek could share their adventure with their friends and family. The goal was to allow everyone to update Twitter, upload their best photos from each day to flickr and simply phone back home. In the past I've always brought my Iridium sat phone but it is notorious for dropping calls while in the himalayas. For this trip I purchased a Thuraya sat phone because it's reception is almost always rock steady. I also brought an Inmarsat BGAN satellite modem for accessing the Internet. I'm familiar with BGANs since CNN provided one to us for the 2003 Everest expedition. It's an amazing little piece of technology. Unfortunately I purchased these pieces of gear from a vendor that I'd never used before and they just didn't give me all of the instructions for activating everything. Without properly activating everything they pretty much are as effective as a paperweight. The issues I'm having made me furious because communication is an integral part of the workshop and one of the services Chris and I promised everyone. Luckily there is a hotel near our campsite that has an Internet connection and PC so I was able to email my sales rep for help. I hope he'll get right back to me with the missing registration instructions. We just want to phone home. ET phone home. Everest Trek phone home! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 31:21 Well, it's official--the DVD for our film Everest: The Other Side is now in stock and shipping! In fact, I've already mailed all of the pre-orders all over the world. If you've been waiting for this announcement before you place an order, please head on over to everesttheotherside.com to grab your copy. I am my own shipping department and personally mail each of the DVDs so I can fulfill each order within about 24 hours after it's been placed. Thank you to everyone who placed a pre-ordered, we couldn't have completed the DVD without your support. | 12/8/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 42 | CleanVideoEpisode 120: Namche Bazaar | Wolfes And Wildcards. We woke up to our first morning here in Namche and another stunning view right out of our tents. In fact the view is so beautiful it makes yesterday's difficulties fade away to a distant memory. Well, maybe not for Steve and Andi Wolfe. They had an epic day yesterday that will probably be burned into their memories forever. We gained over 3500 feet of elevation between our first night's camp and our campsite here in Namche. That's substantial and certainly the altitude is taking it's toll on everyone. Unfortunately for Steve, his toll was a bit more expensive. At some point after lunch yesterday Steve's condition deteriorated rapidly to the point where he could barely walk and was having difficulty breathing. It was a true struggle to make it up to our camp. Luckily, though, with the help of his wife Andi and several members of our Sherpa staff he was able to walk into camp under his own power. It was an extremely long and stressful day for the Wolfe's, though. They arrived about 4 hours after the rest of the group. Obviously the altitude "wildcard" was at play here because Steve is a very fit guy. He's in great shape, he's tough, he's an experienced hiker and he just loves the outdoors. He didn't do anything specific to cause his altitude sickness...it simply was his turn. After a good night's sleep, some food and lots of water he seems to have made a full recovery. That's perfect and it just show's how random that altitude wildcard can be. Altitude changes everything. Even if you're a Wolfe. You can still get bitten. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 35:23 I'd like to take a minute to congratulate Chris Marquardt on his release last week of episode 400 of his Tips From The Top Floor podcast! Reaching even just 50 episodes is a huge milestone for a podcast and so 400 is almost unheard of. I know many of you Rest of Everest viewers are also subscribers to Chris' show but if you aren't then now is the time to check it out. This week he is launching the first of his video episodes that will document his perspective from the Everest Trek 2009 adventure. While my show documents the over-all experience of the trek (you know, like toilets and stuff), Chris' coverage will focus on the educational aspect of the workshop we were teaching as we made our way to Everest. We called it "The Highest Photography Workshop In The World" and you're all invited to attend through his episodes. Just head on over totipsfromthetopfloor.com and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single lesson. Congratulations again, Chris. I look forward to the next 400 episodes. | 12/2/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 43 | CleanVideoEpisode 119: Stairmasters | Happily Exhausted. The rest of the day's trekking has finally brought us to the town of Namche Bazaar. Namche is fairly well-known since it serves as the gateway to the Everest region here in Nepal. The town is built into a steep hillside and creates an impressive amphitheater of terraces, buildings and stone-paved streets. Of course there aren't any cars to be found here as this part of the world is foot traffic only! I can certainly say that our group is happy to be here but man, oh man, what a tiring day this was. We just didn't know how much vertical gain we would need to achieve today to bring us to the next camp here overlooking the town. The most difficult aspect of the hike up here were the stairs that we had to climb. We literally climbed thousands upon thousands of hefty stone steps placed into the steep trail. Stair step after stair step. After Stair step. Did I mention that there were thousands of steps? Really, there was a seemingly endless number of steps. We are all exhausted from the journey today and each of us is nursing our own sore muscles or blisters or digestive issues or combination of all three. But still, I can't think of a more beautiful place to spend the next two nights and a full rest day in between than here in Namche. SInce we made it here, we can make it anywhere. We'll just keep taking it one step at a time. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 29:45 | 11/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 44 | CleanVideoEpisode 118: Photos Just Don’t Do It… | "In Person" Is Important. The podcast has been a great tool to get people around the world familiar with the Everest region. But this morning it became clear there's no competition for personal experience. We arrived into camp yesterday as it began to rain and the clouds were low, obscuring the view of our surroundings. The staff woke us up at 6am this morning and we greeted the new day with hot tea and a stunning, 360 degree view of these himalayan foothills. It was truly spectacular and there just was no way to capture the feeling of the moment in photos or video. And this was only the first morning of the trek! Still. for the sake of the show it's important to try and capture the moment. Hopefully some of this amazing place will translate to the podcast and the audience. Maybe some of it will even be done well enough to inspire some people to visit the Himalayas themselves? Who knows? It certainly worked for this group! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:00 | 11/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 45 | CleanVideoEpisode 117: No Trains, No Planes, No Automobiles | Too Much Information. We walked out of Lukla and left the infrastructure of modern life behind us. From here on out, there will be no roads and the only trains will be yak trains. How cool is that? At lunch today I gave the first of a series of planned speeches in an effort to try and save many in our group from the discomforts I've experienced on past visits to Everest. Well, it wasn't so much of a speech as it was more of a talk. As important as "The Talk" a parent may have to explain sex to their children and educate them as quickly as possible about some very important issues. Of course there wasn't a single mention of anything sexy in my talk. Nope, this time I talked about poop. And farting. And the trifecta of pooping while farting while trekking. I'm sure some of the group thought I was joking as I warned them about the possible gastrointestinal adventures they may have over the following 2 weeks. Well, unfortunately my talk was completely facts-based. And just like everywhere else on the planned, even on Everest,...sh*t happens. Sometimes, even in your pants. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 41:43 | 11/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 46 | CleanVideoEpisode 116: Landing In Lukla | The Gold Standard? We landed in Lukla, Nepal this morning and everyone was looking forward to seeing-and experiencing-the famous Lukla Airstrip. A quick flight to Lukla is the first stage of most treks to the South Side of Everest. We had all heard so much about the Lukla Airport because of it's unique runway. There is NO flat ground in the foothills leading up to Everest and therefore the small landing strip was placed in the best spot available: a 530m long, 20m wide hillside with a 12% grade and a rock wall at one end and a severe drop off at the other end! As you come in for a landing you are seemingly hundreds of feet off of the ground when suddenly the cliff passes under the plane and you find yourself touching down on land that literally wasn't there a second before. Now, planes land at a fairly high rate of speed so you burn through the runway's available real estate very quickly. Before you can blink you make an abrupt 90-degree turn to the right a split-second before crashing into the rock wall at the head of the runway. The next thing you know you are being ushered out of the small Twin Otter aircraft by military men with rifles and whistles and herded away from the plane in a cacophony of prop noise and general chaos. Within 5 minutes you're off of the tarmac, the plane has been unloaded, reloaded with new passengers and luggage and 3 other planes have lifted off or landed. What an amazing experience! We have all seen dozens of videos of this entire process on YouTube but Chris Marquardt and I knew that we had a unique opportunity to document it in our own special way...and from several simultaneous camera angles! I think that what we and the team have captured has the ability to become the "Gold Standard" of Lukla landing videos. Maybe the video by which all other Lukla videos will be judged. All I know is that we're on our way to Everest and this landscape is big enough to safely contain our swollen egos. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 43:07 | 11/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 47 | CleanVideoEpisode 115: Kathmandu: Exactly The Same…But Different | The Team Arrives. For the past 3 years I've been trying to show a more complete picture of what it's like to visit Everest and the Himalayas. Now, with a bunch of my audience members standing around me here in Kathmandu, that picture is going to become even more complete! I can hardly believe we're all here. All of the planning, all of the organizing, all of the STRESS to make this happen seemed to dissipate as I flew over the Pacific Ocean. I actually met half of the team in Hong Kong. I arrived nearly half a day ahead of them and so was able to claim a nicely upholstered bench near the food court. Fittingly, I didn't know what everyone looked like until I started getting everyone's Twitter updates with Twitpics. Isn't technology wonderful? By the time the group arrived from the East Coast of the US of A I already was able to identify everyone by name! Of course, it would have been easy to recognize them as my group anyway--Steve and Andi Wolfe were both wearing Rest of Everest t-shirts. My kind of people. Still, however happy I was to see all of them I was painfully aware that we were missing a team member. Catherine from Denver was not there with us. I was expecting to meet her in Denver as we had identical itineraries for our round-trip flights. I looked for her in Denver but couldn't find her. I did have a photo of her and stopped every woman who may have even remotely resembled Catherine to ask if they were her. I received a "no" every time. OK, I'll just find her in Los Angeles. Once in LA, I ran to the international gate and was the first person on the LA-HK flight to arrive. Hours later I reluctantly boarded the 747 still unsuccessful in finding her. Later in HK and through the wonders of Skype and free Wi-Fi Catherine was able to find me--but she was still in Denver. A freak accident had grounded her with a broken ankle just hours before she was to head to the Denver airport. My jaw literally dropped when she told me the bad news. For once in my life I was at a total loss for words... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 35:07 | 10/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 48 | CleanVideoEpisode 114: Season 4 Introduction, The Highest Photography Workshop In The World | Back To Everest...Again. The highly anticipated season 4 of The Rest of Everest begins this week with a nice overview of what to expect from the Everest Trek 2009 episodes. It's always exciting to begin producing a new season of the show. Luckily every season is very different and this new series changes everything. This time I returned to Everest but visited a side of the mountain I'd never seen before-the South Side in Nepal. Of course, the "new" side of the mountain wasn't the only thing different about this trip. This time I brought some of the podcast audience with me so that they could see Everest for themselves. It wasn't your standard trek though. I partnered with my good friend Chris Marquardt from the photography podcast Tips From The Top Floor and we turned the trek into the world's highest photography workshop! It was a wonderful experience for everyone and was so successful that we're going to be holding another workshop trek in 2010. This Season 4 kick-off episode is just a brief overview of what you'll see in the coming weeks and a recap of where we've been over the past few years. Next week, we return to Kathmandu! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 14:43 | 10/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 49 | CleanVideoEpisode 113: Annapurna IV Bonus Interviews | The Himalayas Are Worth It. While the team was trekking out from A4, Ben filmed some interviews with other trekkers met on the trail. This is just a quick bonus episode since these interviews were too long to include in a regular episode. Still, they're worth watching. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:26 | 9/23/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 50 | CleanVideoEpisode 112: The End Of The Annapurna IV Expedition | Enough Walking, Let's Ride. The Annapurna IV expedition comes to an end as The Team completes the hike out and make their way to Pokara. Once in Pokara they rent motorcycles and scooters and zoom around town laughing and looking especially suave in their oversized helmets. What a great way to end the expedition. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 39:31 | 8/26/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 51 | CleanVideoEpisode 111: Onward And Downward | No Ganja For Me, Thanks. The Team packs up and leaves their Annapurna IV basecamp. It's been real. It's been fun. It's been real fun. Still, there are days of trekking ahead before flying back to Kathmandu. It's time to check out the 2nd half of the famous Annapurna Circuit, and discover just how friendly the locals are. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:41 | 8/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpecial Announcement: 2010 Everest Trek & Workshop | A Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience...Again! Chris Marquardt and Monika Andrae join Jon to announce details of the 2010 Trek and Photography Workshop. To sign up for the trek information newsletter, please visitwww.EverestTheTrek.com. You can find Chris on his excellent photography podcast Tips From The Top Floor. www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com Please remember to visit www.netvibes.com/everesttrek to keep up to speed on the trekking team and to view photos as they are posted to the Web. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 27:08 | 8/12/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 53 | CleanVideoEpisode 110: The Slog | Who Said Going Downhill Was Easy? The snow conditions on Annapurna IV are so terrible it makes moving, even downhill, unbelievably difficult. With each step, the guys sink up to their waist in rotten snow. At times it seems like the only things keeping Ben or Josh from sinking and disappearing under the snow are the packs on their backs! It's situations like these that show climbing up is sometimes easier than climbing down. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:36 Interested in owning a copy of our film "Everest: The Other Side"? The film that started the podcast and pushed the New Media revolution to the top of the World. Visit EverestTheOtherSide.com for all of the details and thank you for your support! | 8/5/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 54 | CleanVideoEpisode 109: 2 Steps Up, 5000 Steps Down | Calling It. The Team make more progress up the hill and establish a camp at around 20,000 feet. Ben and Josh feel certain that they can make it to the summit as long as the weather window remains open. The only thing that could stop them would be a snow storm and strong winds. Not long after they crawl into their tent to rest up for a summit push, the clear tweather turns into...a snow storm with strong winds. That's it. The snow conditions and avalanche potential make it too dangerous to climb any higher.The guys call it: they will not make it to the top of Annapurna IV. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:09 Interested in owning a copy of our film "Everest: The Other Side"? The film that started the podcast and pushed the New Media revolution to the top of the World. Visit EverestTheOtherSide.com for all of the details and thank you for your support! | 7/28/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 55 | CleanVideoEpisode 108: Not Bad, Not Good | Not A Bad Perch. The Annapurna IV climb continues with an exhausting slog up to Camp 2. The snow conditions continue to be problematic, but the views from the peak continue to be exhilarating. So, for now, it's all working out. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:11 | 7/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 56 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Tips From The Top Floor Everest Trek 2009 Teaser | A View Of The Trek Through A Differnt Lens. No Baruntse Expedition overview this week. Instead, here's another look at the Everest Trek 2009 Workshop couretest of Chris Marquardt of Tips From The Top Floor. Chris and I both documented the same trip but with very different perspectives and styles. If you enjoy his teaser then know that we will be sharing footage for Season 4 of The Rest of Everest which will cover the entire trek from beginning to end. For those of you who are not already subscribed to his excellent podcast about all thinkgs related to photography then please visittipsfromthetopfloor.com as well as dailyphototipswithchris.com You'll be seeing a lot of footage with Chris once Season 4 begins. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 11:37 | 6/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 57 | CleanVideoEverest Trek 2009 Teaser | The Highest Photography Workshop In The World. As expected, here is a sort of "best of" montage of footage from the 2009 Photography workshop. I hope this episode gets everyone excited about season 4 of The Rest of Everest which will cover all of the events from the 2009 trek in detail! Chris Marquardt can be found at chrismarquardt.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:13 | 6/18/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanEverest Trek 2009 Wrap-Up | The Highest Photography Workshop In The World. Jon is back from Nepal and is joined by Chris Marquardt to discuss the trek and photography workshop. You can find Chris on his excellent photography podcast Tips From The Top Floor. www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com Please remember to visit www.netvibes.com/everesttrek to keep up to speed on the trekking team and to view photos as they are posted to the Web. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 54:00 | 6/2/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 59 | CleanVideoEpisode 107: Going Up, And Blowing Up | A Damn Fine Day. Ben and Josh decide to resume the climb and head out of base camp, climbing to Camp 1. They made great time since their old ski tracks were still in place. Still, the snow conditions remain extremely difficult to climb in. The warm temperatures have turned the snow pack into an unconsolidated mess of barely-frozen quicksand. But at least the guys haven't bathed in weeks and are ripening quite nicely. So, at least they've got that going for them. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:26 The Spring Himalayan climbing season has begun. Follow Ben Clark, Josh Butson and climber Jonathan Miller as they attempt to summit and then ski down 23,688'/7220m Baruntse in eastern Nepal. Regularly posted text and audio dispatches can be found at skithehimalayas.com | 4/15/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBonus Episode: Baruntse 2009 | Ben Clark's Spring 2009 Expedition. Ben, Josh Butson and their new teammate, climber Jon Miller, are en route to Nepal for more climbing and skiing. The Rest of Everest's Jon Miller speaks with Ben for the lowdown on this year's unique expedition to 7,220 meter (23,688 ft) Baruntse in eastern Nepal. To follow along with the expedition, visit www.skithehimalayas.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:09 | 4/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 61 | CleanVideoEpisode 106: Cowboys But not Indians | Butterflies In The Himalayas. The team returns to base camp to regroup and dry out after embracing Tim's decision to leave the climbing up to Ben and Josh. The Austrian team has left and now Ben and Josh will be the only climbers on Annapurna IV. The climbers are extremely self-sufficient with incredible mountaineering skills, but the true danger of climbing these tall giants is everpresent...avalanche. While the guys rest up and reflect on the climb from the mess tent an enormousand distant avalanche slides off of A4 and blankets the camp with snow and debrie. Amazingly, if Tim had not decided to stop climbing and return to base camp the team would have been caught in the hazardous slide. Remarkable. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:52 | 4/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 62 | CleanVideoEpisode 105: The Best F****** Cheerleader | No Shame, No Regrets. After a restless night at Camp 1 the guys set out to make more upward progress. At a rest stop a few pitches up, Tim announces that he's made a decision about his role on the climb. Tim decides that he doesn't feel comfortable enough with the route and feels he would be holding Ben and Josh back if he were to continue climbing. It's a difficult moment but not a difficult decision-he knows his children will be relieved that he's heading down, and he will support his teammates in every way possible. He'll be their official cheerleader in base camp. Sometimes the toughest decisions are the easiest to make. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:52 | 3/31/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 63 | CleanVideoEpisode 104: A Room With A View | The Line of Demarcation. The guys finally get the chance to begin upward progress on the mountain. They make it to a point above 19,000 feet and set up Camp 1. It is rather amazing how much work it takes to establish a camp. You cannot just grab a tent from out of the back of your car and find a level piece of ground to set it up on. Here on A4, the only level ground is located wherever you make it. An making level ground on a peak means digging - lots of digging- to create a tent platform. Well, at least with all of the snow around it won't be necessary to grab a cooler out of the car to keep the beer cold. Oh, wait, there's no beer. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:02 | 3/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 64 | CleanVideoEpisode 103: A River Runs Through It | As Precise As A Diamond Bullet. Just when they begin to consider solving dinner-table arguments with their ice axes, conditions on the mountain improve enough to begin the climb in earnest. Good thing, too. They have all become seriously infected with cabin fever. The combination of that and the growing rivulet of snow melt water running directly through and under their mess tent was adding up to nothing good.. Time to get some altitude to improve attitude. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:36 | 3/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 65 | CleanVideoEpisode 102: Sweet Dreams | Who Needs TV When You Have Nocturnal Insanity? Living at altitude is not just rough on the body, it is also rough on the brain. While it's a common occurrence to feel that the lower oxygen levels high in the Himalayas can slow some thought processes down...they seem to speed dreams up! Tim, Josh and Ben share their most recent "nocturnal insanity" on camera and then check themselves out for skin parasites while they prepare for encounters with anonymous bathroom hooligans and time/space travel. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:13 | 3/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 66 | CleanVideoEpisode 101: Typically Himalayan | The Weather Is What It Is. Team takes a few more turns on the skis but the excitement is short lived. The weather is calling the shots now. Ben calls the team's official weather man, his father Jerry Clark, for an update. Back at home in Tennessee, Jerry has full-bandwidth access to the Internet and all of the satellite and radar imagery available. The forecast? More time resting at Base Camp waiting for the weather to improve. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 25:47 | 3/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 67 | CleanVideoEpisode 100: Earn The Turn | "We Are The Luckiest People On Earth." The guys get to work settling in to base camp. They also make their first exploratory climb to check out the snow conditions. When you're thousands of miles away from the closest ski resort and happen to be on a mountain that has never seen a single skier throughout it's entire geologic history, there's only one way to get a snow report. That's right - climb up and ski down. It's known as "earning your turns" and the guys earn quite a few turns on their first Annapurna IV excursion. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:59 | 2/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 68 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Ophir To Telluride | A Winter Commute In The San Juan Range. Here is a nice bonus episode of a story Ben Clark produced for Plum TV in Telluride, Colorado. If anyone would like to see more bonus episodes like this one, please email me to let me know. jon@therestofeverest.com We'll be back in a few days with The Rest of Everest Episode 100. Enjoy! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 8:14 | 2/20/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 69 | CleanVideoEpisode 099: Up…To The Bottom | Where's Waldo? He's At Base Camp. The approach trek ends after it almost never ends. The exact location of base camp is debated by the porters. Apparently the porters all feel that the true location of BC is right around the corner. Unfortunately their information is based on the word of a 15 year old porter who swears he's been there before. Unfortunately again, teenagers are teenagers regardless of their country of origin. As it turns out, BC is still more than a day further up the trail. No worries, as the team and all of their gear make it to the real BC and the porters all get big tips for their efforts. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:04 | 2/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 70 | CleanVideoEpisode 098: Approaching The End Of The Approach | Sick, Huge Fun. The approach trek is almost over as the team heads towards Annapurna IV. They finally get an unrestricted view of their objective. The guys have finally made it out of the jungle and leave the heat and humidity behind them. Now they just need to figure out exactly where Base Camp is. Unfortunately, the porters try to convince the team that they are standing in Base Camp, but Ben, Josh and Tim know that it is still at least a day's hike ahead of them! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:22 | 2/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 71 | CleanVideoEpisode 097: Hearts Racing, Hearts Aching | Love You, Honey. The approach trek continues as the team heads towards Annapurna IV. Along the way the team catches their first glimpse of the high peaks. It's always interesting to be hiking though a dense, hot and humid jungle while being able to gaze upon snow fields and glaciers. Team are all thrilled to be trekking the beautiful Annapurna Circuit but are starting to feel the great distance between them and their loved ones. Welcome to dichotomy that is climbing mountains in the Himalayas. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:28 | 2/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 72 | CleanVideoEpisode 096: The Road (At Least For Now) Less Traveled | If You Build It They Will Come. The approach trek continues as the team heads towards Annapurna IV. Along the way they talk to a hotel owner about the road being built along the Annapurna Circuit. The road will make access to the region much easier but will bring many hardships for people whose property lies right in it's path. Progress? Only history will be the judge. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:21 | 1/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 73 | CleanVideoEpisode 095: Beyond Everest, The Annapurna IV Expedition begins | We Approach The Subject Of The Approach. Unlike here in the United States, in Nepal there are no parking lots at the trail head for many of the large mountains. No, for A4 the guys need to trek 65 miles to their base camp. Trekking to the mountain becomes an adventure in itself. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:19 | 1/21/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 74 | CleanVideoEpisode 094: Beyond Everest, The Annapurna IV Series Introduction | Everest Isn't Necessarily The Pinnacle. We're kicking off season 3 of The Rest of Everest with a special series I'm calling Beyond Everest. All of you know my dear friend Ben Clark and you've watched him summit Everest. It was an extremely large accomplishment and it may have seemed like the pinnacle of any climber's career. Well, over the past few years Ben has set his sights on other Himalayan peaks. In the Spring of 2008 Ben and his climbing partners Josh Butson and Tim Clarke attempted to summit a peak in the western half of Nepal called Annapurna IV. This time I gave the team an HD camcorder, lots of batteries and lots of blank tape to film their entire expedition. The footage they returned home with tells the full story of their Annapurna IV climb. Much like previous episodes of the podcast, the footage shows that there's so much more to the experience than attaining the summit. In fact, the team were unable to summit Annapurna IV due to extreme avalanche danger. While they cannot show all of us what it was like on top of the peak, they will be able to show us a climbing style that that is very different from the Everest climb and known as alpine style. No fixed ropes, no sherpa teammates to carry supplies up the mountain and most importantly no rescue if there is an accident. What you'll see is a group of close friends who are also talented mountaineers experience all of the trials and tribulations, successes and failures, tough decisions and even tougher climbing conditions on a Himalayan expedition to a remote and largely unknown peak. Oh yeah, and they even brought their skis along and carried them up the mountain for some truly out-of-bounds skiing! I'm very excited to bring all of you this Beyond Everest series. I think you'll find it completely engrossing. We'll bring the show back to it's mountaineering roots and get reacquainted with Ben while introducing Josh and Tim. There's so much more to climbing in the Himalayas than simply climbing Everest. So rope up, the Annapurna IV expedition begins next week! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 5:30 | 1/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 75 | CleanVideoEpisode 093: The End Of The Tibet 2007 Trek | One Journey Ends, Another Begins. The last evening in Kathmandu was great. Scott and I went for pizza at Fire & Ice and purchased the rest of the gifts destined for friends and family. It was wonderful, and it even started to rain. The weather has been hot and hazy in Nepal and the rain cooled things off and cleared the air. The management of the Marshyangdi Hotel had given us the entire top floor which has this wonderful marble patio with a sheltered view of the city. After packing our bags we spent the last few hours of the evening enjoying the view and thinking about our college days when we both thought it would be cool to trek to Everest some day. Well, almost 15 years later we have now completed that dream. How wonderful to still be close friends with Scott after all of these years! My life is almost indistinguishable from the one I thought I would be living when I was 19 and dreaming about the future. I was studying to be an archaeologist or a history teacher. Now, I own a small video production company, try my best to make interesting television commercials, and occasionally get to travel to the Himalayas to film content for a "podcast" that gets "downloaded" over the "Internet." In short, my life is so much more interesting than my inexperienced teenaged imagination could ever have concocted. So, now that this journey has come to an end I feel fully prepared for the journey that lies ahead of me: It's time to become a Dad. Heidi, I'm coming home. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 42:48 A Few Notes About This Week's Season Finale. I want to congratulate viewer "Michigan Bob" for writing the wining review in the iTunes Podcast Directory for the Rest of Everest t-shirt giveaway. "MB", when you see this, send me an email letting me know who you are and give me your address. I've got a hand-embroidered shirt from Kathmandu waiting for you. The contest continues as I'm trying to reach 200 reviews in the iTunes US Podcast Directory. I'll announce the next winner once we reach review #200 and this time I'll be giving away two Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirts! I also want to remind any of you who are interested in the 2009 Everest Base Camp Trek & Photographic Workshop to sign up for the email list on the website www.EverestTrek2009.com. We will initially be releasing all of the information about the trek, and how to register for it, to everyone on that list. Registration will be first-come-first-served so be sure your name is on the list! Finally, I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support of The Rest of Everest. The Tibet 2007 Series (otherwise known as The Rest of Everest's 2nd season) was a greater success than I ever thought it would be. It was very different from the original mountaineering formula of the 1st season and I'm just so pleased that the show continued to entertain, inform and inspire so many of you. For those of you who have continued to watch every episode, to those of you who have emailed to say hello, to those of you who I've had the great fortune to meet in person: thank you for your time, your financial- and most importantly your morale-support. This may be the end of the Tibet 2007 Trek, but there's still so much more amazing episodes headed your way. Please stay subscribed. You will not be disappointed. Namaste, Jon | 9/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 76 | CleanVideoEpisode 092: The Eyes Of Buddha | The Unity Of All Things. The trip has now come full circle as Scott and I are back in Kathmandu. Today is our last day in Nepal and we just couldn't have left without seeing the amazing Boudhanath Stupa. Boudda, as it's called locally, is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. It is much larger than it's cousin, the stupa on the hill, Swayambounath that we visited when we first arrived back into Kathmandu. Boudhanath really is huge. And I mean that in more ways than one. Architecturally, it is an enormous mandala and it's shape is symbolic of the 5 elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Light and Ether. That's easy to explain and comprehend. Energetically, the stupa is prodigious as well. This is more difficult to explain and comprehend. It's the kind of place where you may see a person in the distance weeping. If you walk closer to them it becomes clear that they are gazing upon Boudhanath and are in their own, private world. Approach them closer still, and you'll understand that the tears are tears of joy. That happens all of the time here. And it happens to people of all nationalities. ages and gender. This place is very special. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:08 | 9/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 77 | CleanVideoEpisode 091: Out Of The Coulds, Into The Heat | A Fond Farewell To Good Friends. Well, it was inevitable. Scott and I left Tibet today and crossed over the border and back into Nepal. It was difficult to leave but I know I'll be back sometime soon. I hope. I love Tibet. I am fascinated by the landscapes, the people and quite honestly the energy I feel while visiting that magical place. It's so difficult to put into words just what Tibet means to me but hopefully the podcast will help me explain all of that to everyone who watches. The hardest part about leaving Tibet was saying goodbye to our good friends Lobsang and Yunglo. Lobsang in particular made the visit an experience that I will never forget. We said goodbye at the checkpoint before the Friendship Bridge. You can't film or take pictures anywhere near the border so I left my camera in my backpack.It's too bad, really, because I would have liked to film some kind of farewell. Lobsang is going to be a friend for life after this trip. Scott and I surprised our Tibetan friends with two very generous tips for a job well done. Once we said our final goodbyes we crossed over the bridge and into Kodari, Nepal. Immediately I noticed everything was different. The people looked different, the cars looked different, even the temperature and the environment was different. What I also noticed was that after Tibet, I'm different too. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:54 | 8/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 78 | CleanVideoEpisode 090: The Shortest Of The Tallest | It's All Downhill From Here. This morning we spent some quality time up on Tong La, a pass with a tremendous view of Shishapangma. "Shisha" is the shortest of the 8000 meter peaks at 8012m tall. It's also the only 8000 meter peak located entirely within Tibet instead of right on the border. One more fact here: Shishapangma was also the last of the 8000 meter peaks to be successfully climbed, most likely due to the fact that Tibet was mostly closed off from the outside world in the 50's and 60's. This was actually my third time on Tong La. The first time was in April, 2003 when Ben, Major and I were heading to Base Camp. This was without a doubt the highest I had ever stood at the time and I was blown away by the sheer size of Shishapangma. Back then we were heading up from Zhang Mu and the border with Nepal. Now, Scott and I are heading in reverse as we make our way overland back to Kathmandu. Since Tong La is the closest pass to Nepal along the Friendship Highway, we'll be able to give our trusty Toyota Land Cruiser a break and let gravity do most of the work. It quite literally is all downhill from here. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:15 | 8/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 79 | CleanVideoEpisode 089: Dingri, Old Tingri | "He Has Asked For The Pancake." Well, here we are back in Tingri. Not New Tingri but Old Tingri, the gateway to the Everest region in Tibet. Honestly I never thought I'd be back here after 2003, but life is funny that way. Of all the experiences I've had in Tibet, Old Tingri is one I can do without. This place is just so rough. You might think it looks a lot like Shegar did, and you'd be right, but Tingri has something else: more tourist traffic. See, almost every expedition that goes to the North side of Everest here in Tibet passes through Tingri. For many climbers, this is their first taste or rural Tibet. Since most people only spend a couple of days here acclimating to the altitude--and are slightly altitude sick when they arrive--people tent to mistreat Tingri a bit. All of that comes through in the energy and the feeling of this place. It just feels tired and abused. We'll do our best to treat it with respect. Thank goodness we're only spending one night here! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:22 Interested in seeing these Base Camp episodes in HD?. Then consider making a donation to help support the podcast. Any amount will get you access to a number of bonus videos including several HD versions of regular podcast episodes. This way you can really see all of the details in those incredible views of Everest. If you make a donation of $25 or more, you'll get all of the bonus material AND access to a downloadable version of the film "Everest: The Other Side". If you love the podcast, you'll love the film. Thanks for your support..especially the financial support. It truly makes the show possible. I couldn't do it without you! Jon Miller | 7/23/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 80 | CleanVideoEpisode 088: Goodbye Old Friend | Time To Move On. It seems like we've just arrived at BC, and now it's time to leave. Wait, we did just arrive! But of course it's the journey, not the destination that is the most important. So, we're heading out to continue our journey. The climbing season has just begun and the anticipation and excitement in the air is palpable. Over the next month and a half there will be drama and boredom, success and failure, death and rescue, deception and redemption. Scott and I are leaving but we have several friends who will remain here, and I look forward to sharing their stories when (if?) they make it back down safely. Everest is so much more than a deadly mountain, but as we leave I have to think: will everyone we've met up here be returning to their friends and families in two month's time? Only time will tell, but it's also important to keep in mind that for every climber that loses their life to the mountain, Chomolungma breathes life into the hearts and minds of so many more. As we drive North, away from the mountain, you can feel that majestic face of rock and ice looking out over us in the distance. Goodbye Everest. Goodbye Chomolungma. I'll see you again soon! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:22 Interested in seeing these Base Camp episodes in HD?. Then consider making a donation to help support the podcast. Any amount will get you access to a number of bonus videos including several HD versions of regular podcast episodes. This way you can really see all of the details in those incredible views of Everest. If you make a donation of $25 or more, you'll get all of the bonus material AND access to a downloadable version of the film "Everest: The Other Side". If you love the podcast, you'll love the film. Thanks for your support..especially the financial support. It truly makes the show possible. I couldn't do it without you! Jon Miller | 7/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 81 | CleanVideoEpisode 087: Technical Support | Talking Shop At 17,000 Feet. After the puja ended, Scott and I wandered around BC looking for people to chat with. Most everyone who is going to be climbing Everest this year has arrived and are setting up their camps. I told a friend back in Colorado that I would search out the 7SummitsClub.com team and say hello to Alex, the team leader. Their camp wasn't easy to miss since they had a huge banner advertising who they were. I walked over and met a nice Russian man fiddling around with his video camera. His name is Maxim and he was having trouble with exactly how he should be filming with his camera. It happened to be the consumer version of the pro camera I'm shooting this trek with so I told him I'd be happy to help. As everyone knows, I like to talk...and I am a video gear junkie since it's my vocation and my avocation all rolled into one. Combine the two and you can't stop me! Maxim invited us in to the team's dining tent and since he didn't speak english as well as he'd have like to he had a teammate translate for us. I was able to show him how to solve his problem (yay!) and we laughed at how great Sony technical support was since they sent a technician all the way up to Everest to fix his camera! I just love this stuff. Everest, camera gear, Russians and talking. I'm in my element up here. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:58 Interested in seeing these Base Camp episodes in HD?. Then consider making a donation to help support the podcast. Any amount will get you access to a number of bonus videos including several HD versions of regular podcast episodes. This way you can really see all of the details in those incredible views of Everest. If you make a donation of $25 or more, you'll get all of the bonus material AND access to a downloadable version of the film "Everest: The Other Side". If you love the podcast, you'll love the film. Thanks for your support..especially the financial support. It truly makes the show possible. I couldn't do it without you! Jon Miller | 6/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 82 | CleanVideoEpisode 086: Puja Deja Vu | R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I wasn't sure Scott and I were going to be able to be a part of a puja ceremony since we have so little time at BC, but we lucked out! The team living "next door" to Brian and Justin invited us to be a part of theirs. It's easy to look at a puja ceremony and think that it may just be performed as a photo op for tourists but this is just not the case out here. See, the puja ceremony is a way to show respect to the mountain and ask for it's forgiveness and protection. These gigantic Himalayan peaks are not just mountains to this local culture...they are deities. Climbing them can easily be considered an act of disrespect and the puja helps to let the mountain know you mean it no harm. This can be a concept that is very foreign to most Westerners as we feel it is our right to climb any peak that we would like to try and summit. Period. That just is not how it's done out here. Besides, who WOULDN'T want to join in a puja ceremony as they are not just religious in nature but also a great deal of fun? Beautiful views, mysterious Tibetan Buddhist chanting, incense, food, chai and the company of fellow teammates. I highly recommend them. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 27:47 Interested in seeing these Base Camp episodes in HD?. Then consider making a donation to help support the podcast. Any amount will get you access to a number of bonus videos including several HD versions of regular podcast episodes. This way you can really see all of the details in those incredible views of Everest. If you make a donation of $25 or more, you'll get all of the bonus material AND access to a downloadable version of the film "Everest: The Other Side". If you love the podcast, you'll love the film. Thanks for your support..especially the financial support. It truly makes the show possible. I couldn't do it without you! Jon Miller | 6/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 83 | CleanVideoEpisode 085: Good Morning Everest | What A View To Wake Up To. We met up with the LUNGevity team and I decided to to do some impromptu interviews with them. I knew right away where I wanted to film them. The Base Camp swimming pools. OK, lets be clear about this. These are natural pools of water, glacial tarns, that have formed in the Rongbuk Glacier as it has been melting. No, there aren't any man-made swimming pools here. At least not yet. In 2003 I joked around with the Royal Navy/Royal as we were setting up the makeshift "movie theater" that in the not to distant future someone would build and IMAX movie theater up here so that tourists could watch the film 'Everest' on a gigantic screen so it would appear as big as life. "Watching the film on the huge IMAX screen was so lifelike it was almost like being there" the happy tourists would say. Ah, that dry British humor. Anyway, back to 2007. I interviewed Brian and Justin overlooking one of the few glacial tarns and it was incredibly beautiful, The water is almost perfectly clear and an intense shade of turquoise. Really majestic. Not everyone knows these pools exist but I spent a lot of time up here last time around. I felt really cool that I knew about them and was able to take Scott and the guys up there. While I was doing the interview I switched on to work mode and blasted through a number of (hopefully) meaningful questions. As everyone knows, I'm a talker, and I love filming interviews with interesting people. Once the interviews were over and we were packing up all of my gear I realized that I felt terrible. I was really hurting from the altitude and felt nauseous and had a splitting headache. Didn't feel a thing while I was filming! Not to worry. After a couple of quarts of water and some milk tea I felt fully recuperated. Good thing too. Feeling sick makes me depressed and I've cried enough on this trip already! Scott and I are having the time of our lives. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:33 Interested in seeing these Base Camp episodes in HD?. Then consider making a donation to help support the podcast. Any amount will get you access to a number of bonus videos including several HD versions of regular podcast episodes. This way you can really see all of the details in those incredible views of Everest. If you make a donation of $25 or more, you'll get all of the bonus material AND access to a downloadable version of the film "Everest: The Other Side". If you love the podcast, you'll love the film. Thanks for your support..especially the financial support. It truly makes the show possible. I couldn't do it without you! Jon Miller | 6/10/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 84 | CleanVideoEpisode 084: A Kind of Homecoming | I Feel Like I've Been Here Before. Arriving back at Everest Base Camp all because of the podcast was one of the coolest moments of my life. I had dreamed of this moment almost every day for the past 4 years. Amazing. Of course, things were different then they were in 2003. For one, since Scott and I were not affiliated with an expedition we couldn't drive right up to Base Camp proper. Instead, we arrived at the little temporary Tibetan village which was set up near the Rongbuk Monastery. I guess this separation had something to do with the Chinese Olympic Torch team and their desire to keep "Free Tibet!" protesters under a watchful eye. After we found a tea house to stay the night at Scott and I set out for the 7km walk up to BC so we could see what teams were around. I could definitely feel the altitude as we walked but I was so happy to be back in that valley I didn't care that my head was pounding. Then, as we got close to the northern end of BC we walked around a corner of the road and there was BC in all of its glory. I felt like I was arriving home from a long absence and shed a few tears of joy. Yes, Everest Base Camp isn't the most comfortable place in the world but it sure did get to feel like home in 2003. And now I was walking into it with one of the best friends I've ever had, and all because of a podcast. It was a moment I'll never forget. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:28 Rest of Everest Interview. Podcast viewer Mike Harris recorded a quick interview with me and my unbelieveably patient son, Sam. I think it turned out very well and provides a lot of background on the podcast that most people may not know. To watch the interview, please copy and paste this URL into a web browser: http://www.helloworld.com:80/global_frameset.aspx?target=myworld&uID=24148§ion=show&recID=136871 Thanks Mike! Jon Miller | 6/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBonus Episode: Annapurna IV Recap | Ben Clark's Spring 2008 Expedition - Postmortem. Ben and his climbing partners Josh Butson and Tin Clarke have returned from Nepal and their expedition on Annapurna IV. This year they went out to climb a 24,688' peak called Annapurna IV with the goal of summitting and performing the first ski descent of the peak. Well, things didn't go exactly as they had hoped, but it really was quite a journey. If you'd like to read and listen to all of the dispatches Ben sent back while on the mountain, please visit www.annapurnaiv.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 54:55 | 5/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 86 | CleanVideoEpisode 083: In The Company Of Giants | "You Cannot Believe That View!" It has taken Scott and I over 12 days to get to this point but we've finally been able to gaze upon Everest with our own eyes. What a morning this has been! It started out with leaving New Tingri and continuing to head south down the Friendship Highway. After an hour or so we stopped at the familiar blue road sign that I remembered so vividly from 2003. Basically, it says, "Everest that way." The last time I saw that sign was in 2003 as Ben, Major and I drove up north along the Friendship Highway from Old Tingri. After that we switchbacked up a long section of road leading up to the top of Pang La, a 17,000 foot pass where we were suddenly greeted with that incredible view. Four, count 'em, FOUR 8000 meter peaks laid out in front of us. The highest of them, of course, being Everest. Chomolungma! How incredible to stare at that peak again for real. I've spent so much of the past 4 years watching video of the mountain that we shot back in 2003. I'd forgotten that Everest doesn't really just exist on a TV screen or over the podcast on the Internet. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but seeing this view with your own eyes leaves you absolutely speechless. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:39 | 5/21/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 87 | CleanVideoEpisode 082: The Rest of The Everest | Life Imitating Art. We spent the evening in Shegar, New Tingri hanging out in the tea house. Our acclimatization is going really well so we all felt great. It was a very enjoyable evening and very different from the routine we've been repeating up to now. The past few nights after the sightseeing was over Scott and I have retired to our room and Lobsang and Yunglo our driver have retired to theirs. Here in Shegar, we all hung out in the tea house until late into the evening just talking and drinking milk tea. It was great to get to know Lobsang a lot better and to get a real insight as to what it's like to be a twenty-something Tibetan. Lobsang is very modern and looks just like anyone you'd bump into in any large American city or college town. But he balances all of that with devout belief in the Tibetan Buddhism that permeates this landscape. He really is doing a phenomenal job at keeping one foot in the past while he walks into the future. My favorite part of the evening was when I discovered that the altitude hadn't effected my iPod. I took it into the tea house and was able to show the guys a few episodes of The Rest of Everest. It was totally surreal and I filmed us a little. Here I was in Tibet to film more adventures for the podcast when it was the podcast that got me back to Tibet. We were watching the podcast while I filmed for the podcast and the video will be edited into a new episode of the podcast in which we watched the podcast. I guess it doesn't matter that we're acclimatizing well. My head hurts anyway... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:31 | 5/7/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 88 | CleanVideoEpisode 081: Shegar (New Tingri) | Everything New Is Old Again. We've rolled into the little town of Shegar, otherwise known as NEW Tingri. Man, what a sense of deja vu. I feel like I've been here before. Actually, in many ways I have. New Tingri looks and feels just like Old Tingri, the little town Ben, Major and I tried to acclimate in back in 2003. Even the hotel we're staying in looks exactly the same. The difference is that the toilet facilities in Old Tingri were so much worse they were actually better than here in Shegar. See, in Old Tingri there was a toilet that had no roof over it and so was exposed to the elements. Let's just say it had a nice, refreshing breeze blowing trough it. No such luck here in New Tingri. The air inside the bathroom is oppressive. These are hard places to live but the people are the friendliest yet. I have found that to be true the world over. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:46 Support Tibet By Supporting One Tibetan Family In Need! Please consider making a small donation to our relief fund for Lobsang and his family. Please visit visit www.therestofeverest.com/lobsang for more information. As of May 7th, 2008 we've raised over $1100! Thank you so much, Jon Miller | 5/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpecial Announcement: Everest Trek 2009 | Everest Trek And Workshop For 2009! No video episode this week, but you may not mind. Please listen to this special episode and visitEverestTrek2009.com for more information. We'll return with video episode 081 next week. Thanks for listening! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:16 | 4/30/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 90 | CleanVideoEpisode 080: You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two | It'll Stunt Your Growth. Today we had some memorable experiences with a bunch of kids. The image of 6-year-old children smoking is something I will not soon forget, but more about that in a second. The day started off with an hour or so in front of Tashilunpo Monastery so Scott and I could get the last of our photos and video of this incredible place. Out in front of the entrance gate to the monastery were a few tables with people selling various trinkets, etc. Some katas, or traditional gifts of white scarves caught Scott's eye and he decided to buy a few. As he was paying for them he was accosted by a pack of Tibetan kids. They all held out their hands for some money and when Scott politely said no they took matters into their own hands-litteraly-and began to rifle through the cargo pockets in his pants! Now, they didn't know that Scott is a Law enforcement officer back home and highly trained in offensive and defensive maneuvers. He felt one of the kids put a hand in a pocket and quickly grabbed the little hand and gently, playfully put the kid in an arm bar. Let me tell you, the kid was not expecting something like that. His mother watched the whole thing from nearby and was laughing and enjoying the show immensely. Later we were getting lunch in a little town down the road from Shigatse and we saw another group of children with their faces pressed up against the window. The looked to be between 6 and 10 years old and were all smoking. I'll never forget that. Especially the little boy alternating between sucking on a jawbreaker and puffing expertly on a cigarette. My childhood was quite different than what these kids live. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:39 Support Tibet By Supporting One Tibetan Family In Need! Please consider making a small donation to our relief fund for Lobsang and his family. Please visit visit www.therestofeverest.com/lobsang for more information. As of April 15th, 2008 we've raised $392! Thank you so much, Jon Miller | 4/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBonus Episode: Annapurna IV | Ben Clark's Spring 2008 Expedition. Ben and his climbing partners Josh Butson and Tin Clarke are heading back to Nepal for a new expedition. This year they are going to climb a 24,688' peak called Annapurna IV and once they summit they are going to try to accomplish the first ski descent. If you'd like to follow along with the team as they climb, please visitwww.annapurnaiv.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:56 | 4/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 92 | CleanVideoEpisode 079: Shigatse | Smile And Say (Yak) Cheese! We're steadily making our way towards Everest and are now in the city of Shigatse. This is the 2nd largest city in Tibet and home to the 5th largest monastery, Tashilunpo. You'd think that Scott and I would be getting used to seeing monasteries, but you'd be wrong. Although they share many of the same kinds of buildings and architecture, they are all unique. Case in point: while we were hanging out with a group of young monks one of them grabbed Scott's digital camera and began taking photos with it. He wanted to take pictures of his friends and suddenly had a group of them posing and hamming it up in front of the camera. He'd snap a picture and then they would all gather around the camera to look at the image on the LCD display. Upon seeing the shot, they'd all begin howling with laughter and delight. We didn't realize right away that these monks were actually supposed to be working by serving tea to the larger group of monks praying in the temple we were in front of. We heard some loud yelling in Tibetan coming from inside the temple and suddenly the group of monks we were hanging with stopped laughing and all filed inside of the temple. Apparently we were causing them to be delinquent in their duties. I hope he didn't get them in too much trouble, because it was a great afternoon for Scott and myself! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 25:47 Support Tibet By Supporting One Tibetan Family In Need! Please consider making a small donation to our relief fund for Lobsang and his family. Please visit visit www.therestofeverest.com/lobsang for more information. As of April 15th, 2008 we've raised $392! Thank you so much, Jon Miller | 4/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 93 | CleanVideoEpisode 078: Gyangtse | Instant Karma's Going To Get You. Today we visited the Kumbum, the largest chorten, or stupa in Tibet. This place was a feast for the eyes, and I WAS able to photograph everything I wanted! Right next door to the Kumbum was a temple where the monks at this monastery prayed. We climbed to the roof and were able to look out over the city of Gyangtse. It was beautiful. Suddenly I heard some snickering from beside me as I was filming and looking through my viewfinder. It was Lobsang, and he had taken some of the snow up on the roof and made a nice, fat snowball. There were dogs socializing in the courtyard in front of the temple, and soon they were moving targets for an impromptu snowball attack. He didn't want to hit any of the dogs, just surprise them with sudden explosions of slushy snow nearby. It certainly worked. An hour or so later, Scott and I were up on the top floor of the tall Kumbum admiring the view from this higher platform. We looked down onto the same courtyard and saw Lobsang walking around waiting for us. We slowly gathered up some of the soft snow on the Kumbum and made our own snowballs. We began a playful assault on out intrepid guide. We didn't want to hit Lobsang, just surprise him with sudden explosions of slushy snow nearby. John Lennon was right. Shine on. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:14 Support Tibet By Supporting One Tibetan Family In Need! Please consider making a small donation to our relief fund for Lobsang and his family. Please visit visit www.therestofeverest.com/lobsang for more information. Thank you so much, Jon Miller | 4/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 94 | CleanVideoEpisode 077: Finally, Heading Towards Everest | No Demons Here. We made it into Gyangtse today after some incredible scenery along the way. This is Tibet's 4th largest city and the view is dominated by a fortress on a hill. Spectacular. We were all getting pretty hungry so Lobsang took us to get some Tibetan Noodles. I had never had any before and since the altitude wasn't affecting me badly I was really excited. The noodles are a soup made of a yak meat broth, soft noodles, some vegetables and a dash of magic. Truly, some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. I'm going to have this again! At the table next to us was an old Tibetan woman dressed in traditional clothing. She looked very old (of course it's hard to tell since everyone is so weathered in this part of the world) and friendly. As we smiled at her she stuck her entire tongue out at us. For a second I was slightly taken aback, but it turns out that this is a traditional greeting. She was merely showing us that she was friendly by sticking out her tongue. Apparently, the local custom is to do this as a way to prove that you're not a demon. See, demons have green tongues. She was showing us her tongue so we could see it wasn't green and that she wasn't a demon. Good thing, too. I just hate eating my noodle soup in the presence of demons. Ruins the entire experience if you ask me. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:02 | 4/2/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 95 | CleanVideoEpisode 076: Altitude, Elevation and Elation | Movin' On Up. We spent our last few hours in Lhasa this morning. Of course, Scott and I had to make a few more Koras around the Jokhang before setting out onto the Friendship Highway. Lobsang was very pleased with us. He told Scott that all of those Koras will make Scott a "very righteous man." Cool. So, Scott's got that going for him. After packing up, we piled everything into the Land Cruiser and our driver, Yunglo expertly maneuvered the vehicle through the crowded Lhasa streets and out onto the open road where we immediately began climbing up to a mountain pass. I'm going to miss Lhasa. Must come back to this magical place. It will still be a few more days away, but we're finally on the road to Everest. I wonder what incredible sights await up around the next turn. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:15 | 3/26/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 96 | CleanVideoEpisode 075: Half A World Away | Homesick and Altitude Sick in Lhasa. Today was a day of contrasts for me. On one hand I was amazed and enthralled by the Potala Palace. On the other hand, I was sad beyond words. We began the day by visiting the Palace. We actually walked there from our hotel and it was good to see more of Lhasa that way. Scott was able to stop at an ATM and get some cash. Always good to have. We arrived at the Potala Palace and I was surprised to see this enormous square across the street. It was just huge, covering several acres. At one end is the Palace and at the other end is an incredibly large and tall monument to Chinese Communism. Again, a huge contrast. The Potala Palace is amazing beyond words. It is so much larger than I had expected and much larger than it even looks from the outside. We couldn't film anything inside of the Palace, so all I have to remember it all are memories. I'll tell you what, I'll never forget it. I think my jaw was dropping the entire time we were walking around the Palace! I mean, it it so large and old that it seems more geologic than man-made. Truly one of the treasures of our world. Later on we had lunch and I could tell that the altitude was really affecting me. I couldn't eat anything and was barely able to suck down a Coke. Although there was more sightseeing planned, I felt I needed to retire to the hotel room and rest. Besides, I was suffering from a huge lump in my throat due to the news that my wife was not pregnant. It was a glorious, but tough day. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 27:30 | 3/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRest of Everest Special Report: Violence In Lhasa, Tibet | Violence in Lhasa And Everest Closures. As many of you know, Tibet has been in the news of late with violence in the capital city of Lhasa. There's also been news that China has closed the North side of Everest to foreign climbing teams until the 10th of May, 2008. I've invited friend and Everest climber Alan Arnette to join me to discuss these stories. Alan was scheduled to be departing for Lhasa via Kathmandu in just over a week's time. Obviously the riots and closures have changed those plans. If you'd like to stay up to date with Alan and his plan to climb Everest, please visit his excellent website at alanarnette.com Stay tuned because we'll be returning to Lhasa tomorrow as I release the next video episode of the podcast. If you have any questions or comments about this episode, please email me at jon@therestofeverest.com Thanks for listening. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 38:27 | 3/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 98 | CleanVideoEpisode 074: News From Home | Yak. It's What's For Dinner. After visiting the amazing Jokhang Temple, Lobsang took us to a nice restaurant to have dinner. After perusing the menu all three of us decided to go for the Yak. With Tibetan pop music playing over the ceiling speakers in the New Mandela restaurant we ate our first Tibetan meal. It was quite good, and very different from what I remembered at Base Camp in 2003. Of course, that's probably because the food was prepared in a modern kitchen in Lhasa and not cooked over a yak dung fire in a plastic tarp tent as I was accustomed to... Scott was very eager to try the yak and he really enjoyed it. I thought it was pretty good as well, even though my eating habits lean towards vegetarianism. At one point during our pleasant dinner Scott kind of sat bolt upright and you could see he was thinking about something profound. Later he said that he had the sudden realization that he was in Lhasa, Tibet eating real Tibetan food. How cool is that? Pretty cool, as long as you're not a yak. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:35 | 3/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 99 | CleanVideoEpisode 073: The Jokhang | I Can't Believe That IT IS Butter! This afternoon we left the hotel room and ventured across the street to the Jokhang Temple. This is the most sacred temple in all of Tibet and dates back to the 7th or 8th century. It's extremely ornate and filled with religious pilgrims eager to show their devout respect to Buddha by walking around the Jokhang in a clockwise fashion. There are also many pilgrims on their hands and knees in front of the temple again showing their devout respect. It's amazing to watch. Everywhere you go there are what look like little oil lamps with open flames. There are also intricately carved statues that appear to be made out of some sort of wax. It turns out that these lamps and statues are made out of butter! Yak butter to be exact. The smoke from the lamps imparts the air with a rich, buttery smell that is almost overwhelming at first. Now, Scott and I are not religious ourselves and happen to be fairly weary of most organized religions. But here in Lhasa with so much prayer going on it's easy to see that Buddhism is a part of the very fabric of these people. It permeates every aspect of their lives and every atom in their bodies. This makes it very easy to get caught up in it, even for the jaded like us. As we stood on the roof of the temple looking out onto the pilgrims walking their Koras around the Jokhang, Scott and I began to discuss the religion and the way this place was making us feel. It was hard to put our finger on just what it was that we were feeling. I felt happy and serene and warm and at peace. It turns out that what we were feeling was the presence of TRUE FAITH. A-Ha! I think I understand now... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:10 | 3/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 100 | CleanVideoEpisode 072: Lhasa | Did I Just Climb The Stairs Or Run A Marathon? We arrived in Lhasa and I have to say the city surprised me. It didn't immediately look like we were in Tibet...more like somewhere in Europe or even Denver for that matter. There's just so much new construction. Granted most of the writing is in Chinese characters on billboards and storefronts, but still, it just didn't look as old as I thought it would. That is, of course, until we rounded a corner and there up on a hilltop stood the famous Potala Palace in full view. Wow. That's more in line with what I was expecting to see. Over the past few decades China has been pouring money into Lhasa building infrastructure on par with almost any major city on Earth. Even though this is an extremely remote place, it's very metropolitan. There are major shops everywhere selling the latest fashions and electronics. There's lots of glass and chrome, streetlights, late-model automobiles and cell phones. Squint your eyes for a minute and it's easy to forget that you're in the middle of a desert in the Himalayas at 12,000 feet! That is, until you reach the part of the city known as "Old Lhasa". Here, everything changes and the customs and practices of the Tibetan Buddhists remain in the forefront. Our hotel ended up being right across the street from the Jokang Temple; one of the oldest and most important temples in Tibet. All around the temple's perimeter were religious pilgrims praying, spinning prayer wheels and prostrating themselves before it's walls. There were people everywhere but again, squint your eyes a bit and it's difficult to remember that you're in a desert at 12,000 feet. That is, until you climb the 3 flights of stairs to the hotel room. Do that, and it's not easy to forget you're at 12,000 feet. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:12 | 2/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 101 | CleanVideoEpisode 071: Welcome To Tibet | Visas...They're Everywhere You Want To Be. Would you believe we finally made it onto our plane to Lhasa, Tibet? The flight itself was uneventful, but the excitement started after clearing customs. When you enter Tibet and make your way through the customs checkpoint, you are given two sheets of paper which is actually your visa. Now, most countries stamp the visa into your passport but not here. Instead, one paper copy of the visa is given to the authorities, while the other copy is yours to keep and protect with your life. See, although Scott and I were two people, we had only one visa between us, with both of our names on it to prove that we are not in the country illegally. This may have been the case back in 2003, but Lhawang took care of everything for us back then. That was awesome. Now, you're not allowed to actually enter the country by leaving the airport unless you have a licensed guide with you. We were to meet our guide when we our flight landed. Slowly but surely we watched everyone else from our flight find their guides and make their way out of the airport and on with their new adventures. Not Scott and I, we just didn't see any guide there on our behalf. After about an hour a Tibetan man asked us if we were American and we told him that we were. He looked embarrassed and said that he would take care of us. It turned out that another guide had mistakenly taken his two Americans with him and so he was going to try and correct the situation by getting us out of the airport. Scott and this man talked to the police at the airport exit and after a check of our visa they said it was OK to leave. So, we grabbed the all important visa back and grabbed our gear. We followed the man to the doors and almost walked out when Scott asked me if I had our copy of the visa. I checked my front pocket and no, I did not. We scrambled. We needed that visa. Scott went back to the police and asked them to kindly return the paper. They insisted that we had possession of it. He politely corrected them and they slightly less politely re-corrected him. All the while I was down on the floor sifting through the contents of my pockets. There was a lot of stuff to sift through...a bad habit I've had since I was a child. I just love stuffing everything into my pants pockets. Just as the police were about to escort Scott to a holding cell I found the visa. I had put it in the same back pocket as my lens cap--something I NEVER do as I always put important items in a front pocket. We were good to go and Scott was safe from abuse from the police. Now, if only I could be safe from abuse from Scott... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 27:53 | 2/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 102 | CleanVideoEpisode 070: Kathmandu…Again | Old McDawa Had A Farm. After leaving Pokhara we headed out on the long 200km drive back to Kathmandu. The weather was still hazy and the distant views were nonexistent, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything to see. After driving for a few hours we stopped on the shoulder of the road to take a pee break. You can either think of the Nepal Highway as having NO rest areas and bathrooms, or you can think of it as having one continuous bathroom because you just relieve yourself on the side of the road whenever you feel nature calling. So, we all did our part watering the grass where we pulled over and then noticed that there was quite a bit of activity down below us in a large valley. We saw a number of women dressed in their colorful saris all standing in shin-deep water planting rice seedlings. We had seen so many rive fields along our journey to Pokhara but never saw anyone working them. It was very interesting to see how labor intensive it all is. I have so much respect for these people. They had other patches of the terraced fields filled with leafy vegetables that looked ready to harvest. It is pretty obvious that these women and men that we watched were growing the food for their community. After making it back into Kathmandu, Scott and I headed over to the New Orleans Cafe to meet up with Brian Oestrike and Justin Hewitt. I've mentioned these guys before in previous podcasts and it was great to have a large dinner with them...all paid for with donation money I'd received from The Rest of Everest's audience. Thanks for that. The guys are going to attempt Everest to support a non-profit organization called LUNGevity. Brian had recently lost his mother to lung cancer and LUNGevity supports research for a cure to this devastating disease. I really like these guys and we'll be following their climb and expect to meet up with them at Base Camp in Tibet. I really respect Everest climbers who are supporting a cause. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:34 | 2/5/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 103 | CleanVideoEpisode 069: Pokhara | The Subterraneans. Before leaving Pokhara and heading back to Kathmandu, Scott wanted to check out a waterfall he had read about in his guidebook. I said I was game for anything. The place Scott had read about was called Devi Falls. Apparently, it was a waterfall that dropped into a hole in the ground and disappeared. Gone. An underground river. Man, that sounded cool. We arrived at the falls and Scott walked quickly ahead of me along the paved trail. As I was setting up my camera and tripod, a young man approached me and asked, in english, what I was doing. I told him that I was filming my adventures in Nepal. He introduced himself as Raj, a 19 year old Nepali student and asked if I wanted to know about the area. Well, of course I did! He began to explain about the origins of the name of the falls and I instantly knew this kid was going to be a goldmine of information for the podcast. I asked if he minded being filmed and he said no, it would actually be his pleasure. Raj's english was stellar, and we spent the morning following him around the falls and then to a series of caves across the road. These caves were the underground component of Devi Falls, and at this time of the year--pre monsoon--they were accessible to tourists and pilgrims. See, there is an underground temple in those caves and they hold a very special Hindu statue made entirely of a natural stalagmite. Due to the low water level people were able to visit the temple. Once the monsoon arrives the cave will be full of water to a level submerging the statue and she "will take a long shower" as Raj put it. This is some really cool stuff. After a few hours of filming above ground and below ground we decided it was time to head back to Kathmandu. I thanked Raj for his time an wonderful conversation by giving him a few hundred rupees. That kid was awesome. I hope to meet him again some day. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:42 | 1/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 104 | CleanVideoEpisode 068: On The Road | Road Trip. Since we couldn't get aboard the plane to Tibet today, we decided to carry on to Pokara about 200km west of Kathmandu. The Nepal national highway system is not your typical high-speed thoroughfare! We thought that the road trip would be pretty easy but we're not in Kansas anymore...and 200km ended up taking us over 5 hours. The terrain here in Nepal is pretty incredible and the highway snakes through, over and around the foothills of the Himalayas. It's pretty heavily forested and for most of the route the road follows a number of rivers as they flow down from the higher peaks. All along the way there are people. Some people living in shacks at the side of the two lane road. Some small villages down in the valleys the road overlooks. Then there are suspension bridges crossing the rivers that have dirt paths at the far end that snake up the opposite hillside and disappear over a ridge. I would love to come back here and walk over those bridges and see where those paths go! But this is not the time for that. No worries, I'll be back. We arrived in Pokara in the late afternoon and were able to take in some of the sights of this small "resort" town. Unfortunately, the hazy weather pattern that has been plaguing the Kathmandu Valley seems to be affecting the entire country. Even though there are 2 8000m peaks just to the north of us, we can't see them. Oh well, like I said before, I'll be back and can see them then! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:08 | 1/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 105 | CleanVideoEpisode 067: Fixing A Hole | I Feel Deflated. So, we left this morning to head out of Kathmandu and towards the town of Pokara. We didn't get very far before a flat tire necessitated the need to pull over. I haven't spent very much time outside of Thamel, the tourist district in Kathmandu. It's very different in the rest of the city. No Westerners to be found and you can see typical daily life unfold here. Our driver pulled over on the road right next to a bunch of men sitting around, smoking. Apparently it was a service station because immediately a small gentleman ran up to the car and began to remove the flat tire. I've seen a lot of things in my life, but I don't quite know if I've seen anyone so completely focused on fixing anything as this guy was focused on repairing our flat. He sprang to action and worked as if he could do this sort of thing in his sleep. Nepal is famous for it's mountains and its spectacular views, but I think I'm more impressed with this country because of the little things like this man repairing our tire. It's difficult to describe, but the work ethic here is just so intense yet laid back at the same time. Here was this one man obsessively working on the tire and all around him were other men just casually sitting around, watching. They weren't telling him what to do or adding criticism to his job, but just interested in the activity. They were also interested in Scott and me and the fact that I was filming everything! I was absolutely fascinated while watching the repair take place and all the while I couldn't get that Beatles song out of my head, "Fixing A Hole". I just love Kathmandu and Nepal and the song's chorus seemed rather fitting: "And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right...where I belong." Indeed. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:20 | 1/15/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 106 | CleanVideoEpisode 066: Sew Kathmandu | A Stitch In Time Saves $900. One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was to employ the skills of a Nepali embroiderer to help me create "Rest of Everest" t-shirts. I was so impressed with the 2003 expedition patches that I knew I had to have podcast shirts made in Kathmandu. Besides, having the shirts made in Colorado would cost me hundreds and hundreds of dollars. After we returned to our hotel after visiting Swayambudnath, Scott decided to take a nap and I headed out into Thamel. I've said it a hundred times already, but walking around the streets of Thamel is just so cool. I had let me hair grow a bit shaggy for my tastes before I left the States knowing that I would get a Nepali haircut at the same barber shop that I visited in 2003. I knew just where it was and the same barber was there and gave me a wonderful haircut, shave and upper body massage and chiropractic adjustment. It was much more enjoyable this time than the last time after the expedition when I had 2 broken ribs! Right around the corner from the barber shop was an embroidery shop so I stopped in. There are embroidery shops about every hundred feet along the streets of Thamel and they all look the same. Dozens of shirts hanging all over the walls with countless designs embroidered onto their fronts. Superman emblems, Mickey Mouse, Jimmi Hendrix, pot leafs, Bart Simpson, Bart Simpson smoking pot, psychedelic mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms smoking Bart Simpson...you get the point. No matter what design is on the shirt, the craftsmanship is truly stunning. All of these shops were going to be capable of creating my shirts so the reason I walked into that certain shop was because I knew where it was and would be able to find my way back to it to pick up the finished order! I talked to the shop owner, Naz, and told him what I wanted. I handed him my business card which had my logo on it for reference. "Is this possible? I asked. Naz smiled at me and politely said, "Look around you, this is all we do every day. Yes, is possible." I also love the Eyes of Buddha design so I asked him to put that on the back of the shirt just below the neckline. We agreed on a price for 8 shirts and he said he'd have them ready by 9pm or so. I left a deposit and he went straight to work. I left to go back to the hotel but stopped back in a couple of hours later to film the shirts being made. Amazing stuff. I could watch these guys embroider all day long. No computer-aided embroidery machines here. It's all eyeballed. Later that evening a power outage hit Thamel and Naz fired up a small gasoline-powered generator to keep the sewing machine going. He finished the shirts a little late so he hand delivered them to our hotel and I met him in the lobby. I inspected the shirts. Amazing. They were perfect. I told him it was a good job and thanked him by paying the balance of the money I owed him and adding a fat tip for his hard work. I will do business with this man again! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:33 | 1/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 107 | CleanVideoEpisode 065: Close Call… | Monkey Business At The Monkey Temple. As Scott and I were walking around Swayambudnath I suddenly saw a familiar face. It was Kumar, the shopkeeper Ben and I met back in 2003. This man is such a character and makes you feel like you're the most important person in the world when you speak with him. "Oh, my God how lucky I am to have met you two times in this lifetime!" he said as he ushered us into his shop to serve us some orange Fanta and catch up on the past 4 years. Kumar is one of our favorite memories from the 2003 expedition. He appears in our film "Everest: The Other Side" a couple of times and the footage of Ben teaching him how to shake hands 'American style' is always an audience favorite. Just too funny. I wanted to thank him for those great memories by buying a pricey item from his shop. In fact, I've wanted an old, high quality singing bowl for some time and this was the perfect opportunity to acquire one. Scott and I spent an hour or so in the shop speaking with Kumar, or more precisely put just listening to him. It turns out that he's had a very difficult few years and was forced to sell his store to cover some family medical bills. He was now in the employ of another shop owner. He also seemed much more thin than I remembered him. But even after whatever hardships he has suffered over the past few years he was still a most gracious host and spoke with us about many topics including the need for daily meditation in our lives and all of the senseless violence in this world. It was a profound afternoon. We parted ways after I purchased an old singing bowl with intricate engravings covering its surface. The 5000 rupees I spent on it earned Kumar some bonus points with the shop's owner. Scott and I then decided to make our way back to the hotel and walked out of the stupa complex to hail a cab. A very intense young man met us at the stupa's entrance gates saying he had a taxi for us. As Scott walked over to the car and opened the door about 4 nervous nepali men jumped into the car as well. I saw Scott instantly duck out of the vehicle and head over to another taxi that had just pulled up. He jumped in the back seat and I jumped in the front seat. Suddenly, the same intense man who met us at the gates walked over to our new taxi's driver and began to harass him with a verbal onslaught. The 4 other men who had jumped in Scott's original taxi surrounded out new vehicle. We had no idea what was being said or what was transpiring. All we knew was that our driver looked like he was in shock. Scott and I both began to shout "let's go, let's go. Go go go go go!" and our driver was able to pull out onto the road. I looked over at him and asked, "Are you OK?" He looked back over at me and nodded yes. What had just happened? Were we about to be robbed? Kidnapped by Maoists? Who knew? What I did know was that it was the first and only time I've ever felt threatened in Kathmandu. That would never happen again. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:19 | 12/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 108 | CleanVideoEpisode 064: Sat Phones and Monkeys | A Tikka Is Not Just A Headlamp. When you first arrive in Kathmandu and settle into your hotel, the best thing to do is to get up on the roof and look around. That's exactly what Scott and I did today. We spent a good deal of the morning up on the roof of Hotel Marshyangdi looking out over the seemingly endless sprawl of Kathmandu. Unfortunately is was very hazy today and quite warm. We could only see for about one mile in any direction but it actually made the city seem larger by seeing less. I called my wife, Heidi on my satellite phone. It was good to talk to her. I really enjoy these trips and I get to a point in my daily work-a-day life where I crave adventure so badly I can taste it. Heidi and I have been married for almost 5 years now and that has changed things. When I got off of the plane as we arrived in Kathmandu I was walking towards the entry visa room in the airport. You walk outside for a moment and you can smell the Kathmandu air. It brought back all kinds of wonderful memories of the 2003 expedition with Ben, but also reminded me of how much I missed my wife during that trip. Here in 2007, I instantly felt that I was indeed half a world away from Heidi. I gulped, and decided that this would probably be the last trip to Nepal I'll take without her. One of the reasons I needed to talk to her so badly is because it's possible that she's pregnant. If she is, then it's all part of our plan. I am here in Nepal and soon Tibet because that 2003 expedition changed me. The people, culture and environments I experienced had a profound effect on me. Everest had a profound effect on me. It's difficult to explain and hard to understand. That's why I'm here. I want to understand better just what it was that made me feel more complete while I was here on 2003. If I can do that, then I will know more about myself and therefore be a more spiritual person, a better person and ultimately a better father. If you want to get spiritual in Kathmandu, you go to a temple, or Stupa. Later this morning we visited Swayambudnath, better known by tourists as the Monkey Temple. Amazing place. So many people praying, chanting, meditating. There's incense burning everywhere and musical versions of Om Mani Padme Hum playing through the hazy air. Wonderful. A kind woman sitting down next to the gigantic stupa motioned for me to come over to her. She didn't speak english and I don't speak Nepalese but we were able to communicate through gestures. She wanted to paint a red dot, or Tikka on my forehead as a symbol of Hindu worship. "Absolutely, " I said. She carefully painted it on me with delicate skill. I was able to wear it for about an hour but it fell off. No problem, it left a bright red stain on my forehead where it was attached. Still good to go. Scott and I had been separated but we met up at a viewpoint where you could look down again, over the city of Kathmandu. Scott was really enjoying himself. This place is wild, and you can feel a powerful energy here. And the trip to Everest has only just begun. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:40 | 12/18/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 109 | CleanVideoEpisode 063: A New Beginning | The First Step Of The Journey Is Always Boring. After months of saving, planning and panicking, I'm back on the other side of the planet in Kathmandu. I just love Kathmandu and it's a good thing, too. It just takes so long to get here! Scott and I left Denver on Sunday and didn't arrive in Nepal until Tuesday. Denver, LA, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kathmandu. I made it through the LA to Hong Kong leg--15 hours--without much trouble but the HK to Bangkok leg was the worst. All of the stress I had been building up inside me as I tried to make this trip a reality welled up inside of me and manifested itself as the most intense nausea I've ever experienced. When you're that nauseous, there's only one inevitable outcome. I erupted into a magnificent fountain of some sort of exotic fruit juice I had tried to choke down hours earlier. It took Scott completely by surprise. I remember him uttering a low, slow-motion "whoooooaaaaa" as I gushed all over my pants, my Chaco sandals and the bulkhead wall in front of us. I quickly maneuvered into the toilet just in front of us for Round Two, and sat on the floor for a couple of minutes. After that, I hoisted myself up to look into the bathroom mirror and saw the life and color flood back into my face. I smiled at my reflection and said to myself, "the adventure begins." We were picked up at the Kathmandu airport by our good friend Babu "Karma" Sherpa and taken back to the Thamel district and the Hotel Marshyangdi. It was so good to see Karma. I didn't film much those first few hours back in Nepal as we had to discuss the fact that our baggage was missing. Probably still in Thailand. But oh, it is so great to be in Kathmandu again. I'll worry about the MIA baggage later. Time to go to the New Orleans Cafe for some Dhal Bat. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:18 | 12/12/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 110 | CleanVideoEpisode 062: Tibet 2007 Series Introduction | Back To Everest. Hello everyone and welcome to the Tibet 2007 series of The Rest of Everest video podcast. I wanted to take the time here in this episode to provide a bit of an overview of what to expect from this new series, but first I think it's best to look back to see where we've come from. I started The Rest of Everest officially back on April 13th 2006. I had hours and hours of raw footage from our film Everest The Other Side. Once I began enjoying video podcasts I got the crazy idea that people would probably be interested in seeing just what a typical Everest expedition was really like, and I was in the unique position to create a video podcast to do that. Well, the show launched and the audience numbers were small. No big deal, that's par for the course for podcasting! But week by week, episode by episode the audience grew, and apparently, everyone watching told their friends about it as well!. By July 2006 the donations I was receiving for the show were covering all of my production costs..as long as I didn't pay myself my typical hourly rate for editing. No problem there, the large number of emails I was reading through on a daily basis were payment enough. People loved the show, and I was in an interesting predicament. What do I do when all of the 2003 expedition footage runs out? I knew I wanted to continue the show, so with the help of my very understanding and patient wife I began planning both logistically and financially to return to Everest to film some new material. I knew right away that I would not be able to be part of another entire expedition, and I quickly realized that I didn't need to be. So many of the emails and reviews I read praised the cultural aspects of the show. Obviously, people were not watching just to see climbing footage. I knew I was going to have some friends on the Mountain climbing in the Spring of 2007 so I decided to try and meet them at base camp. As most of you know, you cannot just go directly to Everest. You have to make your way to base camp slowly, taking time to acclimatize to the altitude. I wanted to return to the North side in Tibet, but this time I would visit the capital city of Tibet, Lhasa and take in many of the amazing temples and villages along the way from Lhasa to Everest. This is a route to the mountain followed by many Everest climbers and one that was new to me, and therefore to all of you. Tibet is amazing, and I'm so pleased to show you more of this magical place. New to the podcast is my longtime friend and traveling companion Scott Jacobs. Scott and I have been friends for 15 years and used to dream about trekking in the Himalayas when we were in college. Scott's now a National Park Ranger in the USA and I knew if I asked him if he was interested in going to Everest he'd say yes and immediately start packing his bags. Scott had never left the continent before we went to Nepal and Tibet, so those of you with the same amount of traveling experience will truly be able to see what this trip was like through Scott's eyes. But don't start thinking that this Tibet 2007 series is only going to be cultural in scope. Through friendships with other climbers, I have new mountaineering footage all of the way back up to the summit of Everest...and this time on a clear day! I'll be bringing those climbers and their photographs and video footage into the fold once we meet them in the show. We may jump around in time a bit over the next few months, but I promise it will be very entertaining. As far as I know, I'm the first person to travel to Tibet and Nepal for the sole reason of filming content specifically for a video podcast. I certainly hope I'm not the last. I had all of you in mind while we were traveling and a good deal of the new footage was shot to answer questions that many of you have asked me over the past 18 months. If you see anything that raises more questions please (as always) feel free to email me and I will get back to you. | 12/5/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 111 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Savage Sister, Part 2 | Catching Up With Ben. The Rest of Everest returns this week with part 2 of a 2 part trip overview from Ben Clark and Josh Butson's climbing expedition to far Western Sichuan Province in China. Many of you may well remember the bonus series I produced last year from this same valley. Ben and Josh returned to try to climb The Barbarian, an 18,949' foot peak that had yet to see a successful ascent. Just getting to The Barbarian included a 5 day approach with no maps or data other than a simple photograph the two had taken the previous year. Please enjoy this short bonus series recorded on the night that Ben and Josh returned to Colorado from China, October 18th, 2007. I will release the bulk of Ben and Josh's footage in "Rest of Everest" style in the near future. There's over 6 hours of amazing material. It should be fun. Keep in mind that any photograph you see in this episode is available for sale. Buying a photograph from Ben or Josh is an important way to help support future expeditions like this. To inquire about purchasing a photograph, please send an email to jon@therestofeverest.com. Thank you to everyone who has emailed over the past month saying how much they have enjoyed "The Rest of Everest". I really appreciate it! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:25 | 11/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 112 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Savage Sister, Part 1 | Catching Up With Ben. The Rest of Everest returns this week with part 1 of a 2 part trip overview from Ben Clark and Josh Butson's climbing expedition to far Western Sichuan Province in China. Many of you may well remember the bonus series I produced last year from this same valley. Ben and Josh returned to try to climb The Barbarian, an 18,949' foot peak that had yet to see a successful ascent. Just getting to The Barbarian included a 5 day approach with no maps or data other than a simple photograph the two had taken the previous year. Please enjoy this short bonus series recorded on the night that Ben and Josh returned to Colorado from China, October 18th, 2007. I had a bit of trouble editing these episode in a timely fashion because I had just experienced back surgery the very same day! I recently ruptured a disc in my lower back (L5) and had to have a portion of the ruptured material removed surgically. I'm doing much better now (2 weeks later) and am getting better every day. I will release the bulk of Ben and Josh's footage in "Rest of Everest" style in the near future. There's over 6 hours of amazing material. It should be fun. Thank you to everyone who has emailed over the past month saying how much they have enjoyed "The Rest of Everest". I really appreciate it! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:36 | 11/4/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 113 | CleanVideoEpisode 061: The End Of The Expedition | One Door Closes, Another Opens. The last two days in Kathmandu were some of the most exciting of my life. It was a pleasure to get back to a bathroom with a flushing toilet! Oh, simple pleasures. Really, though, it was amazing to be back in KTM with a successful Everest summit under our team's collective belt. Ben and I spent a lot of time just sitting around in padded chairs drinking Orange Fanta. There wasn't much more we wanted to do. We were fortunate enough to score tickets to the 50th anniversary celebration of Everest's first successful summit by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. It was held at the Kathmandu Hyatt and was quite the event. Apparently it was put on by the Sherpa People but there weren't many sherpa there. A shame. It was pretty amazing to get to meet Sir Endmund Hillary and even Reinhold Messner. Especially having just come off of Everest seemingly hours earlier. I'll never forget that feeling. What I'll also never forget was the strange sensation of having to pee and needing to find a BATHROOM to do so! For two months I'd been able to go whenever and wherever I was. It was bizarre to feel the need to "hold it" even though we were outside on a grassy lawn for the reception banquet after the event. The next day we made it to the airport after some teary goodbyes. I was especially sad to say farewell to my good friend Dawa. I gave him all of the cash I had left on my person along with my climbing boots. They were only a small token of my enduring gratitude for his professionalism and friendship. Some day I hope to have him over to my home and I'll cook HIM a meal! Of course, knowing Dawa he'd end up doing the cooking for me anyway. These guys are truly the best. The flights home were largely uneventful. We made it into Denver on time and were surprised to be met at the airport by a throng of people and news crews. Ben was one of the only people from Colorado to summit this year and I guess it was newsworthy. While he went off to do some interviews I found my Heidi and wrapped my arms around her. She was the only person I cared to talk to. It's good to be home. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 32:55 | 9/26/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 114 | CleanVideoEpisode 060: Packing Up And Shipping Out | Goodbye Everest. Goodbye Chomolungma. We all woke up early this morning to finish packing and strike the camp. It's time to leave and I have to admit I'm totally ready. Everest has changed my life. No question about it. I am a different person today than I was when we arrived on April 12. I am so grateful for all of the memories and friendships I've created. BUT, it's time to head home. I have to admit, last night was the most difficult night I've had during this entire journey. I couldn't stop thinking about my wife, Heidi and how much I'm looking forward to seeing her. She's been so supportive over the last two months and I will be returning with some really nice gifts that I cannot wait to give her. But that's only partly why I'm excited to be returning home. Mostly, we need some good "alone time" together. Yes, indeed. I thought I'd be somewhat sad tearing down the camp which has been my home for so long. But I wasn't. This journey is coming to an end and I'm looking forward to beginning the journey of pouring over all of this footage and beginning the writing and editing of the film. Everest is so amazing to experience for yourself, but I'm possibly even more excited about sharing my experience with the world. Being able to share this expedition with anyone who will watch is one of the coolest things about what I do for a living. Thank you, Everest. I will miss you. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:04 | 9/19/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 115 | CleanVideoEpisode 059: Bartertown | Getting Ready For Goodbye. This was the last afternoon and Ben and I took advantage of it by visiting the Tibetan village at the North end of Base Camp. The little shanty village is totally temporary. It get's set up by various Tibetan entrepreneurs in response to a need driven by the tourist traffic here at Everest. The town is constructed of scrap wood and tarps...but its economic impact on the area is huge. As more and more tourists come to Everest they all need a place to sleep or eat or simply have tea. These local businesses are more than happy to serve up whatever is needed: Coca Cola, Pabst Blue Ribbon, fossil samples found nearby, fresh yak meat and the occasional fresh vegetables among countless other items. Of course there's also a few pubs and they can get pretty rowdy after dark. The entire area of Base Camp including Bartertown and the Climber's Camps are governed by the Tibetan Mountaineering Association and the China Mountaineering Association. There's a TMA/CMA administration bunker located directly between the two sections of camp and that's where we headed to try and pick up Ben's Summit Certificate: proof that he had stood on the summit of Everest. Unfortunately, it had already been delivered to our camp! After making our way back to our tents the sun was getting low and so we spent the remainder of the day taking photos of our various friends. These last few hours are the last time we'll all be together and easily found. I'm going to miss so many of my old new friends tremendously. But still, however sad we are at parting company, no one os sad to be leaving Everest. It's time to go home and begin the rest of our lives. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:23 | 9/13/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 116 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Alan Arnette | Memories Are Everything. As promised here is an introduction video for my friend Alan Arnette. Alan will be climbing Everest Spring 2008 to raise money for Alzheimer's research. In fact, Alan is trying to raise $100,000 towards a cure for the disease and is climbing several different mountains on the way to Everest this coming Spring. He's created an entire campaign called "The Road Back To Mount Everest: Memories Are Everything". Right now Alan is back in Nepal getting ready to head into Tibet for a climb of Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain in the world. This is going to be a training climb to get him prepared to tackle Everest in the coming months. As a faithful viewer of The Rest of Everest, please show Alan your support by visiting his website www.alanarnette.com and saying hello. Also, please consider making a small monetary donation towards his goal of $100,000. Climbing Everest is the easy part. Help make the fundraising more successful. Over the coming weeks I'll be releasing more Shishapangma content from Alan into the Rest of Everest podcast feed. Stay tuned.... Thanks everyone. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:41 | 9/2/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 117 | CleanVideoEpisode 058: Puppies and Lamas | Little Black Book. Later this morning after breakfast I headed back to my tent and found a couple of guests standing outside my door. Puppies! It's funny, I spend most of my time at home around dogs, but never in a million years did I expect to come across two pups here at 17,000 feet next to Everest! I'm guessing they were from the Chinese camp as I've heard them barking at night when the wind wasn't blowing. I've been having a pretty good day so far. Good filming in the cook tent and now two adorable puppies to play with. It's going to be a good day. Later now, and I've just returned from the Comms tent. Our friend the Lama swung by camp this afternoon to hang out and Ben offered use of his Sat phone. Score. Telephones aren't too common around here so he was very happy to be able to use it. He dug into his jacket and pulled out this tiny little address book packed with phone numbers. As Ben started to dial the first number he asked our friend, "Tibet?" "No, " the Lama said, "Kathmandu!" When the call was placed, I couldn't understand exactly what was being said, but it probably went something like this: Lama: Hello? Friend: 'Sup? Lama: Nothing, what'er you doin'? Friend: Nothing, what about you? Lama: Not much, just chillin' at Chomolungma. Friend: Cool. Lama: Catch ya later. Friend: Chow. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:07 Important Message from Jon: Hey everyone! As the days of the 2003 Expedition come to an end, I've been working hard to secure new content for the show so that there will be more of "The Rest of Everest". I'll be partnering with several climbers over the next year to show you past and present climbs of Everest. It's going to be very exciting. I'll begin the new content this weekend with an introduction to my friend Alan Arnette. Alan is heading back for his 3rd attempt on Everest in Spring 2008 and The Rest of Everest will be following him every step of the way. We'll begin with his current (September 2007-October 2007) training climb of Shishapangma at 26,289 feet or 8013 meters . "Shisha" is the 14th highest mountain in the world and one of the famous 8000m peaks in the Himalayas. Alan is going to be using the publicity for the upcoming Everest climb to raise money for Alzheimer's research. It's another 'climb for a cause' and I'm very pleased to be associated with it. For more information please visit Alan's tremendous website atwww.alanarnette.com and stay tuned for the special "The Road Back To Everest: Memories Are Everything" series of Rest of Everest episodes. Namaste! Jon | 8/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 118 | CleanVideoEpisode 057: Unsung Heros | Let Them Have Cake! I spent the morning today doing what I should have done a while ago: filming Dawa and Pempa as the cooked for us. This morning's footage was great. Dawa even baked a cake at 17,000 feet. I guess I just haven't wanted to get in their way, but now that we're all friends I know that they don't mind. These guys are just amazing. Even though today is the day before we've decided to leave Everest they are still acting as if it's only the first week since we arrived! Truly dedicated fellows with an astonishing work ethic. Everyone else that I spend time with is chomping at the bit to get out of here and even though I'm sure Dawa is too, you wouldn't be able to tell by just looking at him. Every morning (and several times throughout the day) he sets off down the moraine with about a 10 gallon plastic jug. He walks about a quarter of a mile past the Russians, Indians, Americans and Chinese to the small stream that bubbles through Base Camp. He then fills up the jug and carries it back to our camp, dumping it into the large water barrel he keeps next to the cook tent. Now, water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon, so the labored walk back to camp is not a stroll in the park. But he does this several times every day...invisibly. My days have changed from waking up and sitting in the Comms Tent waiting for my breakfast to be served. Now, I wake up and immediately head into the cook tent to say "good morning" to Dawa and company. Without asking, Dawa always hands me a steaming cup of sweet milk tea. At home, I am not a hot beverage drinker but here at Everest sweet milk tea is just about the best thing on the planet! I'll either sit quietly sipping my tea, simply enjoying the company or I'll talk to the guys and get all of the day's gossip. The Sherpa like to head out to the bar at night and whoop it up. Some sort of hijinks always result...but out of respect I won't divulge them here. I'm ready to head home to Heidi, but I'm so thankful to these guys for creating a real home here at Everest. I will never forget them. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:11 | 8/22/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 119 | CleanVideoEpisode 056: The Last Hurrah | Off With Their Beards! This afternoon our camp was buzzing with activity. Quite literally, actually! See, I seem to have been the only person at BC to have brought an electric shaver with me...like everything else around here, it's become a shared resource. The guys from the Northern Ireland team came over and spent about an hour taking turns shaving off two months of beard growth since arriving at Everest all the way back in early April. Richard Dougan went first and looked quite dapper afterwards. I even went over to the Russian camp and borrowed their "Hello Kitty" mirror. Hey, shaving a beard off after an expedition is a big deal; I wanted to do it right. It's amazing how different Richard looked sans facial hair. Next up was Jamie McGuinness, the owner of the expedition company they have been using: Project-Himalaya. Man, he REALLY looked different without a beard. Lastly was Richard's good friend and climbing partner "Banjo" Bannon. Banjo didn't shave his entire beard off, just wanted a trim. See, he and Jamie will be staying at Everest for a bit longer to give the summit one more crack. Banjo just wanted to shave enough of his face to get a better fit with his oxygen mask. I really don't envy these two guys. They're going to head back up just when everyone else is getting ready to head home. In fact, this evening we had quite the last hurrah over at the RNRM camp. It was a nice party with plenty of beer, an awards ceremony and even a few drunken skirmishes. It was a great time and a nice way to begin the last 36 hours at Everest. It's hard to fully comprehend that we'll be leaving in less than two days. I mean, it will be weird to have a change of scenery. This has been the most remarkable experience of my young life, but I cannot wait until I'm back at home (and lets face it, in bed) with my wife, Heidi. My heart starts racing just thinking about it. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:56 | 8/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 120 | CleanVideoEpisode 055: The Young Ones | "Well, We Got This Done." This morning, Jess Roskelley visited our camp. He's a friend of Ben's and now the youngest American to summit Everest. Jess was climbing with his father, John Roskelley, and they summitted early in the morning the day before Ben made the summit. In addition to holding claim to the title of "youngest American," they also hold the distinction of being the first father-son team to climb to the top of Everest together. Jess and John are very nice people and we've spent a lot of time with them here. Earlier on the trip they had an additional climber on their team. Dick Bass. Dick is famous for being the first guided client up Everest in 1985, and also the first person to climb the 7 Summits. He's quite a character, too. I ran into him while hiking up to ABC and we had a pleasant conversation. There, in the middle of the wilderness in Tibet, he was trying to sell me on the idea of visiting the ski resort he founded in Utah. Snowbird. Quite the salesman. Unfortunately, a back injury caused him to give up his bid weeks ago. He was quite the character! Ben spent quite a bit of time with the Roskelley's up high, and I'm sure they enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed theirs. It was great to see Ben and Jess together today. "Old" friends reunited only a handful of days after summitting Everest. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:25 Last Minute PR... “Rest of Everest” Podcast Nominated For Best Video Podcast Fort Collins, CO—A video podcast about a Colorado climber’s journey to the summit of Everest has recently been nominated for “Best Video Podcast” in the 3rd annual Podcast Awards. In the groundbreaking podcast, ‘The Rest of Everest,’ Fort Collins filmmaker Jon Miller offers the first podcast in the world to document an entire expedition, rather than a few climbing highlights. The People’s Choice Podcast Awards received more than 6 million nominations for various podcasters from over 335,000 people. In total 4097 podcasts were nominated in 22 categories, with only the top 10 shows in each category making the competition. Podcast viewers and listeners can vote for their favorite shows including ‘The Rest of Everest’ until August 11th. Podcast Awards winners will be recognized at the end of September at the Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario, California. “This is such an honor to be nominated for Best Video Podcast,” said Miller. “Podcasting has really proven itself a entirely new way to connect with an audience and the 9 other nominees I stand with truly set the standard for this new medium.” Viewers can find the free video podcast at www.therestofeverest.com. In weekly 15-20 minute episodes, Miller takes viewers along on the Himalayan adventures of 23-year-old mountaineer Ben Clark. The unique video podcast provides a comprehensive account of what goes into climbing the world’s tallest peak. It combines commentary, previously unseen raw footage and footage from Miller’s highly acclaimed feature-length film “Everest: The Other Side,” which was released in spring of 2005. ‘The Rest of Everest’ has received positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. Within Apple Computer’s iTunes Store, the video podcast has garnered comments including “the best and most complete documentary on Everest,” “totally fascinating” and “the jewel of web content creation for 2006.” This past December, iTunes editors declared The Rest of Everest as a “Best of 2006” podcast. With over 60 episodes released so far, viewers have followed Miller and Clark as they traveled to Nepal and Kathmandu, ascended the steep Tibetan Plateau, arrived at the 17,000 foot Everest Base Camp and climbed to the 21,000 foot Advanced Base Camp. Followers of the show also have watched one of the team’s integral members depart from the mountain due to pulmonary edema as well as a successful summit in some of the worst conditions imaginable. “Over the course of the two-mon | 8/8/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 121 | CleanVideoEpisode 054: A Summit A Day Keeps The Doctor In Pay | Chronic Freezing. After we had caught up with Ben for a bit, Doktor Dima from the St Petersburg team came over for an examination of Ben's feet. On summit day, Ben had tied one of his boots just ever so slightly too tight and that's all it took to cause some frostbite damage. While he was climbing, the only seriously cold part of his body were his foot and it's toes. Apparently the tight boot was cutting off some circulation. But really, what can you do up there if you've improperly tied a boot. It's not like you can take the boot off and re-tie it when your in high winds at 28,000 feet. Immediately after Ben took off his sock in our tent Dima said that the purple discoloration of Ben's toes was NOT frostbite. IT was what he described as "chronic freezing" much like what soldiers would experience in the trenches during WWI. I guess our climbers did fight a battle on summit day after all. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:53 Bonus Episode, "Frostbite" As promised in the podcast this week, I've uploaded a bonus video showing Dima treating a Moscow climber who returned with some Fourth degree frostbite. This means that the badly frostbitten parts of his fingers and toes will eventually need to be amputated. I though it would be good to make this video available, but parts of it are slightly difficult to watch, so it's only available here on the website. Just click on the button below to watch it in your browser, or download it to your computer. Jon | 8/1/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 122 | CleanVideoEpisode 053: …Safe and Sound | Theft In The Death Zone. The evening keeps getting more interesting. Now that Ben's back, we have had the pleasure of listening to his summit day account. Man, it was epic. The weather on the 22nd of May was not the kind of weather you dream of summitting Everest in. I mean, come on. You don't dream for years of sitting on top of the planet is gale-force winds and a total whiteout. The conditions were appalling but the team persevered and made it to the summit and back down with only minor injuries. Ben's biggest complaint was that he got a bit of frostbite on his right foot due to the simple act of tying his right boot a little bit too tightly. As other teams come off the mountain it's clear that Ben, Lhawang and Lhakpa with their minor ailments were the exception to the rule. People got hammered by the cold up there. The crowding on Everest's upper slopes is apparent.: frostbite is everywhere. So many climbers made it up to the Second Step with nearly two months of hard work and effort behind them (not to mention the financial cost of these expeditions) only to get caught in the world's highest traffic jam. The Second Step is the crux of the route and therefore the bottleneck of the Northeast Ridge. At those altitudes, if you stop moving, you start freezing. Miraculously no one has lost their life so far this year but the cost has still been great. The toll on Everest is being paid in fingers and toes. What a terrible waste. But there's more. Apparently Ben cached his ice axe below the Second Step with the idea of lightening his load for the final push to the summit. He would grab it on the way down when he really needed it. Unfortunately, when he returned after the summit the ice axe was missing. It was stolen. For so long now we've been trying to prove that Everest is not the mythical struggle of man vs. man. We've seen so many other sides to this experience. But the reality is that ethics high on Everest do turn questionable. Climb at your own risk. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:47 Dispatch 50, May 25th, 2003: Mount Everest Base Camp Ok, radio contact has been established, and Ben says he'll be here in 40 minutes. I don't mean for these email to sound like I'm over-hyping his return, but you have to understand that the summit of Everest is only the halfway point of the climb. It's not over until the climbers make it back to Base Camp. Also, you're never truly safe until back at BC, where there are vehicles that can lower you down even further. Fortunately, Ben is in good health and can just sit at BC and think about his amazing achievement. Boca Lama has set out hiking and will meet Ben halfway with some juice and cookies. These guys are the BEST! Talk to you all soon! Jon | 7/18/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 123 | CleanVideoEpisode 052: Back Home… | I Didn't Die At Base Camp. It has been an intense few days out here. Ben is safe at ABC and resting up for the long walk home to BC. Last night I was invited to a late dinner by my Indian friends from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Expedition. You cannot believe the true sense of celebration that these folks shared with me. Their team was one of the first to summit and they were celebrating on behalf of their success, and the success of Ben and of Kolyia from the St Petersburg, Russia, team. It was quite an evening. I'm sure you could hear the singing all the way up on the summit! Underneath all of the celebration, however, is an intense desire to get the hell out of here. All of the members of Ben's expedition have been here at Everest for 42 days. That's just here at Everest...we left Colorado on the 4th of April. I have been spending some of my time with the Roskelley's, who just arrived back at Base Camp yesterday afternoon. You might have heard me mention Jess, and now I believe he's in the media back home. He and his father (an American Mountaineering legend) made it to the summit on the 21st and secured Jess the title of the Youngest American to Summit Everest (he's 20, 3 years younger than Ben). Let me tell you, these guys want to go home! They've accomplished what they came here to do, and there's no reason to put up with the discomforts of life here on the moraine any longer. It's a sentiment shared by everyone. Also, just imagine one of both Roskelley's current, minor ailments: they returned from the summit with frost-nipped eyeballs. They're doing fine, it's not serious, but still, you can see why it's time to go home. For me, it is time as well. I would be much happier with my cracked rib if I was sitting in the warmth of my sunny deck in Colorado. Ironically, the nights here have been getting progressively colder instead of warmer. I think Mother Nature may sometimes have a wicked sense of humor! Then, at the end of the day, I just miss my wife so much, it's hard to believe. I'll be home soon, Heidi, I swear. Every now and then I walk outside of the Russian Comms tent and think I see Ben walking down the rocky trail towards BC. I grab my camera and walk quickly (running at 17,000 feet is not the best of ideas) towards our camp and then realize that it's a French or Swiss climber or just not him. It's then that I realize that I'm literally shaking with excitement in the prospect of welcoming Ben "home". I'm just looking forward to congratulating my friend and assuring that he's safe and sound. Then, we can go home. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:17 Dispatch 50, May 25th, 2003: Mount Everest Base Camp Everyone, I've had 4 friends descend from ABC today and all pf them have confirmed that Ben is on his way down to Base Camp as I type this. In fact, he could be as close as 1 hour away. I just finished having some tea with my good friend Julian, who is close with Ben as well, and he walked a portion of the way down with Ben. Unfortunately, Ben is very tired and is making his way down the unbelievably rough path very slowly. Fortunately, it's only his body that is slow, Julian said that Ben was cracking jokes and smiling the entire time. Good news, indeed. Ben wasn't supposed to come down to Base Camp until tomorrow, but it has been suggested to all who submitted to get down as fast as possible to the fairly oxygen-rich environs of BC. I hear Dawa on the radio with Ben right now...you'll hear from us soon! Jon Miller | 7/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 124 | CleanVideoEpisode 051: A Different Atmosphere | These Guys Know How To Party. Immediately after finishing my radio conversation with Ben, I grabbed the camera and headed off to tell all of my friends the good news. Living here for almost two months now, I've got a lot of friends! It's hard to really put into words what it feels like to be at base camp now that teams are summitting. Especially now that so many are on their way down having already made the top. It's like a collective sigh has been uttered and now the wind we hated to much over the past few weeks is tenderly drying the sweat from out brows. I've gotten news that all of my climbing friends are now on their way back down. Some have frostbite, but everyone's alive and that's all that matters. The Royal Navy team was even able to perform a rescue and the Outdoor Life Network team performed some feats of bravery as well. Nicely done everyone! But of all the people I ended up meeting with today, no one seemed to be as happy as the Indians. Man, this was one happy team! The entire group is back at BC now and they threw a party the likes of which I've never experienced before. There was singing, there was dancing. There was eating and drinking. I guess a successful summit of Mount Everest is a great reason to throw a party. Party on. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 25:35 Dispatch 48, May 23rd, 2003: Mount Everest Base-camp Hello everyone, what a day that was yesterday! Even though it would have been wonderful to talk to Ben on the summit, I think it was even better to talk to him knowing he was safe and at Camp 6.Just a little bit earlier, Dawa was talking to Lhawang on the radio. The 3 climbers had descended to Camp 4 this morning and were packing up the tent and various gear. They were soon going to be heading down to the North Col and then to ABC. They will take a rest day tomorrow at ABC and on the 24th will make the 22km rocky walk down to Base Camp. Since out radios don't work below the North Col, Dawa and Lhawang agreed to put them away, and the next time we all talk to each other will be in person at Base Camp on Sunday.So, this will be the last dispatch for maybe a day or so. I'm going to get some rest, myself, and try to enjoy these last few days at Base Camp as much as possible, which isn't all that much because all of us want to get moving HOME! Of course, if anyone has a question or wants to know about anything related to life here, just email me. I'll answer them as soon as I check my In Box. Thanks again, everyone. All of your kind emails have been read, and I can't wait to show all of them to Ben when he gets down off the Mountain! Jon Miller | 7/5/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 125 | CleanVideoEpisode 050: May 22nd, Summit Day | THE TOP. Everyone, it is with great pleasure and slightly misty eyes that I get to tell you that the team has made it to the top of Mount Everest and has safely descended to the comfort of their tent at Camp 4 (8300 meters)!!!!! They finally did it!... | 6/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 126 | CleanVideoEpisode 049: May 21st, Camp 4 | "Ya Gotta Love Climbing!" Today the team is heading up to Camp 4 from Camp 3. This means they are firmly planting themselves into the famous "death zone." Cue scary music. At least I think they're heading up. Dawa and Boca Lama have yet to get in touch with anyone via radio. The tension around here is palpable. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before. People stationed at Base are running around checking the progress of other teams. Several climbers have summitted today and you'll hear the occasional whoop as the good news is radioed down. The excitement is unreal. But you have to keep in the forefront of your mind that the summit is truly just the halfway point. Most fatalities occur on the way down. Think about it: you give it everything you've got to get to the summit and don't have enough to safely get back down. I can't imagine our guys doing that but let's face it...I'm not up there. Radio communications are still marginal at best and by all accounts we're about to lose our weather window. This is getting serious. OK, Boca has just gotten off of the radio with Lhawang. I missed the call but here's his report. Ben Lhawang and Lhakpa have all made it to high camp and are resting for a summit attempt tomorrow. High Camp is at around 8300 meters. To give you some perspective, this is the altitude at which some commercial airliners cruise at! Amazing. And now they still have 600 meters of vertical gain to go. This place is crazy! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:32 Dispatch 36, May 21st, 2003: Mount Everest Base-camp Ok, here's the latest. I could not reach Lhawang or Ben on the radio. This probably means that they are climbing and the wind is drowning out the sound of the radio or they'll contact us when they stop for a rest. Of course, this is just speculation, but the reports from the other camps say that other climbers are making progress up the mountain. Faithful, persistent Dawa will continue to try to contact the guys and will fetch me from my post next to the St Petersburg team's generator (may ours rest in peace...) The weather looks positive for a summit attempt from now until afternoon on the 23rd. This is really positive, because it gives Ben options, a luxury on Everest. The mood here at Base Camp is really something to experience. Everyone is excited and people are wandering from camp to camp looking for information about each team. Everyone is welcomed into every camp...we're all in this together and everyone is acknowledging that fact. Unfortunately, Everest is completely obscured by a massive fog-like cloud, so no one can zoom in on the North East Ridge to try and get a glimpse of the climbers. Oh, well, we'll just hope they stay safe. Apparently, Ben's other climbing Sherpa, Lhakpa is staying at the camp on the North Col. Once he's been told that the weather is worth climbing in, he'll ascend from the North Col at around 7000 meters to Camp 6 at 8300 meters! This man is a climbing machine and probably one of, if not, the strongest Sherpa on the mountain today. He truly is an amazing individual...and he's been living up at ABC (21,000 feet) and higher for over 40 days without respite at the lower elevation of Base Camp!That's all for now, you'll hear from me as soon as I get more information. Jon | 6/21/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 127 | CleanVideoEpisode 048: May 20th, Camp 3 | What's The Frequency Kenneth? I spent the morning today trying to get in touch with my friend Julian. His parents had contacted me and were terribly worried about him. I knew Ben, Lhawang and Lhakpa were alright, climbing between Camp 2 and Camp 3, so I thought I'd try to put Julian's parents at ease. No luck. The radio situation was a comedy of errors. I was never able to get into direct contact with Julian who is at ABC. Instead, I was able to communicate marginally with Julian's teammate, Rupert who was up at Camp 2. Unfortunately, I was only getting about every other word that Rupert was saying. It was maddening! At one point while transmitting, the radio switched frequencies all by itself!! Ugh! Everyone is making a mass push towards the summit due to a supposed weather window that's opening so there's a frenzy of information flowing out of Base Camp and onto the Internet. Julian's parents had discovered me through a dispatch to our website that was picked up and syndicated through EverestNews. I guess I had mentioned Julian, Rupert and Stewart's names in the text and they put two and two together and found my email address. I offered to try and talk to Julian as their proxy. Isn't it amazing that these two strangers in the UK could get in touch with me, but I can't get in touch with our climbers who are just a few kilometers away? In any case, Julian's developed a chest infection and is out of the climb. Bittersweet news. Not climbing is safer than climbing, but a chest infection sounds dicey at best. As for Ben and Co., faithful Dawa was able to get in touch with Lhawang via one of our radios a bit later this afternoon. The guys are at Camp 3 and are waiting on the weather to move up to Camp 4...the final camp. Once they get there, they'll begin the final push. I'm in a constant state of excitement and panic. So many days have led up to these moments. It's hard to believe. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:45 Dispatch 35, May20th, 2003: 16,400’ Mount Everest Base-camp Hello all, Jon here...I'm going to switch into summit mode and try to send out emailed information as soon as I receive it.So, those of you off to bed will probably have a mess of emails waiting to be read in the morning. Dawa and I just reached Lhawang by radio a few minutes ago. He said that they were sitting at camp 3 and waiting for the winds and snow to die down some more before they headed up any further. They also requested a weather report which is what I've been doing for the last few minutes here on my laptop. My friends with the HMA Expedition (Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, based in India) have given me their reports that they have had 3 climbers reach the Second Step (the last major hurdle before the summit) in a total whiteout. They've told me that one climber turned back, while two climbers carried on. Unfortunately, the climber who turned back also has the only radio, so we will not be able to get reports of weather on the summit if they make it today. I've been informed by Ben's father that Ben's current plan is to wait for the weather to clear a little, then bypass Camp 4 (at 8300 meters) and head directly for the summit today (8848 meters) that's an elevation gain of over 1000 meters. It's currently almost 12pm Tibet time (10:45am Nepal time) and I'm going to pass the weather info on to the guys momentarily. If I can contact them, I'll send another email in just a few minutes to a couple of hours. This is totally exciting on my end and hopefully I won't pass out from the adrenaline...I have a job to do out here to keep everyone informed! My friend Dimitri from the Russian St Petersburg team just came into the tent and said that one of their climbers just made it to Camp 4 at 8300 meters. It is not too windy up there, but it is still definitely windy. Hope that makes sense. Also, the path to the summit has been fixed with ropes, so visibility isn't of absolute importance. | 6/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 128 | CleanVideoEpisode 047: Onward & Upward | The Summit Push Begins. I tried and tried to get in touch via radio with Ben today, with no luck. As far as I know, the guys are heading up to 7900 meters today. This is all very disconcerting for me. I know that I can't really do anything to help them, but I'd just really like to know where they are on the mountain. It's truly ironic that we have all of this technology here at Base Camp. I mean, we've got state-of-the-art satellite communication gear and all it is good for is getting in contact with ANYONE but Ben, Lhawang and Lhakpa! I can easily call my wife back in Colorado--the other side of the planet--but I can't get in touch with Ben who's no more than 8 miles away as the crow flies. Crazy. Base Camp is actually pretty empty right now as everyone is up higher trying to take advantage of the weather window that is supposedly about to open up. I don't know. It still looks pretty windy up there but I guess time is running out. The great monsoon is heading our way from India and when it arrives: Game over. Apparently Base Camp will be under 6 feet of snow then. For the past couple of weeks the atmosphere here has been pretty casual. In a way, it's felt kind of like summer camp back when I was a kid. Of course, now that the summit push is on it's like summer camp where all of the campers might die. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:39 CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK... Date: 05/17/2003 02:48AM Subject: Re: from your Mom's English class 7. I've received a lot of recognition for the job I'm doing up here. Everyone's really impressed with my work. I've sent some video to the BBC in England and they were really pleased with it. The BBC is probably the best out there in terms of Television. So that felt really good. I've also been asked to put together a 5 minute or so piece from my footage about BC life for Chinese Television CCTV. It's the largest TV station in China, based in Beijing and they broadcast to over 1 billion people. They have a camp set up here, too, following the progress of a team of Chinese climbers. They have been doing live broadcasts from BC all week and one of the producers has seen me filming and I've shown them my footage. They were blown away. We'll see how that works out Here's the life lesson I'd like to tell you...and read my entire answer before you just brush it off as a cliche. Follow you dreams. See, my dream has always been to create TV shows. Last year I produced an entire season of a show for the Outdoor Life Network. I enjoyed filming the show (it was a bird hunting show with dogs...and I loved working with the dogs). We got to travel around the country and meet all kinds of nice people. I produced 14 shows and various companioning commercials. I won awards. It was great. The Network kept saying it was one of their most popular shows and they wanted to keep renewing our contract for years to come. So, I thought I had it made. I was making good money and feeling successful. It was great. Then, just after I got married I received the news that the show would NOT be renewed. It was like, BAM! all of a sudden I had no job. No income. Nothing. Apparently, the network had cancelled our contract because they didn't have money for it. They had put all of their resources into a new reality television series called Global Extremes, Mount Everest, 4Runners of Adventure. The premise of the series was to take 50 amateur athletes from around the country, put them through a series of challenges and the 5 who win will get a chance to climb Everest for free. Well, it's costing the Network a TON of money and so they trimmed the fat...which unfortunately was me. But here's the deal. I never let go of my dream of producing quality television programs. So, through a series of seemingly random events, here I am, typing to you from 16,400 foot Everest Basecamp, Tibet, and I can step out of the tent and see the Global Extremes Camp. | 6/5/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 129 | CleanVideoEpisode 046: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back | "We Got The Sh*t Kicked Out Of Us." I finally spoke to Ben this evening at 5pm Nepali time. He was at ABC resting after getting pretty weather-beaten higher up on the mountain. However, he's doing just fine and was even cracking some jokes with me. It was wonderful to hear Ben's voice and know that he's doing alright. As a Base camp communications manager, it's frustrating when none of our three radios work! Luckily, Stuart and Rupert have given me access to their BC radio equipment even though they are "up the hill" right now. Thanks guys. Well, this is Everest and Ben and Co.'s first summit push was a bust. As he said, they just were too weather-beaten to continue up. It looks like the next weather window will open in 3 days or so. They'll try and rest at ABC and head up in a few days. I think it's been almost 10 days since I've seen Ben, and Lhawang. I haven't seen Lhakpa in almost a month! That dude sure was built to live up high. Amazing. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:17 CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK... Date: 05/17/2003 02:48AM Subject: Re: from your Mom's English class 2. I'm here at Everest because it's my job to be here. As you may know, I'm not climbing the entire mountain. That's left for my client, Ben Clark. I have climbed on the mountain, up to 21,000 feet to ABC. I spent 4 days there then came back down. I've spent the remainder of the time here at BC. I am the owner of my own video production business and so this is just one of the contracts I've received. I'm spending time here documenting Ben's experience, but also trying to tell the story about what it's like to live here at BC. I did have a choice, I didn't have to come out for the full 2 month journey...I could have just come out for 3 weeks or so. Fortunately, I'm married to a wonderful woman, Heidi, and she encouraged me to dive right in and take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I did not come out here alone. In fact, I traveled from the US to Base camp with a good friend of mine, another photographer named Major King. No kidding, that's his name. Major only stayed here at BC for one night because he fell victim to the altitude. He developed High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, or HAPE. His lungs began to fill with fluid and it made breathing difficult. The night he spent here I stayed in his tent with him leaning against me like the back of a chair so he could breathe better. If he lied down, you could hear his lungs gurgle with each breath. It was quite scary. So, it made him feel better to sit up against me and I just talked to him. Every so often he's start praying to God to get him out of this mess and it was quite difficult to listen to. Here was a man truly praying to God to save his life. Luckily, the next afternoon we were able to secure a vehicle for Major and he was transported over the next 2 days down to Kathmandu where he spent 5 days in the hospital before flying home to Colorado. Major is 44 years old with 2 children and a wife. I'm glad he's Ok. 3.-4. When you first arrive at Everest BC, you feel terrible. No one is meant to be up this high for this long. The lack of oxygen in the air gives you these wicked headaches and you have terrible, constant diarrhea. It really sucks. You think to yourself, "So this is why I came all the way out here?" You have to force every bite of food and every gulp of water down. It's really difficult. When I arrived, every time I even thought about my wife, or my brothers or my mother I wanted to cry, I just felt so far away. I began to think about the next month and a half as a prison sentence. It was horrible. Then, as I descended from ABC, I totally mangled my left big toe. It was really bad. It didn't even look like a toe anymore. I became really depressed on the hike down. It hurt so much and every 10 minutes or so I'd stub my boot on a rock and nearly vomit from the pain. But the toe incident was a blessing in disguise. | 5/30/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 130 | CleanVideoEpisode 045: The Russian Concert | Does Anyone Know 'Free Bird'? Tonight a bunch of us gathered at the St Petersburg camp and enjoyed an evening of music. It was one of those things. At first someone said they wished we had a guitar, then someone disappeared and returned with one. The rest is history. Who knew that so many Everest climbers are also strong musicians? I certainly didn't. But then again, we're talking Russians here. These guys seem to know how to play folk songs right from the womb. The get-together was sparked by the now public knowledge that Marina, one of the St Pete climbers is far too ill with pneumonia to stay at Everest. Tomorrow, Doktor Dima will accompany her down to the Nepal border at Zhangmu. There, he will make sure that she crosses safely and continues to Kathmandu. Marina has been a wonderful person to know and I am going to miss her. I know she's disappointed to be leaving, but she is a very experienced mountaineer and knows the score. Besides, Dima is a force to be reckoned with. He has been walking around looking depressed for days now. He cares so much for the health of his teammates and has been extremely worried about Marina. Scared, even. I have a feeling that he would cary her to the border on his back if there wasn't a vehicle to drive them there! But enough of this! Tonight was a celebration. Spirits were high, and they gave Marina quite the send-off. She enjoyed it immensely, too. Smiles all around. If you have to leave, this is the way to do it. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 14:31 Date: 05/17/2003 02:48AM Subject: Re: from your Mom's English class Anders, thanks for the email. My mother said that she had offered me as a possible interview and I'm tickled that you chose to write. Of course this won't be your typical interview. Right now I'm sitting in our communications tent having not bathed in days while the wind rattles the tent. I smell like gasoline since I just filled up the generator which is purring along quite nicely powering the computer I'm typing on as well as the satellite IP modem that will shoot this email 22,000 miles into space to a receiving satellite which will then beam it back to Earth before you receive it yourself! Amazing what you can accomplish at 16,400 feet from a glacial moraine in remote Tibet. Anyhow, lets see if I can answer your questions. 1.This experience will always be a memorable one. First of all I've never been to Asia before so the cultures out here are quite different. The primary occupation where I'm staying is Yak herding. These people keep a small number of Yaks to use as beasts of burden. They strap all of the expedition supplies to the animals' back and then guide the small caravan up to 21,000 feet to advanced Base camp (ABC). All the while the Yaks wear cow bells (Yak bells?) and the herders keep the animals moving by whistling and singing. It's really something to behold. Secondly, there's just a very different way of life up here for someone like me. I've never camped for more than a couple of weeks straight. Today, as I type this, I'm on day 42. I'm actually quite enjoying it. It's very satisfying to know that I've adapted to this way of life. In a typical day I wake up at around 8am. I wander into the communications (comms) tent and sit trying to wake up. If I wake before 8am, it's still very cold outside, maybe 25 degrees. After 8 the sun breaks over the ridge just behind our camp and within minutes the comms tent is warm like a greenhouse. Around 9am our cook serves breakfast; usually an omlette made with Yak cheese and some potatoes. After this I'll break out my computer and check the daily email, if the generator is functioning. If not, then I'll spend an hour or so working on it. Once I give up trying to repair the generator, I'll wander over to another camp...either the Russians or the British Royal Navy. Either way, I'll be invited in for some tea and conversation. After I plug into their power, | 5/24/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 131 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: LUNGevity Team Update | They Made It! This is just a quick Bonus episode to let everyone know that the LUNGevity team made the summit and are back down safely. At 12:40pm on May 23rd in Tibet Brian Oestrike and Justin Hewitt stood on the summit of Everest. It was a late summit in strong winds, but they made it and have at least made it down to Camp 2 as I write this post. I just thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few thoughts from the team from my talk with them in mid-April from Base Camp. Enjoy this extra video update, and I'll release the regular episodes of Rest of Everest--episode 045--tomorrow. This update is far more important! Remember, these guys were "climbing for a cause" to raise money and awareness for Lung Cancer research. For more information please visit their blog at www.climbforcancer.blogspot.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 6:58 | 5/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 132 | CleanVideoEpisode 044: Predicting The Future | Is The Window Opening? One of the specific terms that gets thrown around in Everest conversations at BC is "Weather Window". This is referring to the coveted series of nice days where people will be safest to push to the summit. So far, that window has been stuck shut. Over the past couple of weeks climbers have simply been sitting on their hands and waiting it out. However, these are NOT the type of people who enjoy staying still! These men and women want to get moving up the hill. Of course, that could be deadly if a strong storm moves in while they're up high, so people are desperate for weather forecasts. Luckily, one of the things that I can do to help is offer my internet connection, and the time to use it. People are pouring over various Everest information websites trying to find as many forecasts as possible. Of course, with the nature of the internet, not all of these sites are giving the same general forecast. So, some climbers are doing their best to separate the wheat from the chaff. Others are simply choosing the weather reports that are the most positive and planning around those. Earlier in the expedition the pressure was on to climb up high to simply acclimatize to the altitude. Now, the pressure is on to really make to the summit. Once that window opens, it will only stay open for a short time. The annual monsoon weather pattern across India is headed our way. It will arrive in the next couple of weeks. Once it does, it means that the weather window will not only shut, but will be locked and the key thrown away until September at the earliest. The clock is ticking. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:10 Hello Everyone! This is just a reminder that the Tibet 2007 podcast of The Rest of Everest is still active. In fact, Ben just posted an audio dispatch from his travels a day ago. If you haven't taken the opportunity to check it out, you can find the podcast and blog at tibet2007.therestofeverest.com Thanks! Jon | 5/16/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 133 | CleanVideoEpisode 043: 20,000 Leagues Above The Sea | Bob's Your Uncle. Today I spent most of my time filming over at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines (RNRM) camp. What an amazing operation they have out here! They are a really good group of people and I'm proud to know them. Being a military expedition they have more resources than your average Everest team. That being said, having proper funding to buy equipment does not guarantee that said equipment will work properly. The group came out here with several new laptop computers that were specially ruggedized to military specs. Unfortunately, they were not tested at high altitude and were crippled by hard drive failure. Not all hard drives work properly at Everest due to the low air pressure up here. Anyway, the RNRM needed some video sent back to the UK for promotional purposes and I volunteered my services. My computer gear was working perfectly so I was able to film, then edit video and send it back over the satellite. What I was able to film gives a nice overview of what life is like at Everest for this team. Having spent so much time over at the camp without filming, I've become good friends with the team. One of our running jokes is the confusion that arises from the differences in our language. Richard, the team's Base Camp Manager has said that the British and the Americans are "Two great cultures separated by a common language." It's true. One day my friend Dave was helping me fix our generator and kept saying he needed a "spanner". Well, all I had was a crescent wrench. As it turns out, they are one and the same. When I handed it to him finally, he fixed the generator, started it up and said, "Bob's your uncle." Actually, KEITH is my uncle, Dave. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:54 Subject: from your Mom's English class Date: May 14, 2003 6:04:43 PM MDT To: jon.miller Dear Jon, My name is Anders Eckstrand and I am in your mother's 9th grade English class. We have an assignment to interview a "Person of Courage". Your Mom said you are climbing on Mt. Everest, and she would like me to interview you. May I? So, with your permission, I have a few questions to ask you. Here they are: 1. Tell me about your experience; what made this experience memorable? How old were you at this time? 2. Why did you do what you did? Did you have a choice? Did you have to fight physically or mentally to save yourself or another person? 3. Was there a point at which you felt hopeless or like giving up? Did you feel fear? 4. How did you get through the times when you were afraid or wanted to give up? Was there someone or something there to help support you during this experience? 5. What did you do to get back on your feet and move on with your life? Reflecting back over your experience would you have done anything differently? 6. Did you experience change in any way? Negative or positive? 7. Did you receive any recognition for your actions? Is there any specific lesson in life you learned that you could tell me? I hope you have time to answer my questions. Thanks in advance. Sincerely yours, Anders Eckstrand | 5/9/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 134 | CleanVideoEpisode 042: A Day In The Life | Stone Throne. Many people have asked: When you're in the wilderness for months at a time, what's the toilet situation like at Everest? Well, as I've said before, it's better than you'd expect and worse than you'd imagine. After the windstorm the other week blew our toilet tent into the hole it was erected to protect, the guys built a bomb-proof stone toilet. Good thing, too, since bombs are dropped there every day! The toilet tent was terrible. It did provide privacy (which may have been needed at first but we're WAY beyond that need now) but at the expense of lack of ventilation. The thing was windproof. Also, it was like a solar oven and in the intense sunlight up here the contents of the tent would cook and stew over the course of the day. It was terrible. Anyhow, the Sherpas built a pit toilet with a nice horseshoe windbreak around it. I LOVE this toilet. Not only is it well ventilated and inoffensive, but it keeps you connected to your environment while you go about your "business." It is truly a "room" with a view. What an amazing experience to gaze upon the 13,000 foot North Face of Everest during the morning ritual. My bathroom at home will never seem the same. The finest squatter in Tibet. I guess your priorities change out here... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:14 From: Susan Miller Subject: Re: Date: May 11, 2003 5:49:27 PM MDT To: jon.miller Hi Jon, I'm wondering how you are doing at base camp and how Ben is doing up higher. Is he still up the mt.? I've been checking and reading dispatches from other climbers (both north and south face) and it sounds like the weather has gotten bad again. What's it like where you are? I hope you're staying warm, that your tents are ok. The Andersons are following now--very excited. Are you still having problems with your generator? Do you hear from Ben? I hope you can contact us soon. Everyone is so curious to know what is going on. Really windy here today (not by your standards though!) and lots of thunder storms. The Lilac Festival started this weekend. Great day yesterday and pretty much a rain out today. I've been planting some flowers between rain showers and grading papers, of course. Looking forward to my little trip later this week and seeing Chris. Let me know how you are and what's going on as soon as you can. Love, Mom | 5/2/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 135 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Tibet 2007 Teaser | Back From Everest! Well, we made it back in one piece. It was unbelievable to gaze on Everest with my own eyes again. Even better was the fact that I didn't have to stay for another 2 months! Again, I was not returning to Everest to climb the mountain. I wanted to go back to meet up with other climbers who might not have a way to share their stories with the world. I met many teams and handed out "Rest of Everest" business cards like they were going out of style (I hope they're not!). Several people have agreed to share their photos and video with us once they return. What this means is that I'll have at least another year of fresh episodes once my 2003 video footage comes to an eventual end. And then there are the plans I have in the works for next year...top secret! So, I'd just like to take the opportunity to say "thank you" to all of my supporters. Since I'm a video guy, I thought I'd say thanks in the best way I know how. Here is a "best of" video from my first watching of the video footage I shot over the last month in Tibet. It's a little rough, but it's honest. I'd also like to say thank you to my dear friend Scott Jacobs. Scott, you were a tremendous traveling partner and how wonderful to spend time with you in Tibet after 15 years of talking about going there together! Tashi Dele!! As I post this message, it's April 25th. Don't forget that there's another month of climbing left in this Spring season. Please continue to check in on the Tibet 2007 blog http://tibet2007.therestofeverest.com as teams will continue to post climbing updates on that site. Ben Clark is in Tibet as I type this attempting an alpine-style ascent of 8012m Shishapangma. Best to him and his climbing partner Tim Clarke. Next week, I'll return to the 2003 expedition footage with Episode 42. See you then! Namaste! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 33:36 Tibet 2007 in HD For those of you who have been kind enough to donate to the "Rest of Everest" cause, please check your bonus podcast feed. I've placed a full HD version of the teaser video into the RSS feed. If you've lost your feed information, please email me. I've kept track of everything and can get you back in the know right away. If you haven't donated but would like to, just click on the donate button to the right. It's fast and easy, and any dollar amount you gift will give you access to the HD video. Thanks again! Jon | 4/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 136 | CleanVideoEpisode 041: “Our Town” | Miller, Party of Five? When I arrived at Everest I couldn't get over how desolate it seemed to be here. More than a month later it feels like home. When you first step foot at Base Camp, you haven't had proper time to acclimate to the altitude. It is over 17,000 feet after all. You have a headache, stomach ache, disorientation and lack of appetite. You miss your wife, your family and a good night's sleep. I remember thinking that at the higher altitude I would feel closer to my father who had passed away in 1997. I thought maybe he'd be up there; so close to the sky. I was very disappointed when I arrived and felt that there was no way my dad was up here. It's just such a rough place. I wouldn't wish that on him. But now I've changed my mind. See, Everest has evolved in my head while I've been here. I've acclimated, I've experienced so much of the beautiful culture up here, I've made so many wonderful friends. Tonight Rupert, Stuart, Julian, Richard and I headed into the little Tibetan village at the foot of Base Camp. There's a little restaurant there made out of tarps and other scavenged building materials. The food is wonderful and we've visited this establishment many times. It's like the neighborhood cafe. Good food, good chai, good company and conversation. It's not so bad here after all. We are our own little community. It was a family joke that my father--a very friendly man--could have a pleasant conversation with a tree. He had quite the gift of gab. Well, I am my father's son. I've made friends with people from Russia, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Tibet and Nepal to name just a few. I guess my father is here after all. He's inside me. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 24:07 Tibet 2007 Update: Back to Everest! On April 1st, 2007I'll be returning to Kathmandu and eventually Everest Base Camp to check in with some new teams and to generally have a new adventure. I am so grateful to all of you who have supported me and my little experiment in this new medium: podcasting. I will be launching a new section of the website in the next couple of weeks to help document this new adventure. Please stay subscribed to The Rest of Everest for more information on how to follow along. There's so much more to show all of you. Stay tuned. Namaste! Jon | 3/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 137 | CleanVideoEpisode 040: Another Reason For Everest | Catholics, Protestants and Everest. Not long after enjoying some chicken over at the St Petersburg camp, I filmed an interview with my friend Richard. Richard is the head of the Northern Ireland team and they've got a pretty interesting hook to their expedition. Their team is composed of Catholics and Protestants and it's a big deal. They are climbing Everest together to show that these differences of religious beliefs should in no way hinder friendships and teamwork. Richard is climbing with two friends: Banjo Bannon and David Sharp. I just really like this team. These guys are great fun. The only thing the team has had trouble with is health issues. Right away two members of their support team had to leave to to issues with altitude. It was a similar situation to what we experienced with Major when he left. Then, Richard had a scary experience on the North Col where his throat swelled shut nearly suffocating him. He's doing better now, but will be staying down at Base Camp for a few more days. I know it would be best for him to be climbing, but I'm glad to have him around. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 26:27 2007 Update: Jon here-- I just wanted to break tradition in my writing here and say that since 2003 Richard Dougan has turned the beloved cottages he purchased into rental units available for holiday. He has also taken his team building experience to the next level by opening an adventure center. The Lurgaboy Adventure Centre offers courses in teamwork, leadership, communication and personal skills for youth, adult and corporate groups. And the best part is, it's all located on 35 spectacular acres of countryside in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Please consider taking the time to visit Richard's newest adventure! lurgaboylodge.com Tell him Jon sent you... Jon | 2/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 138 | CleanVideoEpisode 039: Reality TV Reality | A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words. After the party was over we spent some quality time kicking back watching some TV. You know, most teams don't think of taking a dozen television sets with them to Everest...but this wasn't any camp! The Chinese camera men were very generous and allowed many of the climbers who participated in the live broadcast to hang out and watch the rest of it in their tent. Is was mighty surreal. We were at Everest and watching live TV. Yes, I had satellite communications gear at my camp, but that stuff is small and lightweight. These were full-sized living room TVs! I wonder if they get reruns of Seinfeld on that thing? After the broadcast was finished for the day, Richard (my friend from Northern Ireland) and I headed over to my camp for some coffee and email. We were stopped short by the cook from the St. Petersburg team. He recognized Richard from another expedition at another mountain. On that other mountain, the two had become friends and Richard had given this kind Nepali man a passport photo of himself. Now at Everest, the cook took out his wallet and right in the front of it was that picture of Richard. All clean shaven and almost unrecognizable! I was speechless. What a wonderful day. Base Camp isn't as barren as it seems. There are some strong friendships taking root here. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:17 From: Susan Miller To: Jonathan Miller Subject: Hello! Date: Thu, 12 May 2003 Hi Jon, I know about the Chinese broadcasts from everestnews.com. I read that they were going to be doing that. Is there an adventure contest group there from the US? There's some show on OLN tonight about their push for the summit. Last night I saw a National Geographic Explorer special about Everest taped in 2001. So I spent a lot of time at base camp (looks really comfortable-not!) and watched them go through the icefield on the way to the south approach. You didn't have to go through anything like that did you? (Don't tell me until you're home if you did). How is the weather now? The news from everestnews.com makes it sound pretty severe. How windy has it been at base camp? Anyway, good to hear from you and I'll check on the Chinese climbers site and look for your picture! 1 billion fans, huH? If we email you our questions for the English 9b essay on persons of courage, could you respond? You could be written up in an English 9b essay. How's that for fame? Love, Mom | 2/20/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 139 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Wild Horses, Part 3 | The Changping Goa. Here is the last installment in a 3-part series covering Ben Clark's October, 2006 climbing expedition in China. Ben and his climbing partner Josh Butson climbed several peaks in Sichuan province, one of which had been previously unclimbed. Enjoy this adventure from the far eastern Himalayas. This Expedition was sponsored by these fine companies: Total Running Time: 29:01 | 2/17/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 140 | CleanVideoEpisode 038: The Wrap Party | Tastes Like Chicken. The live broadcast seems to have gone off without a hitch, but the propaganda continues. Immediately after the on-camera introductions everyone was corralled and photographed. In a way, it was very nice. It was cool to meet some climbers that I hadn't met before. The Russian climbers from the St Petersburg team seemed to avoid the entire event like the plague. At yesterday's rehearsal, Dr. Dima was very clear that he didn't much care for staged events like this; having grown up in Soviet Russia. It was all too familiar, he said. Because of that, I was surprised to see his head poking out from behind a semi-circle of climbers on TV. I guess he was interested in the promised food as well! Man, what a spread. The Chinese camp seems to have a surplus of everything. I understand they have dozens and dozens of climbers, technicians, guards and TV producers here. To feed everyone they have several different kitchens all serving different types of food. After the Chinese climbers were ceremoniously sent off to the summit push, they opened their camp to those of us still there. It was very generous. They even had fully cooked chickens in sealed bags. Everest gets more surreal by the day. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:31 From: Jonathan Miller To: Susan Miller Subject: Hello! Date: Thu, 12 May 2003 Yesterday I was a participant in the first live broadcast to China from the Chinese camp. CCTV channel 1 is just a couple of hundred yards from me. Yesterday they kicked a week of live broadcasts off leading up to a potential live summit broadcast with their climbers on the 17th. The event was a lot like being at the Olympics if the opening ceremonies were held in a gravel pit...lots of energy and people mingling and different languages and team uniforms. I filmed the entire thing and the Chinese filmed me, too. We were broadcast to (apparently) 1 billion viewers. I was in my element. There were cameras everywhere and reporters and producers and radios and wires. It was great. They were so nice, let me wander and film wherever I wanted to. I got some great footage. Afterwards, they fed us and we wrote our addresses down. When the highlight DVD is produced in July, we'll all get a free copy. Very cool. Love, Jon | 2/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 141 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Wild Horses, Part 2 | First Ascent.Here is the second in a 3-part series covering Ben Clark's October, 2006 climbing expedition in China. Ben and his climbing partner Josh Butson climbed several peaks in Sichuan province, one of which had been previously unclimbed. Enjoy this adventure from the far eastern Himalayas. This Expedition was sponsored by these fine companies: Total Running Time: 15:55 | 2/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 142 | CleanVideoEpisode 037: Base Camp Broadcast | I Feel Slightly Used. Today I was a participant in the first live broadcast to China from the Chinese camp. CCTV Channel 1 is just a couple of hundred yards from our Nomad Expedition camp. This morning they kicked off a week of live broadcasts leading up to a potential live summit broadcast with their climbers on the 17th. The event was a lot like being at the Olympics if the opening ceremonies were held in a gravel pit...lots of energy and people mingling and different languages and team uniforms. I have to admit, though, that a good deal of the excitement was fabricated for the TV audience. I filmed the entire thing and the Chinese filmed me, too. We were broadcast to (apparently) 1 billion viewers. Personally, I was in my element. There were cameras everywhere and reporters and producers and radios and wires. It was great. They were so nice, let me wander and film wherever I wanted to. I got some great footage. All in all the broadcast went off without a hitch and I guess it was a pretty good time. It gave everyone something to do today. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:57 From: Jonathan Miller To: Josh Randall Subject: Hello! Date: Thu, 9 May 2003 Dude, I sent this message to everyone but you. I knew I was missing an address but just couldn't figure out who. I had really bad heartburn yesterday so I'll blame it on that. I've been eating this sausage from the russian camp and drinking minute amounts of their V.S.O.P. cognac so what are you going to do? A quarter inch of cognac in a metal cup kicks my ass. It's amazing. They're drinking tequila, whisky, beer and whatever they can get their hands on. "It make you super relaxed!" They always say that. These guys are a riot. When I get home you're going to have to slap me when I start speaking broken english all the time. It's all I ever get to do. Only Ben and I can talk normally together and he spends most of his time up on the Mountain. Anyway I'll show you the really gruesome pictures I got on video when I get home. Later, Jon | 2/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 143 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: Wild Horses, Part 1 | Recent Adventures. Here is the first in a 3-part series covering Ben Clark's October, 2006 climbing expedition in China. Ben and his climbing partner Josh Butson climbed several peaks in Sichuan province, one of which had been previously unclimbed. Enjoy this adventure from the far eastern Himalayas. This Expedition was sponsored by these fine companies: Total Running Time: 24:25 | 2/4/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 144 | CleanVideoEpisode 036: The Highest Theater In The World | BC, DVD's and RNRM. Today I was visited by Dave, a member of the Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RNRM) camp. He was curious if I could play DVD's on my laptop. Well, of course I could, so he asked my if I would be interested in joining in a top-secret military operation. Now, I wasn't exactly sure what he had in mind, but I do know Dave pretty well these days. He's slightly mischievous. I couldn't resist. We headed over to the RNRM camp where I found some of the other guys pulling these large expedition banners down and re-hanging them at the front of their mess tent. Dave had smuggled a small video projector into their expedition gear and Steve the communications manager had some amplified computer speakers. It was all coming together...they were going to build a movie theater at Base Camp! For a couple of hours I felt like the A-Team as we improvised construction of our screen and theater seating. The RNRM laptops were malfunctioning due to the altitude so we hooked my Mac laptop up to the projector. Everything worked and the picture clarity was amazing. Tonight's debut film? "Swordfish" with John Travolta. I love it when a plan comes together. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:44 From: Jonathan Miller Date: 05/12/2003 09:30AM Subject: Re: My Meat Foot. Hi mom, Everything is fine up here ...except the damn generator. I had a pretty good run with it today, though and charged all of my camera batteries. I'm pretty happy about that. Ben is up on the mountain resting for the next few days at ABC. My friend Tom just descended to BC today and he said he saw Ben and everything looked OK. I've been trying to reach Ben via radio to no avail. Maybe the weather up there just isn't very comfy and he doesn't want to go through the difficulties of moving into a better position. Anyway, I'm giving up on trying to record a radio conversation and sending it out as an audio dispatch. I'll send everyone a long email dispatch tomorrow. My toe is fine. Just looks really funky. I don't have any pain anymore and it's healing really well. Last night I went to the little shantytown at the edge of BC for some real Tibetan food with some British friends of mine. We had a good time, Julian, Rupert, Stuart, Richard and me. Then I brought my computer over to the British Royal Navy camp to watch a DVD. They happened to bring a little video projector with them...so we just hook it up to my Apple laptop and turn their tent into the world's highest Cinema! The picture's quite large and good, and they have amplified speakers. It's a lot of fun. Tonight we're doing it again for the third time. Base camp really is like nowhere else! I'm having a lot of fun now, really have gotten into the swing of things...and I'm filming everyone and everything. It's great....but I'd (and everyone else) would leave in a second if we could. But, there's company in misery. Hope all is well in Rochester...It sure feels like the Lilac Festival is only a dream when you've been living out here at BC! Love, Jon | 1/31/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 145 | CleanVideoEpisode 035: Picking Up The Pieces | Yard Sale at 23,000 Feet. Lhawang, Lhakpa and Ben were finally able to return to the North Col today. It was a scary climb, not because of any technical moves but because of what they might find at the top. The news had been spreading around BC that almost everyone's gear had been blown off of the mountain. This wasn't entirely true, but they did discover gear strewn all over the place. We had known that our team's gear was beaten down but at least it was till intact. Just exactly what condition it was in was the mystery. After the team reached their tents they did, indeed, verify that everything was going to be alright. The cached gear was fine. Down here at base camp some things are falling apart. The constant freeze/thaw cycles and the constant wind are wreaking havoc on some team's technology. Personally I've had a camera charger and a computer charger die on me. I don't quite understand why since they have no moving parts. No matter, I've brought plenty of backup charging systems so it's not slowing me down. Truly, the only thing breaking down around here is me. I've developed a terribly severe cough from the altitude. I just can't seem to stop once I start coughing. Nope, no fun at all. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:10 Email from Jon's Mom On Thursday, May 8, 2003, at 07:33 PM, Susan Miller wrote: Hi Jon, We're all waiting to hear the news about whether Ben is going up again and what gear survived the big storm. What was it like at base camp during the wind? Were you getting snow as well? How is your generator situation? How's the foot doing? You must be really busy. Take care, and write soon. I'm really curious about what's going on and how you and Ben are doing. Love, Mom ______________________ Mom, Ben left yesterday for his summit attempt. I'll write you about it tomorrow. Right now it's almost 11pm and around 20 degrees and I'm off for bed. We had our generator fixed today by the Chinese team and didn't get it back until late. I'll fill you in on everything tomorrow. Just wanted you to know that I'm fine. Love, Jon | 1/24/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 146 | CleanVideoEpisode 034: New Friends, Old Weather | Hot Males, Hotmail And Virucide. Not long after Ben left camp this morning we were visited by some Chinese military officials. Apparently there were here to disinfect Base Camp. I mean that literally--they were clothed in their crisp green dress uniforms, boots, paper masks and spraying apparatus. SARS, or Severe Acute Respitory Syndrome has been on everyone's mind this season and the Chinese are going to do something about it. These men walked all over BC spraying some sort of foul-smelling concoction around tents and toilets. Yeah, I feel sooo much safer now. Thanks for that. Of course, the irony is that BC is probably one of the safest areas in the world from a pandemic. Anyone who may have been sick has already had to leave. The climbers remaining are now effectively cut off from the rest of the planet by the immense mountains that surround us. Aside from climbing Everest, it's pretty safe here. After the exterminators left, our camp was inundated by bugs of a different sort: climbers! I've been fortunate to make several new friends up here and it seems that everyone still at BC has now migrated over to our comfortable Dome. Now, I know they enjoy my company but let's be realistic ...I've got internet access. Everyone wants to check their email. Email is the drug of choice to help pass the time waiting for a break in the weather. I'm happy to push it on them. I just hope no one downloads a computer virus while checking their mail. Oh, well, that's probably what the Chinese were spraying for! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:20 Email from Friend (and future Everest summiter) Thomas Haines From: mtnman Subject: giddy up Date: May 8, 2003 2:09:59 PM MDT To: Jon Miller Hey Ben, Sounds like things are getting kind of crazy. I have been checking the internet daily on how things are going with you and other expeditions. Wow, some people got rocked. I was on Longs Peak last weekend and got stuck in a pretty intense storm, and all the while I was thinking that it probably didn't compare to even your good days of weather. Well I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you guys didn't get blown off. I will be thinking about you tons this next week and praying for your safety. Good luck, and kick some ass! Later, Thomas Haines | 1/17/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 147 | CleanVideoEpisode 033: Climb On! | There Are Butterflies At Everest. It was a long time coming, but the wind has finally calmed down enough for the climb to resume. It's not gone, mind you, but just diminished enough to step outside again and for the team to return to ABC. I have to say that I have really mixed feelings about the climb moving forward. Over the course of the entire windstorm we were all upset about having to hunker down and wait out the weather. Yes, it was a pain to have to sit around and do nothing for days on end. But what I've come to realize is that in some ways it was a very good thing. You see, while we were waiting out the storm, no one was in danger. It was uncomfortable, but it was safe. This morning, Ben and the rest of the team headed out for the journey back to ABC and ultimately the summit push. I filmed this great shot of Ben leaving the Dome tent and walking past our camp in the direction of the mountain. It was a beautiful shot. Just as he was passing the mound of rocks we use as a windbreak I was struck by a heavy realization: I may never see Ben again. The full gravity of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I shut off the camera and yelled "Ben, WAIT!" He stopped and turned in my direction as I ran over to him. I gave him a big, solid hug and managed to avoid saying the exact thought running through my head. Don't die, Ben. Don't die up there. We said our goodbye's, he turned around and walked on in his signature determined, focused style. I returned to the empty camp and sat down with Dawa. And then there were three. Just Dawa, me and the butterflies fluttering around in my belly. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:00 Email to Miles Blumhardt from the Fort Collins Coloradoan From: Jonathan Miller Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 9:12 AM To: MilesBlumhardt Subject: Everest Miles, Jon Miller here. Just wanted you to know that Ben and I read the May 3rd article and really enjoyed it. The Internet is a wonderful thing! I just thought I'd take the time to write you and give you maybe some more fodder for the next article. A few weeks ago I was spontaneously visited by a member of the Russian St Petersburg 2003 Expedition. The man's name is Tom and he's a Canadian who has been living in Boulder for the past 20 years. Tom and I hit it off right away and visit each other every day. His team was having computer problems and he was just bored and seeing who's who. I happen to be here in Tibet to keep our computers running, so I said I could probably help. We went over to their camp (about 100 yards from ours) and somehow I was able to install Windows XP onto one of their laptops...and in Russian to boot! There are, I believe, 9 climbers plus a doctor on that team and we all became friends. And I do mean friends. I spend as much time at their camp as I do in my own. Our generator has permanently died and they've given me unlimited use of theirs. Plus, when I descended from ABC I really messed up my left toe. It was really serious and could have been life-threatening had I just ignored it (due to infection.) Instead, I just hobbled over to my friends' camp and Dima (Dimitri) the doctor instantly performed a 30 minute surgical procedure (he is a surgeon) and let me keep my toe. I asked how much to pay him and he just looked at me funny and then put his finger to the side of his head and twirled it saying I was crazy. And it wasn't a one time thing. Every day He either walks over (or I do) and changes the dressing on my poor toe with plenty of friendly broken English conversation. I owe them so much yet all they care about is my well being. It gets me all choked up. Very good friends indeed. Then there is the fact that our camp is turning into a social club. We have a very large dome tent that is very comfortable and we've been receiving many guests. Ben's made good friends with the Northern Ireland team. It consists primarily of two climbers, Banjo and Richard, | 1/9/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 148 | CleanVideoEpisode 032: French Cooking, Part 2 | "The People With the Boat, They Coming With the Fish". Tonight Ben, Bertrand, Allan and I were treated to some fine French Cuisine at Denis camp. It was wonderful. Our camp has the finest Nepali food in town, and Dawa's a true master, but this was a very pleasant change of pace. We've all become close so far in this expedition. Our two French teammates are usually off visiting other camps during the day and so we've been making friends by association with them. Yes, we're at Everest, but at times it reminds me of my summers up at Camp Gohram in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. I would go there every summer as a kid and the atmosphere up here is strangely familiar. I guess that under all of the constant misery...we're having a good time with new friends. Denis is a veteran climber and has learned a thing or two about how to expedition right. He's brought an entire "pantry" of his favorite French foods with him. It's a great comfort to have familiar food in an alien environment. Totally understandable. Tonight we dined by candlelight on olives, Ricard, sausages, almonds, various savory meats and red wine! It was a lovely evening filled with great food and great company. Viva la France!! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:06 Email From Jon's Best Friend From:Scott Jacobs Subject: Inspired! Date: May 10, 2003 10:07:41 AM MDT To:Jon Miller Hello Jon, Today I witnessed the most incredible sunrise. I was driving into work along the Charles River in Boston. The city has many layers with skyscrapers towering over the "old city" and the sun was just coming up, behind them and was bright red. It has been the only quiet time that I have had in recent days. I hope that you are experiencing the same beauty but with the constant peace I imagine Everest can grant. Tibet, the Himalayas and the Mountain must be incredible. A life changer! What an amazing journey that you are a part of. I am hoping the best for Ben and yourself today. Be strong. I leave for Georgia tomorrow. I will try to email next weekend when I get settled into my classes. I am guessing that the summit is any day? I will keep you in my thoughts. -Scott I look back over my adventures my fears, Those small ones that seem so big, For all of the vital things that I had to get and reach, Yet there is only one great thing, The only thing, To live and see the new day that dawns and the light that fills the world. Inniut Prayer, Song and Scott's favorite poem. | 1/3/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 149 | CleanVideoEpisode 031: Weather Report | "The train is coming tomorrow...". The weather reports we are getting are dismal. The thing is, you can't just keep waiting and waiting for good weather. It's time to put up or shut up. Tomorrow, Ben and Lhawang will return to ABC to see what can be done about getting to the top of this mountain. Our good friend, Denis, from one of the other expeditions has subscribed to some weather reports. Unfortunately, he had no computer with which to access them! Fortunately, he found us and we've worked out a symbiotic situation where he uses my computer to get the reports, then shares all of the information with us. I just wish he had better news to share. The reports keep calling for more wind up high and Bertrand is having none of it. He keeps joking, wishing that there were a train stop here at base camp. "If there were a train, I would take it home" he keeps muttering in his thick French accent. I bust up laughing every time he says it and it's been helping to break the tension of the weather situation. See, the climbers who are here on their own means have spent tens of thousands of dollars for the opportunity to summit Everest. Those who have been sponsored to be here (like Ben) feel a real pressure to at least try and summit. This holding pattern we've been in is getting to everyone. I think I can hear that ol' train a comin'. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:04 Denis' terrible weather forcast: Prévisions Everest bulletin du jeudi 8 mai 2003 Jeudi 8 : beau le matin, formation rapide des nuages d'après-midi avec de la neige, sommet de la couche 7000 m. Vent 7000 m : 50 d'ouest, nord-ouest faible en fin d'après-midi. 8000 m : 60 d'ouest, nord-ouest faible en fin d'après-midi. sommet : 90 d'ouest, ouest 40 en fin d'après-midi. Vendredi 9 : beau le matin, rapide formation des nuages d'après-midi donnant de la neige, sommet de la couche 7000 m. il neige pour la nuit. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest faible 8000 m : nord-ouest 60 sommet : ouest 100. samedi 10 : dégagé au-dessus de 7000 m, couche nuageuse entre 6 et 7000 m. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 50. 8000 m : nord-ouest 70. sommet : nord-ouest 90. dimanche 11 : juste un peu beau le matin, formation des nuages, bouché dès midi avec de la neige. Clair dans la nuit mais augmentation du vent. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 40. 8000 m : nord-ouest 60. sommet : nord-ouest 100, -30°. lundi 12 : beau temps la journée. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 60 8000 m : nord-ouest 80 sommet : nord-ouest 120. mardi 13 : beau temps. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 70. 8000 m : nord-ouest 90. sommet : nord-ouest 120. mercredi 14 : beau temps. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 70. 8000 m : nord-ouest 90. sommet : nord-ouest 130. Jeudi 15 : beau temps. Vent 7000 m : nord-ouest 70. 8000 m : nord-ouest 100. sommet : nord-ouest 150. Tendance : 16/17/18/ ouest 100 au sommet. 19/20/ sud-ouest 80 au sommet. 21/22/23/24 sud-ouest 40/50 au sommet. | 12/19/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 150 | CleanVideoEpisode 030: A Little Help From My Friends | It's All About Communication. I don't know when the team is going to be able to resume the climb again, or even if their gear has been blown off the mountain. This storm is still raging and it feels like there's no end in sight. If the gear cached on the North Col or above is gone, then it's game over. Period. Ben just returned from a solo trip to the Rhonbuk Monastery. He had been thinking about making the 14km round-trip for a few days now. So far all he's had time to tell me about the experience was that he was offered a can of Coca Cola and spent some time praying with our friend; the Lama who conducted our Puja a few weeks ago. I can't say for sure what transpired down there since I wasn't present, but I can tell you what happened when he returned. A few minutes ago, Pasang our ABC cook returned to base camp for some rest and good news. Some sherpa had climbed to the North Col to check on the conditions of various teams' gear. It was confirmed that our equipment is still there. It hadn't been blown off of the mountain. We're so thankful that Pasang has come down. I think of that runner in ancient Greece who traveled 26km from Marathon to Athens to communicate an important message. Pasang traveled 22km from ABC to BC to give us the good news. The timing is interesting, though. Seconds after hearing from Pasang, Ben walked up, returning from the Monastery. Coincidence? I don't think so. This is Tibet, and there's a certain power and mysticism about this place that I really can't put into words. All I can say is, I wasn't surprised. The gear is still in place. The game is not over. Period. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:18 Dispatch 31, May 6, 2003: Mount Everest Base-camp Like any other day during this storm it was unsafe to venture upward towards the mountain. I chose a different path. Concerned and deeply moved by the culture that surrounds the mountain and in turn gives it it’s meaning, I traveled through the gale to the Rhonbuk Monastery to visit a Llama or High priest who has been praying for our expedition. I did not come to Tibet to undergo a metaphysical transformation of religious beliefs. I also did not come here to absorb the trendy “Free Tibet” lingo of radicals who have never been here or seen the squat toilets we share with Tibetans. For what it is worth, I have not seen an absence of smiles and some Tibetans are proud of the growth in opportunity since the Chinese occupation. I don’t say this because I am a thoughtless man, I say it because I am critical, analytical and truth seeking. These traits keep me objective and grounded in reality despite such surreal liftoffs from the daily American routine. Sometimes though, the truth is a stretch I must swallow and endorse, no matter how fantastic. I visited the monk to investigate the tales and legends of Mount Everest or Chomolungma its Tibetan name. Although based on folklore and widespread variations over 5 million people on both sides of the peak do not call it Everest, when translated they refer to it as “the Mother Goddess of the Earth”. I argue against numbers regularly, but not 5 million people in the direct vicinity, not against my own experience here. It is an experience on a mountain with people from 15 nations interwoven with conversations and exchanges with a Llama, a high priest who has lived 4.5 miles from this mountain for over ten years. The Llama has visited us regularly since we had our puja blessing ceremony and told me that he prays for me regularly. I let him use my sat-phone and he returned with seeds blessed by the Oracle of the State of the Dalai Llama, he said these would protect me. I walked away from ABC as the storm began its approach. When the winds began to ravage the mountain he told me it was because something is angering the peak. The largest commercial expedition, one utilizing a contest and that has overlooked and used the culture here, lost all their tents on the upper mountain. | 12/13/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 151 | CleanVideoEpisode 029: Waiting Out The Weather | Everest Is Boring. It turns out that Everest can be as much about sitting around on your duff as it is about climbing. Why are we here, again? You mean we didn't come up here to sit around drinking tea and surf the internet over an unbelievably expensive satellite modem? Oh, that's right. We're here to stress out about the possible carnage of our gear up on the North Col... As the hours pass we've begun to get more visitors. It's well known that we have a very pleasant camp...and email. You wouldn't believe how important access to personal email is up here when you can't do any climbing! Luckily, people are coming for the Hotmail, but staying for the good company and conversation. It's all working out, and people are beginning to pool resources. We've become friends with a French expedition, whose leader has a subscription to a detailed weather service, but no computer with which to access it. I've been trading him airtime for these reports. I think he's getting the better end of the deal since the reports call for more terrible wind. I have to say, though, that the weather is really bringing people together and I'm getting to know many teams quite well. We're all in this together, and Base Camp is becoming rather neighborly. We have a climbing deficit, but a surplus of new friendships. Nothing wrong with that. We're turning lemons into lemonade, but everyone still thirsts to climb. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:42 Dispatch 30, May 5, 2003: Everest Base Camp More reports ring in as more hearts ring out sorrow. Like a lion shaking flies from it’s mane, Mount Everest is clearing away unwanted guests. Many come here with hopes of clear days and generous windows for perusing to the summit as if it were a walk. Those days are gifts; weather days like this are more common. On large commercial expeditions it is easy to be protected from the calamities of your average Everest Storm. It is also common to live the experience as if you rode around in the pope-mobile and therefore saw the world through a protective bubble. What has started to happen amidst this dream-crushing storm is more than a silver lining to a cloud of sorrow; it is the essence of climbing, camaraderie! The smaller teams, teams from around the world and generally here for the love of adventure and climbing, are pulling together and stringing whatever preliminary plans we can formulate to see to it that all our dreams are not lost. Many of the reports have already been confirmed that several of the tents at the North Col have been destroyed and are now lying on the glacier, torn to bits and over a thousand feet lower once the wind was finished with them. The tents are not the primary concern; it is what was in them. Standard climbing practice dictates that on a peak as large and with as many camps as Mount Everest, a climber will carry gear to a higher camp and leave it there so that the entire load is not on the climbers back each trip. Many climbers, myself included, made the trip to the North Col twice to leave our specialized Down high-altitude climbing suits, gloves, and sleeping bags so that we can conserve energy on our summit attempt. This practice is called “caching” and is the same practice that 95% of the climbers felt comfortable doing. This year’s Everest is not so forgiving; thankfully the international community of climbers here is more understanding and willing to unite for this common goal. As more reports drift in we are all taking stock and working towards finding solutions to lost gear and supplies. I find it hard to believe there would be any other way to go about this mountain, no matter what country you come from, it is hard to get here and even harder to give up if your fellow man can help! Each day people from six countries gather around the computer to check the weather forecast and plan our ascent. Ben Clark | 12/5/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 152 | CleanVideoEpisode 028: “He Was Good Boy” | This Is The Turning Point. It's become obvious that Everest is trying to separate the wheat from the chaff up here. The wind is non-stop and it's starting to affect more than our morale. Not long ago, Lhawang spoke to Lhakpa who is still up at ABC. There are only a few climbers up there right now as almost every team is taking "shelter" here at base camp. The report from Lhakpa indicated that many tents up on the North Col have blown away. They are literally GONE from the mountain. Now, there are always going to be the spare tent that can be carried up to replace the missing ones, but it's the contents of those tents that is the heartbreaking part. Those shelters were also high-altitude storage lockers. Inside was everything that some climbers were going to need to summit this peak. For some teams, the climb is over and they don't even know it yet. Are we on that list? We'll only know once this windstorm is over...and there's no sign of that happening in the next couple of days. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:57 Dispatch 29, May 4, 2003 Base Camp The climb did not begin today. The mountain is shrouded a plume of snowy white debris and winds of hurricane force. This is the beginning of an already building situation of International concern in our community at Everest base-camp. Like any community there are problems to fix and solutions to engineer within this environment where over 350 people now live. The primary concerns of staying healthy and sustaining life are met with ease by medical facilities provided by a Russian expedition from St. Petersburg and the British Royal Navy. Supplies are restocked via daily shipments from Lhasa, Tibet. Kathmandu was also a provider of goods until recently when the border was shut down to guard against the spread of SARS. Although we are safe from this rare disease in base camp, it has been a major cause of concern and blocked facilitation of many of the electrical and agricultural demands of base-camps needs. Mount Everest base-camp is a place that has been built twice a year for over twenty years and has also grown into a sustainable economy capable of creating it’s own suburb, a place called barter town. It is the equivalent of any series of rudimentary conveniences you might find nestled alongside the Interstate exit to a cities primary means of access. If you seek a need to glamorize it; it is to us as Buckhead is to Atlanta. Barter town exists for food and entertainment purposes and for emergency restocking needs. The real story here is that despite the industrial makings of a community, it is the people knit together the strength of Mount Everest Base-camp. Northern Ireland, A catholic and a Protestant climb together, St. Petersburg, Russia, a team led by one of Russia’s greatest athletes shares the luxury of their generator with two separate American expeditions. The British Royal Navy has computer and camera problems, we seek to correct them. It is a world bonded by a common goal, and now facing directly an unknown and epic tragedy. The last few days have seen winds that the Sherpa’s say they have never before witnessed on Mount Everest. Reports fly from camp to camp, tent to tent until insidiously all of us believe we are next to go home. Why? Mount Everest is having a 50th anniversary party of it’s own. It is cleaning it’s slopes camp by camp, 8300 meters, 7800 meters, 7500 meters, the North Col. In the days following it’s initial onslaught several Sherpa’s have made their way to these camps to find nothing but shredded nylon and tattered ropes. For those of us who rest here patiently watching our own tents fly into the air and across the gravelly landscape of base-camp, it will be days before we know if our hopes are scattered about high in the Himalayas with our supplies for climbing the upper mountain. Ben Clark | 11/29/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 153 | CleanVideoEpisode 027: You’ve Got Mail! | Mountain Man. Wow is it windy these days. We're experiencing some of the worst weather events in recent memory up here! It wouldn't be so bad if you could just be outside a little bit. I don't think anyone comes to Everest to sit in a tent all day when there's a blue sky. It's strange, the sky has been brilliantly clear and there's been no rain or snow, but we're still pinned inside for fear of blowing away. The time spent "inside" has given us the opportunity to catch up on emails and writing our dispatches. This has probably been keeping us sane even though you can really feel the onset of cabin fever. A lot of people have been following the expedition over the internet back home in the States. This is so cool, and we're constantly getting emails from total strangers telling us how inspired they feel from the news we're sending back. It means so much to us... The one thing going for us is the food here at our camp. Dawa is a freaking genius with a skillet and pressure cooker. Most of the other teams are constantly complaining about how bad their food is but we're looking forward to each meal. Thank you Dawa, thank you. We owe you our lives. To top it off, Major left his bottle of Mountain Man Hot Sauce and we're putting it to good use. Thanks for the fiery morning constitution, Major! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:36 Dispatch 28, May 3, 2003,: Base-camp Whew! This is my last rest day before taking off tomorrow for ABC! Not a minute too soon either, I’ve been resting pretty hard. In fact, I think that when it comes down to resting, sitting in a chair and corresponding with all of you is the best way to insure I won’t be stressing my body out at all! Our plan is to leave tomorrow, May 4. We will be making the twelve-mile hike to Advanced Base Camp and then resting for a few days before plodding our way up the North Col and into two more camps before we will be camping at just over 8300 meters. We will make our way up the remaining 1500’ from 27,500’ to the summit on what will ideally be a perfect weather day between the 10th and 14th of May. Anything less than a perfect day or a day like we are having today where all the tents are whipping like johnson grass in the wind and the 70 mph jet-stream is stripping our future trail of snow, and well, we may not make it. Folks, that is the luck of the draw. As I prepare for the climb, I want everyone to know that I appreciate all of your support. The prayers, the questions, the curiosity and the stories we have shared over the last month have been very comforting amidst such adverse conditions and truly allowed me to focus intently on appreciating and understanding the experience so that I can relay it to you. I am also inspired by the heartfelt and inquisitive responses that I have gotten from so many of you who I know have no desire to be here but are still interested in this amazing experience. On our summit day we will leave around 4 AM, it will be very cold and I will be very determined to stay focused on survival and making good judgment calls each step of the way. Most mountains I go to I know whether I will make it to the top or not, this one…we can only see. That isn’t the greatest draw of the experience but it certainly peaks my interest as an explorer, with so many factor’s present I can only assure one thing, I will do my best! Thanks Everyone! Ben Clark | 11/16/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 154 | CleanVideoEpisode 026: Trouble By The Foot | My Meat Foot. Ok, Ok, Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have gone all the way to ABC at 21,000 feet. The funny thing is that the altitude wasn't a problem. Only in the morning. I'd wake up and would have my vision be somewhat spotty, strobing and tracing. After I'd stumble down the path to the "bathroom" and nearly careen down the slope into the Romanian tents (ABC has no ground, it's all a glacial moraine which means it's all loose rock like a scree slope) my vision would clear up. Usually just as I was pulling down my pants to do my business in the open air toilet I'd look over and see a member of the British Royal Navy Team squatting on his open air toilet and we'd wave to each other. Friendship in misery. After a time at ABC, I realized it was beautiful but it sucked up there. You just can't rest. The entire time you can feel your body deteriorating. So, it was time to climb down. I made the 22km in one very long day but it was very painful. In fact I totally messed up my left foot. I've never had a problem with my boots, but leave it to Everest to change that. The trail is only loose rock and every step I took pounded my toenail into the front of the boot. By the time I made it back to BC, I knew it was a bad situation. I had a terrible pain in that Big Toe, but I was just too tired to deal with it that evening. I slept and the next morning inspected the damage. My toe didn't look like a toe anymore. In fact, one of my French friends, Bertrand, described it as a sausage floating in water. It was really surreal to look at my toe and think it was an alien. Luckily, my Russian friends have a doctor here at Base Camp. I'm really good friends with him, Dmitri. I hobbled over to the camp and went into their Comm tent. He wasn't there but some other friends were. Vova said he thought I looked in pain. I took off my sock and they all yelped in Russian. Vova jumped up, slapped me on the shoulder and ran out to find Dr. Dima. Minutes later my foot was in this huge surgeon's fleeced lap. He said it would take a small operation and that I would be fine. He said something in Russian to Vova who immediately jumped up and disappeared from the tent. Seconds later he returned with a bottle of whiskey. Dima handed the bottle and suggested I drink up."For pain." I grabbed the bottle and thought of every Old West movie I'd ever seen, looking around for a wooden spoon or something to put between my teeth and bite down on. I raised the bottle to my lips and was about to drink when Dima grabbed the bottle. The joke was on me. The whiskey was actually rubbing alcohol and he was only kidding about me needing to drink up. Apparently Russian airlines do not allow the passengers to transport running alcohol in their luggage, yet they DO allow unbelievably high proof liquor. Dima simply fills an empty whiskey bottle with rubbing alcohol and can easily sneak it through security! I washed my foot, then Dima shot my toe up with novocain and sterilized his tools with the alcohol and cut here and there releasing pressure, then cut away the nail. It was gross, but I was fascinated! Afterwards, he put a ton of Russian antibiotic cream on it and wrapped it in sterile gauze his wife had carefully prepared in St Petersburg (she's apparently an anesthesiologist). In 30 minutes it was all taken care of and only hurt a lot for a minute. That was 3 days ago and every morning Dima comes over and gently changes my dressing. These people are so great. I offered to pay since I have some cash on me but Dima just raised his finger to his head and twirled his finger to say I was crazy. I almost cried. I would be totally in trouble of infection without him. But he really cares about my well being and I'm being taken care of with immaculate care. He said I was his first American patient and I said he was my first Russian doctor. All in broken English, of course. I'll never forget the generosity I've experienced here. | 11/8/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 155 | CleanVideoEpisode 025: Back To Base Camp | Give It a Rest. Even here at ABC, I still can't believe I'm here at Everest! This is one of the problems with being a photographer: sometimes you need to put the camera down and experience things for real. It's too easy to view your world as an outside observer through the lens. This is why, after so much planning and reading and thinking about Everest, it is easy to forget that I'm not just watching all of this on a tiny video monitor in the viewfinder...I'm actually here! Wait a minute, was that a little difficult to follow? Maybe it's time to head back down to Base Camp and breathe the thicker air! Just let me get a few more shots first... Yesterday Ben, Lhawang and Lhakpa returned from their acclimatization trip up to 7900 meters. They spent last night up on the North Col (6900 meters) and descended to ABC this morning. It was very exciting for me to watch them return. It's always good to know for sure that your friends are doing OK and are safe. Apparently the climb up to their recent highpoint was extremely difficult for Ben. But he made it, and it will be easier the next time as they head for the summit. Who knows exactly when that will be? First we have to return to BC for a few days to let the team rebuild their strength. Luckily, it's easier to walk downhill than uphill so we can make the 22km trek back to camp in one day instead of two. It's hard to believe that we've been gone from our families and friends for nearly a month...and that we've got more than a month left to go. It's actually quite surreal. Yesterday was my mother's birthday. I called her today on the sat phone since it was still yesterday in the USA (chew on that!) to wish her a happy one. 10 years ago to the day she got an important phone call from my brother Eric to say that his first child had been born. Now, a decade later, she received a phone call from another son from Mount Everest. I wonder what amazing thing our other brother will call her about on her birthday 10 years from now? No pressure, Chris. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 15:12 Dispatch 24, April 26, 2003: Advanced Base Camp, 21,000’ I awoke today at 23,000’+ a little tired from the first foray to 25,000’+. Not to worry though, I’m heading down to ABC where I have heard that Jon, our film director, has ultimately made the highest and hardest hike of his life. A non-climber, I am very proud of Jon for making it to 21,000’, he really goes above and beyond what I ever expected! I will rest here for two days and return to base camp. Ben Clark | 11/1/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 156 | CleanVideoEpisode 024: 7900 Meters | A Personal Altitude Record. I awoke on this first morning at Everest's North Side ABC with the most beautiful sight. No, it wasn't the world's highest peak, but the intricate lace of frost that had formed on the inside of my tent. Up here at 6400 meters, or 21,000 feet the temperature drops dramatically overnight. Although it can feel like you can't breathe well up here, you actually can quite well, and the water vapor from your breath magically freezes into beautiful frost patterns on the nylon tent cloth above you. I didn't think I was going to sleep very well, but I did. My head was a lot clearer this morning than yesterday morning and as I was layering up with clothes I realized that I was sitting in a tent nearly a thousand feet higher than the summit of Alaska's Mount McKinley; the great Denali. "Well, " I thought to myself, "this is a personal altitude record! I wonder what's for breakfast?" I managed to stumble into our ABC cooking tent and was greeted with the news that the climbing team had grand plans for ascending to 7900 meters to continue their task of acclimatization. Now that's getting up there in altitude. Later on in the day I discovered that they did, indeed make it to their goal of over 25,000 feet and had made the return trip back to the North Col safely. This was a personal altitude record for Ben, as well. Hooray for us! It was a good day. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:38 Dispatch 23, April 25, 2003, North Col 23,000’+ Today I set a new personal altitude record, 25,000’+. It was a struggle but the most rewarding time of the expedition. It was a constant battle with many small victories. Nothing is like working hard at high altitude. Laboring from early morning until the afternoon I had a great time. Every step was like lifting a 500 lb. weight up to my chest but in reality it was more like lifting my foot 8” and taking two breathes per step. Each step would seem like an eternity. I am climbing at this altitude without supplemental oxygen and it is the most fascinating sensation I have ever encountered. Sometimes I would look west to 26,900’ Cho Oyu and it would seem as if it were at eye level. I would look east and there would be nothing but a barren brown desert beyond white capped Himalayan jewels. I thought about the hundreds of hours and thousands of steps I put into each tiny increment I could muster at this altitude and when I reached 7900 meters it was one of the most exhilarating accomplishments I have ever felt. It was vindication for all my work and yet it was an introduction to the Death Zone. I know now what I am up against, I know now how I am going to deal with it, one step at a time, ten feet at a stretch and humbled by whatever this magnificent force will give me! Ben Cark | 10/25/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 157 | CleanVideoEpisode 023: Climbing The North Col | Seeing Spots. I might not be a mountaineer, but it's time for me to climb Everest. Well, up to ABC anyway. The altitude up high is making my vision and balance a little funny. We left BC a couple of days ago and headed up the well worn path leading up to Interim Camp. Man, not my favorite place in the world but only had to spend a few hours of sleep there. Today, Andre (the 68-year-old Belgian climber sharing our camp) and I trudged up to ABC. This was one of the most difficult days I've ever had. I found the altitude very difficult to hike through. It wasn't so much that I was tired, I JUST COULD NOT MOVE MY LEGS WELL. It's bizarre and I felt like I was walking through quicksand. Every step made it more difficult to move forward. Andre was doing very well and was gracious to stay by my side the entire couple of days we've spent walking. Our mantra was, "Slowly, slowly..." and it worked. I'm here. For the last few kilometers I don't think I was able to take more than a step every 3 or 4 seconds. I could see ABC, but I just couldn't get there! Boca Lama cruised down once Dawa arrived ahead of me at camp and found me sitting on a boulder a km or so away from camp. He brought tea and cookies with him. These guys are amazing, and I love them dearly. He grabbed by pack and allowed me to walk unburdened for the final stretch. So generous. When I finally stumbled into the mess tent, I sat down at the table and felt this great rush of awareness that I did not have to walk any further. I began to sob. I had made it to 21,000' on my own two feet. Standing outside my tent you can see the summit which looks amazingly close. You also get an amazing view of the North Col--where Ben is right now. He and Lhawang and Lhakpa set out to climb up there yesterday. I can't imagine what it must be like. I look forward to seeing my friends when they return to ABC in a few days. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:08 Dispatch 16, April 24, 2003, Everest Basecamp Hello everyone! Now that the power situation has been solved, I'm off to ABC to check in with Ben himself. What this means is that in 5 days or so I'll have a lot to write all of you about, but in the meantime you'll just have to wait for the next dispatch. Like I said in my last letter, computers just aren't reliable at 21,000 feet. So I will not be taking any of our technology up to ABC. Only a video camera. But I will do some recording with Ben and will send a video out when I return to BC. Before I head up, I just wanted to clarify a few things. I have received a few emails wondering if Ben is Ill. No, he is doing fine and the expedition is moving forward just as planned. There have been some complications but everyone is safe and well. Major King, the wonderful Colorado Videographer who you may remember from some of Ben's dispatches, did have to leave early. Major developed symptoms of HAPE (altitude sickness) and was actually in grave danger here at Basecamp. Luckily, we had a vehicle at the ready and he was able to make it back to Kathmandu in just over a day. He spent some time in a hospital there in Kathmandu ("anticlimactic" as he put it in an email to me) and flew home to his family in Ft Collins in time to enjoy Easter Sunday. HAPE can happen to anyone regardless of their fitness level or preparedness. Luckily, Major was able to get himself down to a lower altitude as quickly as possible--the best treatment. Again, Major is at home and JUST FINE. We miss him dearly and know that leaving was the only option. He did a fantastic job of documenting the trip on video from Denver to Basecamp. He will continue to be a member of this expedition. That's all for now, the Yaks are being loaded as I type this. I'll be back in touch in a few days with much more information on Ben and the Everest 2003 Expedition. Stay Tuned. Jon Miller | 10/17/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 158 | CleanVideoEpisode 022: French Cooking, Part 1 | Do You Want Fries With That? A few days ago the final 4 members of our Everest expedition arrived at BC. Two Frenchmen, a Belgian and a Sherpa drove up from Tingri. Kind of sounds like the opening to a bad joke, but I have no idea what the punch line would be! The two French climbers are Bertrand and Alain, the Belgian is Andre and the Sherpa is Dawa Chiri whom I met back in Kathmandu. I'm very pleased to have them here; they seem like very interesting people. Everyone but Andre speaks a bit of english. Andre is a 68-year-old climber who will be attempting Everest for the second time. If successful, he'll be the oldest climber to summit the world's highest peak. Alain and Andre are doing well after arriving at 17,000 feet but Bertrand has been suffering from a touch of the altitude sickness. Today we rolled out their rented Gamow bag and tried it out. It's a small hyperbaric chamber used to simulate lower altitudes.You can tell that we all must be suffering from the lack of oxygen up here since we placed the bag in direct sunlight! Bertrand climbed into the airtight bag and we all took turns pumping it full of air. Everything seemed fine until I noticed that Bertrand's little porthole window was fogging up. The sun is quite powerful up here and I soon realized that it was slowly cooking this poor, afflicted frenchman! The horror, the horror... After about 45 minutes we released him from his pressure cooker and as soon as his damp clothing touched the cool BC air he immediately became cold and shivering. Ah, climbing Everest is so glamorous. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:44 To: Susan Miller From: Jonathan Miller Date: 04/24/2003 05:41AM Subject: All is well Mom, I take long naps while Ben is climbing. I have a cough I can't seem to shake. Not too bad, but I've been resting a lot to try to shake it. I can't communicate with Ben right now because he's not high enough and is behind Changtse, a minor peak (if you consider 7,583 meters minor). We just installed our radio base station and maybe tonight we can hear them up there at 21,000 feet. I've heard the climbing is going well for all teams. Maybe by the 3rd of May people will be standing on the summit! Seems a little bit early, though. I spend my day hanging with Tom and the Russian doctor Dima (Dmitri) and then I do some editing and then I nap. Yes, the good cook Dawa is still here and we talk in slow English in the evening. Two more clients showed up yesterday. They are from France and I really like them. Allan is 58 and Bertrand is 50. They will attempt the summit without Oxygen. I'm really enjoying their company and I know it's the same for them. there's another , Belgian, that showed up with the two French guys. I want to say his name is Andre but I'm not entirely sure. He is really cool too. 68 years old and trying Everest for the second time in 3 years. He made it up to 8000 meters in 2000 and turned around. He was not using Oxygen. He will this time. He's a character. That's all for now, Mom, but thanks for keeping the emails coming. Love, Jon | 10/11/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 159 | CleanVideoEpisode 021: ABC FYI | "Pretty Mellow". A climb of Mount Everest truly begins at ABC. Advanced Base Camp is the first major camp past BC, and where many climbers spend most of their time. It is about 22km from this gravel pit we call Base Camp, but like most things around here, it's a world away. Most climbers take a couple of days to make the BC-ABC journey their first time, but I'm told that by the end of the expedition it will only take them around 5 hours! See, that's the power of acclimatization. And that's why so many climbers will stay close to ABC for the duration of the climb. The longer they stay up high, the more their bodies will adjust to the altitude. Well, to a point. Even down here at BC I can tell that I'm losing weight. My friend Dima, the Russian doktor, repeatedly muses about how people are just not designed to live up here at these altitudes. He and I are both "stationed" at BC and are only going to briefly visit ABC. I can't imagine what it will be like to LIVE up there for weeks at a time! I have to say, though, that I'm looking forward to the hike up to ABC. My worries about altitude sickness are now behind me and the pounding headache has all but vanished. I feel strong and able. And I have to say that I'm really excited about the footage I'm going to be able to shoot. I've got all of my batteries charged and a seemingly endless supply of blank tape. I'll head up in a few days and I'm fully prepared. What could possibly go wrong? Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:44 Dispatch 16, April 24, 2003, Everest Base camp Hello, everyone! This is Jon Miller here. I just wanted to break the silence and let everyone know that Ben is doing fine and the expedition is proceeding just as we all had hoped. Unfortunately for the dispatches, this is the Himalayas and you have to roll with the punches. I have been having many power difficulties and have been unable to write everyone and keep them in the loop as to how the climb is going. We finally did receive the generator we had been longing for only to have it run for one day and then die on us. Dawa, the Base camp cook, and I dismantled the machine yesterday afternoon and raised the poor Honda from the dead. All of my batteries are now being charged and all is returning to normal. Here's the stats on Ben: 5 days ago Ben and his climbing Sherpas loaded up 42 Yaks and set off for Advanced Base Camp (ABC). ABC is at an altitude of 6,300 meters (21,000 feet). The team arrived at ABC after two days of walking and a night spent acclimatizing at the interim camp, also known as camp one. If Base camp is Home, then ABC is now Ben's Home away from Home as he will spend the majority of his time from this point forward at ABC. There is more of the team at ABC now than there is at Base camp that the cooking tent here at BC is going to be sent up to ABC to accommodate the hungry climbers! As I write this, Ben and his team are climbing up to the North Col camp at 7,000 meters (23,000). If the weather is good up there, they will spend the night at this higher camp before returning to ABC for a night. The process of climbing Everest involves going up and down many times to give your body a chance to become accustomed to the altitude. Although the weather does seem good today when I look at Everest, the winds could be severe on the higher reaches of the peak. Ben & Co. are extremely safe climbers and will not risk an evening at the North Col if the conditions are not favorable. If all goes well, Ben will soon be climbing up to 7,900 meters (26,000 feet). I an using the metric elevations due to the fact that climbing Everest is an international endeavor. There are many teams here from all over the world and only the Americans use standard measurements. Talking with Ben before he departed for ABC, he told me he was very excited to achieve 7900 meters since he had never climbed as high before. Ben has been adjusting to the altitude extremely well, | 10/4/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 160 | CleanVideoBonus Episode: The Dalai Lama | Special Bonus Episode: The Dalai Lama Visits Colorado. On September 17th, 2006, His Holiness, Tendzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama visited the Shamhala Mountain Center near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Before a crowd of 2,500 onlookers, he blessed the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. At 108 feet tall, the Great Stupa is the largest example of Buddhist architecture in North America. Please enjoy this video from the event. If you would like more information on the Shambhala Mountain Center and the Great Stupa, please visitwww.shambhalamountain.org If you're going to be visiting Northern Colorado, definitely consider a trip to the Great Stupa. Better yet, contact me and perhaps I could tag along! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 25:07 | 9/29/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 161 | CleanVideoEpisode 020: Technical Technicalities | O Generator, Where Art Thou? Everest Base Camp might be in the wilderness, but there's more technology here than in some small countries. Luckily, our little generator has arrived from Kathmandu. When you're shooting a film about Everest, the one thing you always need is the ability to charge your batteries. I've been filming now for over a week without our own power source and it's been a little dicey. Luckily I've befriended the Russian team next door and they have been very generous with their large generator. Right when we arrived, Lhawang was able to bribe the Chinese Mountaineering officials to let us use their generator. The price? Well, they just wanted to be able to borrow the collection of DVD movies I have brought along! Now, I've got pretty good taste in films, and they apparently do as well. My copy of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was visibly missing from its case when the movies were returned. I guess they just really like that good old-timey music. If you listen carefully, when the wind isn't blowing too hard you can hear verses of "Man of Constant Sorrow" or the more fitting "Big Rock Candy Mountain" streaming from the administrative bunker on the other side of camp. Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow In the Big Rock Candy Mountains Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:37 Email From Jon's Twin Brother Chris, April 22nd, 2003 Hey Jon, Hard to believe you're at Everest. I've been out of contact because I was studying so hard for my engineering test, but I took it last weekend and I have all this free time now (so I can start writing you). I sounds like things are all working out - I check my e-mail for dispatches about 10 times a day (partially because I'm still not sure what time of the day it is there compared to here). You probably received a note from mom just before this one - she's visiting until tomorrow afternoon. Are you doing alright at that elevation? Getting over the headaches yet? I've always said I don't want to get into real mountaineering (anything more that the sierras or rocky's) because it is just too damn uncomfortable - and here you are at Everest. What are you doing with your time - getting work done on the film, hanging around with an international crowd that speaks about 20 words of english - and who aren't even sure they like Americans ever since Bush acquired a foreign policy? How's that 100 person Chinese team - that must be kind of like a zoo visiting their camp. Anyway, mom and I are going to go visit town and the future site of my house and all that mom-visit stuff. I should say that I expect that I failed the engineering test - I'm thinking i have a 40% chance of passing it (which, by coincidence, is the passing rate for the exam in general). I think I did really well on the first half (120 questions in the morning 4 hours) but poorly on the second half (60 questions in 4 hours), so it's just a matter of whether the morning was good enough to bump the afternoon above a combined 70%. I was so tense studying that the night before the test, at about 9:00 PM I went to stretch and actually tweaked my back so badly that I had a hard time breathing - let alone trying to sleep that night, and the next day I couldn't turn my neck at all (which made the proctors of the test hover over me like vultures since if I wanted to see how many folks had finished the test at any point I had to move my entire body around to take a look - and proctors see that kind a thing and don't like it much - I even had one guy more-or-less plant himself right in front of me for the last 30 minutes of the PM test). I'll start writing you more often now. Mom and I are going to run, so we'll check in later today I'm sure. Talk to you soon. Love, Chris. He passed the test with flying colors. -Jon | 9/27/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 162 | CleanVideoEpisode 019: The Climb Begins | Time To Climb! Finally, the Everest climb has begun in earnest. Today, the team consisting of Lhawang, Ben, Lhakpa, Boca Lama and Pasang started up the trail to Advanced Base Camp. Well, the five of them and 40-50 yaks and their herders, or "Yak Boys" as Lhawang calls them. I feel like I've been gone from the USA (and my wife) for several months now even though it's only been a few weeks. It was amazing to see the team off. All of this effort, planning, waiting and anticipating and now they're finally starting to climb Everest! I will be staying down here at BC for a few more days before joining the rest of the team up at ABC for some more filming. We are expecting four more climbers to arrive any day now from Kathmandu. Apparently, there are going to be two French climbers, a Belgian climber and finally Dawa Chiri Sherpa will all be coming to round out the 12 person climbing permit. Also, Lhawang has told me that Karma has promised my gasoline-powered generator will arrive with them. For a camera-guy in the middle of nowhere with a job to do and not much battery power left to do it, I'm pretty excited about that generator! The non-stop filming has also been taking it's toll on me. I need a little break to organize my gear and clear my head. This is the perfect opportunity. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:18 Email Between Jon and Ben's Parents, April 22nd, 2003 Jerry, Jon here. Ben is up at ABC and doing fine. We have had some issues with reaching ABC by radio but we've been working on the Base Station Radio set that just arrived today. Much more powerful. ABC is behind a minor peak in front of Everest and that's why the radios haven't been working. I'm planning on sending out a guest book dispatch soon as I get some info from Ben, the man with the plan. My health is kind of being creamed by a cough I can't shake, otherwise Dawa the cook and I would head up to ABC right away to check it out. I'm fine, but will have to wait a few more days before heading up to 21,000 feet. Rest assured all is well with Ben and I'm sure he's having a blast! The sherpas he's with are so much fun and are extremely good at what they do. Ben's doing it, he's really doing it. --Jon Thanks for the update Jon. You go easy, get plenty of fluids and continue to acclimatize. We weren't worried about you all - I figured there was some kind of problem with power or radios. There are always technical glitches that occur when you try out new equipment and methods. Just keep us posted every 2 or 3 days even if you don't hear from him. Makes us feel better! Jerry | 9/20/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 163 | CleanVideoEpisode 018: Yak-Tastic! | Yak Yak Yak. Yesterday everything we own here was weighed to discover how many yaks will be needed for the trip up to ABC. Today, it's time to pack up and ship out! All of our yaks and their herders are on scene this morning to load all of our materials on these hearty animals. I thought the yaks would actually be larger. They look exactly how I imagined them, from a distance, but get closer and you realize that they're actually quite small. Just like I feel I tower over my sherpa friends (I'm over 6 feet tall) I feel I tower over my new yak friends. Wait, I take that back, the yaks are not my friends. They are extremely weary, paranoid animals and give me very untrusting stares. How can you blame them? They're probably thinking to themselves, "Hmm, what's that guy going to lash to my back and make me carry?" Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:57 Email from Major King, April 20th, 2003 Hey Jon, A quick note to say I made it back to the U.S. I guess it feels good to be back. I get the feeling I will forever be haunted by the way things ended up for me. What happened had to happen the way it did. In retrospect I am not second-guessing; I HAD to leave. I just wish I had not got sick. Please do not beat yourself up about the way things transpired. You helped me immensely in a time of very great need and I will never forget it. I have never felt so sick in my life or been so scared or felt so alone and helpless in my life. The hospital stay in Kathmandu was anticlimactic but very necessary. It gave me some good war stories to tell over cocktails! It just wasn't much fun anymore without you and Ben to share with. The Nepal doctor said wait a week before flying home. Not an option. I left a day after checking out and was home on Easter Sunday afternoon. Hang in there and make us all proud! Give Ben all the support you can muster. Remember how boring your life will seem when you get back. I will try to fire off an E-mail direct to Ben very soon, but if he's with you now, say hello and tell him I'm pulling for him a hundred percent. I miss you guys. Send me your home phone number (again) and we will call Heidi and get together with her. And finally, you will be pleased to know I still have not had a solid s**t since before Zhang Mu on the way up. I am telling you this because I know that you would want to know. But running hot water SURE FEELS GOOD, BUDDY!! Talk to you soon and thanks again for all you did - it was a lot and I love you for it. Your friend, (The Real) Major Video | 9/13/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 164 | CleanVideoEpisode 017: Weighing The Expedition | Things Are Getting Heavy. Climbing Everest is not like a typical backpacking trip. We have so much gear and food that you can almost hear the mountain groan under our weight. This is pretty much par for the course. Imagine packing up everything you own and moving it to a gravel pit in the middle of nowhere. This is what we've accomplished so far! They were a day late, but the men who organize the yaks came today and literally weighed everything we plan on taking up the mountain with us. The yaks will carry everything up to Advanced Base Camp (6000 meters, 21,000 feet). These creatures are everywhere up here and they are constantly streaming past our camp. Apparently, they can only carry 50 or so kilograms each and hence the need to weigh everything. This also gives them the opportunity to figure out exactly how many yaks we will actually need to hire. After all of the weighing was complete the man in charge joined Lhawang and Dawa in our dome tent and figured out how much this is all going to cost our expedition. I don't know how much money was exchanged, but I do know that it took nearly 30 minutes to count it all. After that, a bottle of whiskey was passed around to seal the deal. Apparently, we'll be utilizing 46 yaks. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:13 Dispatch 15, April 18, 2003, Everest Base camp Today was supposed to be the day we would begin our first ascent onto higher ground and closer to the mountain. Tibet is a third world country. Dates that are dependent on something other than your own team are often arbitrary. Our departure time this morning was supposed to come after yak herders had weighed our expedition duffels. These duffels are full of food and supplies for building another base-camp further up the mountain at 21,000’. Our plan was to go to an intermediate camp at 18,500’ tonight and advance to 21,000’ the following day. What’s the problem? The yak herder’s and their very stubborn negotiator came armed with calculators and pens amidst dreadlocks and two poles with a 75 Kg weight on one end. Lhawang did his best to deal with this rag tag operation that was nearly 10 hours late and yet still commanded a $1400 fee for transport. Today was still very fulfilling. I spent two hours talking foreign policy, climbing history, and technology with Anatoly Moshnikov, one of Russia’s most decorated Alpinists and a genuine lifelong adventurer. Anatoly and I found common ground in our perception of the world. Anatoly is my senior by a good 30 years but we both could see how happy the Tibetan people are. Although there is some oppression, there are smiles and gestures that prove that although these people have less then we do, they have found quality in their life. No amount of donations or foreign aid can replace that, only smiles and warm gestures from Westerners can reinforce it. Everest base-camp is a place that brings together many people united amongst one goal, to enjoy the mountain and to learn from the culture. Ben Clark | 8/9/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 165 | CleanVideoEpisode 016: Puja Party and More Packing | Party Over Here. With our Everest puja concluded, we finished things off with a party the likes of which I'd never seen before. Really, I'm no stranger to the occasional rager, but we really kicked it Tibetan style on this one. Immediately after the puja finished, the Sherpa guys brought out a few trays of food and several bottles of Chivas Regal that were sitting next to the monks throughout the ceremony. Within seconds we had a team of yak herders climbing our hillside to join in on our modest party. Our Russian friends were there as well and we exchanged cheers, first in Russian (Na zdorovje) then in Tibetan (far too complicated for me to write down in my hypoxic state.) I really don't remember how the party ended as areas of my short term memory seem to be affected by this place, but inevitably everyone decided it was time to get back to work. This morning the guys are busy, as usual, getting ready for "The Great Weighing" where all of the supplies to be taken up the mountain literally need to be weighed. This is all part of the process since everything will be transported up to ABC by yak. Unfortunately, the crew that has been scheduled to weigh everything is running late, and so we're going to fall a day behind schedule. I spoke with Lhawang briefly about this and he says he's not concerned in the least. We'll get everything weighed tomorrow. The team will leave for ABC in just a couple of days now... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:20 Email from Major's wife, Nancy Jon, I finally tracked down Major last night. He had been in the hospital for 3 days and had no way of calling anyone. He did have HAPE complicated by pneumonia and is doing better now. The doctors want him to wait 2-7 days before flying, but Karma has already booked his ticket for Sat. morning. It will be sooooo good to have him home. Hope all is well with you guys and stay safe. You are a good friend and I don't know what Major would have done without you up there. Your both in our prayers. Nancy | 8/2/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 166 | CleanVideoEpisode 015: The Puja | Asking Everest's Permission. This afternoon we had our Puja ceremony to try and get the mountain's blessing before beginning the climb. A couple of monks arrived from the Rongbuk Monastery down the valley to conduct the ceremony. They began by creating several intricate sculptures out of yak butter and tsampa, a roasted barley flour. Once that was all finished, we headed up the hillside above our camp to the little chorten we built a few days ago. The two monks set up shop and began a cacophony of tibetan chanting and bell ringing. It was really interesting to watch and I climbed all over the hillside trying to film it all! At the base of our little stone stupa, we placed all of the items we wanted to be blessed during the ceremony. This being a climbing expedition, there was a plethora of ice axes, crampons, ascenders...and an Apple G4 Powerbook laptop computer. Hey, just because I'm not climbing the upper reaches of the mountain doesn't mean I haven't got anything to lose! The ceremony was wonderful and lasted for an hour or so with about two hours of pre-puja setup. I was thinking it was going to be very formal and alien to me since I don't understand Tibetan, but the monks sure were nice and inviting. They smiles a lot. It was very relaxing and casual, providing ample time to watch and reflect upon the climb ahead. Lhawang and the rest of the Nomad team are very generous and invited anyone passing by to join us. The team of Russians from St Petersburg joined in the festivities and we just all sat under the impossible bright sun, drinking chai, watching the monks chant away and ring bells and throw rice into the air. I've never really been a very religious person, but this was certainly a spiritual ceremony that I can really get behind. It was just wonderful. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:15 Dispatch 13, April 16, 2003, Everest Base Camp The mountain is alive. I walked up to 18,500’ today against a heavy gale. By the time I got within range of finally seeing the full grandeur off the north face of Everest, the cloud called a lenticular made it clear today wasn’t the day. When I returned to base-camp, clouds of dust seized everything in their path. Climbers covered their mouths or stayed inside a tent covering their hot “Sherpa Tea” lest it should become a cup full of mud! Just sitting here will surprise you. Everest is a complex environment. Everest is a fascinating adventure thus far, even without being on the mountain yet. The people who expedition here are friendly and forthright and some are strictly commercial and profit driven. They come from Russia, New Zealand, China, Korea, all over America, and offer cultural gestures and information about destinations they call home. Some keep to themselves overly concerned about live television broadcasts from the summit to prove that risk and death can be averted. I think that is a shame, it is overlooking the real story behind Everest, it’s heritage. It is not just world’s highest mountain, it isn’t just a pile of rock and ice that produces gold, it is a people’s sacred landscape, it is a peoples story. It is not my place to lament the ambitious, I too am guilty of coming to Everest and sharing my perspective and reasons. I believe everyone has the right to their style. But, maybe I’m old-fashioned in believing that if I focus on climbing the mountain, I stand a better chance of relaying the experience when I get down safely and after I have thought about it. I’m also not superhuman so should I make it I’d rather take it in and preserve the experience of having the mental capacity of an 8 year old for the descent and not in troubleshooting broadcast software at below 0 degrees. Everest is not that forgiving. Everest, the experience, is more valuable than that. Ben Clark | 7/26/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 167 | CleanVideoEpisode 014: Calling Karma | Can You Hear Me Now? Ben has brought a satellite phone with him to Everest, and we were able to call Karma back in Kathmandu to get a status report on Major. Apparently Major's doing fine, but it was difficult for me to follow a one-sided telephone conversation in Nepali. Lhawang placed the call and I could discern a few words such as "Major", "excellent", "generator" and "Kathmandu." Not too much to go on, but I'm just going to figure that Major is alright. We have three other climbers who are going to be joining our team in the next few days. We have a climbing permit and to keep the cost per climber reasonable, we need to have all of the available spots on the permit filled. So, Nomad Expeditions will be providing support for two French climbers and a Belgian climber in addition to Ben. Lhawang says that they will arrive in the next few days as they've just left Kathmandu. I look forward to meeting them, but in the short term I'm excited by the fact that their vehicles will bring me my generator! I've been running out of battery power and it's making me a little nervous. Ben and I walked around BC today to try and meet other teams. We said hello to an Aspen, Colorado team and had tea with a team from Northern Ireland. Later in the day as Ben went for a hike, I met a fellow named Tom Masterson. He's a Canadian living in Boulder, Colorado and climbing with a Russian team from St Petersburg. His team were having computer issues and I went over to their camp and solved their problems. We then talked for several hours and I had a great time. I want to get to know them better. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:01 From: Jonathan Miller To: Family and Friends Subject: Thanks, everyone! Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 07:03:42 -0600 All is well up here at 17,000'. Although I don't want to worry anyone I'm not having nearly as much fun as I wish I was. Just miss Mighty Heidi too damn much. Also, please keep sending the emails my way. I just eat them up but it usually takes me a while to get through them because I usually cry my way through them! Don't worry! It's cool! I just love you all so much. This trip has definitely made me want to never take for granted what a wonderful family I have. I am forever changed and forever grateful. OK, I'm getting dehydrated from my tears! (again, don't worry about ol' Jon, it's just that this place makes you re-evaluate your life and want to throw away the stuff that doesn't matter. I've discovered that one of the most important things in life is a good, dependable supply of toilet paper. Who needs a Big Screen TV when you can just reach into a closet for a fresh roll whenever you want?) Just the facts: I am finally over the headache stage of acclimatization! Damn, that was a tough one. You're head just pounds away with your heartbeat and you can barely think. Luckily Advil always helped, but I was having to take 2000mg per day (5 in the morning 5 in the evening) to keep it under control. Advil is really save, but it does eat at your stomach after a while--never got to that stage thank GOD! Most of the time when you're at rest you can't tell you're so far up there. Then you walk a little ways and when you get to your destination you have to do some pressure breathing (breathing in and out very quickly in short, controlled bursts--a mountaineering trick). It gets you back to normal real quick. I'm drinking a minimum of 3 liters of water per day--which is great, except that you have to pee in the middle of the night and it gets COLD here at night. It's been dropping down to about 15 degrees and if you don't sleep with your water bottle, it will be frozen solid by morning. One of the things that helps is to go to bed with a bottle of boiling water (all of our drinking water is from a stream and is boiled). That trick is awesome, and you end up being quite comfortable believe it or not! Of course I'm sleeping in my 0 degree | 7/19/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 168 | CleanVideoEpisode 013: Construction and Conversation | Heavy Lifting. Well, Major left Everest Base Camp yesterday and we have no idea how he's doing. In the meantime, we've begun building a stupa for our camp. This alter will be used in our blessing ceremony, or Puja, in a few days' time. I've seen images and small snippets of video from pujas but I've never experienced one myself. I'm really looking forward to it. It's obvious that the sherpas have built these small stupas--chortens in Tibetan--before. They're quite good at it. Our little camp is probably the furthest up towards the trail to Advanced Base Camp and so we see just about everyone who passes on the path. There's actually a lot more foot traffic than I thought there would be. There's a lot of people here! I've been told by Dawa that after the puja our chorten will be strung with lots of prayer flags. It's going to be quite beautiful. This afternoon Ben and I walked a bit up the moraine to where there are a bunch of small, cold ponds of water. It is a striking area and we conducted our first Base Camp interviews. I'm finding that it's hard to get a bad shot up here with all of the amazing scenery. It's a lot of fun and takes my mind off of my pounding headache and the slight nausea I've been experiencing since we arrived. It's so hard to eat when you're suffering from the effects of altitude. I know it will get better, but it's a real drag. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:11 Email from Major's wife, Nancy Jon, I need help. Major called Tues. nite ( your time) from Katmandu, he was pretty out of it and I'm a little concerned. He was suppose to call Wed. morning and/or Wed nite and I haven't heard from him. What was the name of the Hotel that you guys stayed at? That's where he checked in. Call me or e-mail me so I can try and track him down! Thanks, Nancy Dispatch 12, April 15, 2003, 17,000’ Everest Base-camp Today was spent acclimatizing, adjusting to the altitude, and planning for our first foray onto the mountain. Each morning Everest looms in the distance. The sunset was amazing tonight. This was the first sunset we have seen on the world’s highest peak. Ben Clark | 7/12/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 169 | CleanVideoEpisode 012: A Major Problem | Altitude is the Wildcard. Today was a difficult one. Overnight Major has become too ill to stay at Everest. As the sherpas begin to organize all of the expedition's food, Major lay in his sleeping bag in the Dome and lapses in and out of sleep. He can barely move and you can tell his thought processes are slow. I talked to him briefly this morning when we found out that our Land Cruiser is still here at BC and our driver will be happy to drive Major down to Kathmandu. Last night was very difficult for Major. I was lying in my tent trying to fall asleep with my headache when I heard some sort of chanting coming from outside. I listened closer and realized that it was Major. He was in his tent, right next to mine, and he was literally praying to God to help him. "This is NOT good" I said to myself and quickly moved into his tent to see what was up. Major was sitting curled up like a ball and was praying for safety. His lungs have been filling up with fluid and when he lied down to fall asleep he became very aware of a gurgling sound whenever he took a breath. Well, there wasn't much I could do but sit with him and try to keep him company. One of the problems with feeling like crap up in these mountain environments is the feeling of loneliness that permeates your psyche. You may have several people around you, but you are far away from home and everything that is familiar to you. I thought Major would like a distraction so I quickly grabbed my laptop out of my tent and grabbed the DVD of Shrek that I had brought with me. I sat upright in Major's tent with my legs crossed so that he could lean up against me and try to keep the gurgling to a minimum. I put my arms around him to try and keep us warm and began to play the movie. Within minutes I realized that Major had fallen asleep! I guess it was just good to know that he wasn't alone. Major had really helped me out in Tingri when I got a little nutty about missing my wife. It felt good to know I was able to return the favor, if only a little. It's good to have friends in the mountains! A few minutes ago Major was whisked off to return back to Kathmandu. I hope Karma will be waiting for him and that we'll be able to know what is going on. Maybe he'll be fine after getting down to lower altitude. Godspeed, Major! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:53 Dispatch 11 April 14, 2003: Base Camp Today was our first full day in front of the pyramid shaped North Face of 29,035’ Mount Everest. We packed and organized the gear and food that will be making it’s way via a yaktrain to 21,000’ in the next two days. There are over 350 other people from China, New Zealand, Russia, Romania, Tibet, Nepal, Europe, North America, and South America that are also preparing for their ascents. It was a crystal clear morning today. Everest lit up the sky like a huge temple of bright white light as wisps of snow over a half mile long trailed from her summit like a fleeting horses mane. It is a reverent sight to stand in front of the world’s greatest magnitude of anything but Mount Everest isn’t just the world’s highest. To the Sherpa and Tibetan people that surround us she is Chomolungma, Mother Goddess of the Earth. It is so important to the people who know her summit that we must sleep with our feet pointed away from the mountain to avoid any disrespect. To sit in front of the mountain, to hear the jet stream that rips across the great North face, this is nature at it’s most powerful. This is where humans must be their most humble. Ben Clark | 7/5/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 170 | CleanVideoEpisode 011: Welcome to Base Camp | Dumbstruck by Everest. I was not prepared for how awe-inspiring the last few kilometers of driving would be. As we headed up the Rongbuk Valley all you could do was look up at the massive North Face of Everest. This mountain dominates the view but we did not overlook the human-scale attributes of the valley. We pulled over on the side of the road just outside the Rongbuk Monastery and took in some more views of Everest framed within some Tibetan architecture. My head was exploding as we then walked up a small hillside to an even smaller building at it's top. Beneath the building was a cave where a manifestation of Buddha set foot a millennia ago. It's hard to explain, but you feel something strong when visiting these places. You feel that the mountains are spiritual and it envelopes you. It cuts through the pain and shortness of breath. I whish I could put it into words. Hopefully I will be able to, but not yet. After leaving the grotto, we headed up the last few turns in the road and entered a huge, mile wide glacial moraine. This is Base Camp and our home for the next 50 or so days. Everything was set up for us and all we had to do was walk into our big Comm's tent and have some tea. Later on, we'll start to unpack and organize the gear. There's so much of it! It's good to be here and not have to drive any more. Major's condition seems to be getting worse. Hopefully he can lay low for a few days now that we're here. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:21 Dispatch 10B April 13, 2003: Base Camp Late afternoon arrived and we visited the last village we would see before settling in to our new home. We visited the Rongbuk monastery, named after the village, and then visited a very holy space of Buddhist culture. Underground and in a cavern no taller than 5’ we visited the place of meditation where Buddha once sat over 1200 years ago. It was a tender cultural exchange to receive from the drivers and Sherpa who were with us. Their eyes lit with enthusiasm and genuine interest in transcribing the history and importance of this space to us. Even through broken English and dim lighting we left the space knowing more of the intricate spirit of the men we now call friends. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at base-camp. I’m just going to take it in for a bit, it is an overwhelming sense of personal satisfaction to know I am now at 17,000’. This will be home for about 50 days. We will organize and begin making it livable in the days to come. Ben Clark | 6/28/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 171 | CleanVideoEpisode 010: All Signs Point to Everest | "One step at a time, boys". It was so great to leave this morning and head back out on the road. Today's driving brought us up to the top of Pang La Pass and some amazing views. We're on the final stretch of road leading to our new home for the next month and a half. Not far out of Tingri we came across a lone road sign with a drawing of Everest on it and a large arrow pointing South. "Everest: This Way!" The sign marked the spur of road that heads into the restricted nature preserve that surrounds the great peak. As the Land Cruiser snaked up many switchbacks I have to admit I became a little overwhelmed with excitement. Or maybe it was just the fact that the altitude was making me a little dizzy. On top of Pang La Pass you get the privilege of looking at 4 8000 meter peaks all lined up in a row. Amazing. We spent some time filming up there and then drove on to a small town where we had lunch. Well, at least that was the plan. I have to admit, I do not feel well. When I'm excited or nervous, I tend to lose my appetite. The last couple of days in Tingri have been rough on my stomach and the altitude is making it even rougher. I have to force every single bite of food down my throat. I realized this was going to be tough, and I didn't really want to give my dysentery much more ammo, so I basically tried to film lunch instead of eat lunch. I know Ben and Major are struggling as well, but Ben has the prior experience to know that things will get better. He's done this before. Just have to give it a little time. At least my headaches are still with me so it takes some of the focus off the fire in my belly. So I've got that going for me... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:01 Dispatch 10 April 13, 2003: On the Road Waking for the second morning in a tiny room draped with pink cloth, I batted my eyes slowly to the window. The sun was up and I could already smell the burning embers of dung fuel wafting towards the door. It was not hard to part from Tingri, the last 36 hours have centered on avoiding the harsh smell. We were now more than ready to experience the last leg to our new home. Driving today was an amazing experience. It is surreal weaving up and down switchbacks in an 80’s Toyota Land Cruiser at altitudes of 14,000’ underneath the majestic peaks of the Himalayas. We wear sunglasses everyday to filter the intense sunlight that is reflected by the fluted ridges and icy flanks. The beauty of these peaks is so enveloping that a filter only stimulates the eye to look longer, deeper into the heart of the youngest landscape on Earth and the highest of the world’s mountains. We experienced more than scenery today. Driving afforded several opportunities to stop and “smell the roses” if you will. One stop saw us tailing goat herders, they were children probably not much older than six or seven. I gave them some granola bars for letting us get close enough to pet their goats. Ben Clark | 6/21/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 172 | CleanVideoEpisode 009: Tingri Office and Day Spa | "American Prayer Flags". Well, we're now in the shadow of Mount Everest, in the little town of Tingri, Tibet. This place is around 14,000 feet and a popular spot for climbers to start getting used to the altitude. We're staying in a little hotel right off of "Main St." and since there are so few trees around, the building is mostly made out of mud.The walls all seem to be several feet thick and our rooms are decorated with wall coverings that can only be described as hot pink floral-print sheets. My head has begun to pound from the altitude and I have to admit I'm a little foggy. Of course, all of the doorways are around 5 feet tall and every time I walk through one I hit square in my forehead and it's leaving a welt. This is not helping! Tingri has obviously evolved to serve the needs of climbers with the turnoff for Everest Base Camp just a few kilometers down the road. Unfortunately, it appears that too many people stop through here and the town can't quite keep up with it all. I don't want to seem negative or spoiled, I'm a guest in this country, but Tingri is filthy. It's a very rough place to spend a couple of days and there's just this pervasive feeling of depression hanging over me. In fact, the first night we were here Ben, Major and I were sitting in our room talking when I suddenly burst out into gigantic, wailing sobs. I cried for a good 10 minutes thinking about how far away from home we were. How far away from my wife, Heidi, I was. The funny thing is, that our Sherpa crew of Lhawang, Pasang, Pempa and Boca only just spent one night here. Early the next morning they packed up the truck and headed on to base camp leaving patient Dawa to stay with us. They knew better than hang around in Tingri! Ugh, I can't wait to get out of here and get up to base camp myself. I don't want to be inside any longer. Major feels the same way even though he's not feeling too well. He looks ill. Hopefully he's just homesick, too. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:26 Dispatch 9, April 12, 2003 14000’ Tingri, Tibet Our first night at high altitude, 14,000’, in Tingri, Tibet is over. We are resting today and acclimatizing. Tingri is a small village and the last outpost where we are stay before reaching the base of the mountain and beginning the climb. We are staying in Tingri for two nights to allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude. The rule of thumb is that once you reach altitudes above 10-12,000’, to acclimatize, you should average about a thousand feet a day of elevation gain. This way when we arrive at 16,400’ base-camp we will be acclimated to the thinner air of Tingri, but will still take a couple of days to rest before ascending to a higher altitude to allow us to adjust to the 2000’ elevation gain of base-camp. This is why Everest can take up to 50 days to climb. You need one day of acclimatization for each 1000’ of elevation gain, you need a minimum of 29 days for Everest. We leave tomorrow morning for 16,400 base-camp where we will live for 40-50 days. Although the view here is rewarding, we look forward to closer ones ahead. This is our last day in “civilization”. We are ready for the wilderness! Ben Clark | 6/14/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 173 | CleanVideoEpisode 008: The Friendship Highway | Everything changes before Everest. It took a while, but we've made it up the side of the Tibetan Plateau. It's striking how different the terrain is up here. After all of this driving uphill in our fleet of Land Cruisers, we're suddenly at the bottom of some very flat valleys. Well, this is Tibet, and the bottom of these valleys are still higher than most mountaintops back in the USA and Europe! We're surrounded by mountains, but the road is actually quite smooth and the more comfortable ride makes napping possible. At least between pee-breaks. We've begun to really drink water--as much as possible and it goes right through all of us. It's a good sign. It means we're staying hydrated. At one point in the day's drive, Ben, Major and I are all fast asleep when suddenly we all wake up. Within seconds we drive around a bend and Ben yelps out, "Holy S**t!" There, in the distance, shimmering in the heat waves reflecting off of the desert, is Everest. No doubt about it, it's Everest. We're still a few days away from arriving into Base Camp, but this spectacular view changes the feel of the entire expedition. This is no longer a far-off dream. We're here, and Everest is RIGHT THERE! The mountain is just right there! Amazing. I can't wait to find out what's around the next bend. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:17 Dispatch 8, April 11, 2003: On the Road, Tibet When we left Zhang Mu this morning we bid goodbye to the comforting shades of tropical vegetation. We set out on a six hour drive corkscrewing upward through the Friendship Valley and onto the wide open Tibetan plateau. Then it happened! For the first time today, I finally saw Everest with my own eyes. It was an amazing and mystical situation. During this trip, Jon, Major, and I have been spending a lot of nights awake both working and adjusting to the twelve hour time difference. Riding in vans and government restrictions on filming incited prime conditions for a nap. Although we had just traversed a 15,800’ mountain pass and we knew Everest was approaching, we fell asleep. Almost simultaneously, one hour later all three of us awoke for no reason. Less than a minute passed and we rounded a corner. Four and a half years of my life have passed, many days were spent in doubt, in fear, in anguish as new obstacles arose in my quest to make it to where I did today. Seeing this monarch, this stately pyramid poised majestically against a cobalt afternoon sky, seeing it for the first time, after having awakened. I won’t tell you what I said in those first few seconds but the first part was sacred and the second part only enunciated the unrestrained feeling I felt laying my eyes on something that for so long was only in my mind. It was Everest, I know it’s been done before, I know it’s been climbed by almost every feasible line scouted, I know it’s story has been told every which way, but I am here. I am here with these two eyes and this mind to make of it what I will, it is my turn to discover the true meaning of this experience, it is my turn to finally come face to face with the mountain of my dreams! Ben Clark | 6/7/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 174 | CleanVideoEpisode 007: A Tibetan Point of View | Why is everyone speaking Mandarin? We finally cross the Friendship Bridge into Tibet and enter the town of Zhang Mu. Of course the experience is anything but friendly. Once we're in Tibet we're immediately under the watchful eye of the Chinese government officials and we're not allowed to film anything. It's hurry up and wait as we're ushered into a security area where all of the items I'm carrying are searched and x-rayed. I have a lot of high-tech equipment in my backpack--laptop computer, satellite modem, dozens of blank videotapes, etc--but all of our professional camera gear is stowed away in some expedition containers. Probably masquerading as a barrel full of potatoes or peanut butter! We opted not to purchase a Tibetan filming permit while we were in Kathmandu since the price had unexpectedly raised from $1500 per camera to $6500 per camera. Instead, we're going to keep everything hidden until we arrive at Base Camp, and Lhawang, our head Sherpa and resident "diplomat" will try to bribe the government officials with some cash and whiskey. It's very obvious that I'm lacking the proper documentation for all the equipment I'm carrying, but the guard lets it slide. Either he liked me or he's very apathetic. It doesn't matter, everything makes it across and we're now in Tibet. This country is obviously under occupation and signs of the overwhelming Chinese culture are everywhere: chopsticks, satellite TV from Beijing, government-issued uniforms here and there. But look up, and all you see are the blue, white, red, green and yellow of prayer flags waving in the wind. The next morning we head out of Zhang Mu and get some more Friendship Highway mileage under our tires. We have a fleet of Toyota Land Cruisers--the official private vehicle of Tibet--and we begin to wind our way up the crazy switchbacks climbing the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. This section of road is insane, and kills more people every year than Everest ever could. Major begins to drool thinking about a shot he'd like to get on camera, so we pull over. He mounts the camera to the roof of our Toyota, hits the record button and we're off! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:06 Dispatch 7, April 10, 2003: Zhang Mu, Tibet When we arrived at the border we crossed the Friendship Bridge. This is the passage that connects Tibet to Nepal. This is also a point where the government prohibits photography. Once we crossed the border we eased our way up another switchbacking hillside in a Landcruiser that met us on the other side of the border. We made it through the last checkpoint as the ink dried on our visa paperwork and we stood in the rain awaiting our passage. Now that we are in Zhang Mu, we are in Chinese occupied territory. At dinner tonight we ate with chopsticks, this is standard. We are excited to finally be introduced to Tibetan culture. Most importantly, tomorrow we leave for Tingri, this will be our first day high in the Himalayas. Ben Clark | 5/31/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 175 | CleanVideoEpisode 006: The Road to Tibet | Everest here we come! Kathmandu has been great but it's time to get moving towards the mountain. We start the day off with the first of many, many kilometers along the Friendship Highway. This road connects Kathmandu, Nepal with Lhasa, Tibet and is the highest continuous road in the world. As we begin the drive I'm struck by the complexity of the landscape around me. Everywhere you look there are steep hillsides that have been terraced to allow farming and, well, places to build small houses. I can't even imagine how much work that must have been, but I know it must have been done by hand. Not long after departing Kathmandu we're in the foothills of the Himalayas and we really get moving on some narrow road. Our driver is well skilled at using the most important part of the entire van we're riding in: the horn. Back home in the USA people only honk their horn in extreme circumstances. Here in Nepal, I think there's a 1:1 ratio between blasting the horn and breathing. Near the border with Tibet we enter the small town of Kodari. This is our last stop in Nepal and all of our gear must be unloaded from its truck and hand carried over the Friendship Bridge into Tibet to be loaded onto another truck. Kodari if full of porters and there's a lot of competition to get a hold of something to carry. Off in the distance, on a far hillside is the Tibetan border town of Zhang Mu. It truly looks like a different country with it's colorful brick and concrete buildings, unlike the many small wooden shanties here in Kodari. "Wow" I think as I stare up at Zhang Mu, "I'm about to step foot into Tibet. I can't believe it." Jon Miller Total Running Time: 22:24 Dispatch 7, April 10, 2003: Zhang Mu, Tibet We crossed the border into Tibet today. This is an incredible drive along the Friendship Highway from Kathmandu to a town just across the border, Zhang Mu, Tibet. We will stay here for one night. We traveled from Kathmandu in two vans for a little over four hours before reaching the border. It is a fantastic voyage in a late 80’s Toyota van. Of course, you have to understand, the Friendship Highway is not quite like the kind of highways we have in America. In fact it is more like a farming road. Inside our van, we hurtled at speeds close to 30Kmh on 15 ‘ wide roads bumpier than an alligator’s back. It felt like the driver was literally trying to thread a needle through a 100 pound piece of Swiss cheese. I had a great respect for his experience and confidence after realizing how many thousands of blind corners he intuitively navigated, and never once brushing the sides of The 4 ton trucks we would slide by with a 7” margin of safety. If this is why they call it the Friendship Highway, then I understand. After today it is obvious these drivers have made peace with this road! Ben Clark | 5/24/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 176 | CleanVideoEpisode 005: Shave and a Haircut, 12 Patches | Looking good is half the battle. Lhawang said that every step brings you closer to the top of Everest. Well, I guess some steps are smaller than others. Today is the final day we're spending in Kathmandu, and it's a day full of little steps that are all part of the journey. Ben has a day of beauty at the spa and then we head on over to check on the team patches. This poor embroidery shop owner has worked straight through and completed all 12 patches--3 days of work by his account--in just over a day! I was so excited when I saw the first completed patch; so much detail, truly a form of art. This guy eyeballed every stitch and I could watch him work for hours. He made it look effortless. That evening the entire Nepali and American team members join together to celebrate the official beginning of the expedition. We step on over to a traditional Nepalese restaurant and enjoy some of the finest food I've ever eaten. I don't really know any of these people besides Major and Ben, and I especially don't know their language. But I have to say that I trust them and can see that THIS IS WHAT THEY DO. They are all climbers-it's in their blood. Everyone laughs the evening away and enjoys themselves. I don't think you could ask for a better group of people to spend the next 2 months with. It's exciting to think that by this time tomorrow evening we'll be in Tibet. I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. Kathmandu has been amazing and it's going to take some time before I can digest everything I've seen and experienced here. But Tibet...Tibet is going to be life-changing. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:20 ___________________________________________________ The Rest of Everest Video Podcast is downloaded by viewers all over the world. It has been wonderful to share so much of this experience so far, and it will only get better. We've truly only just started! The episodes will always be free, but If you enjoy the podcast and would like to show your support, I've put a donation button on the right side of every page just above the podcast logo. If you feel the urge, donate as little or as much as you see fit. Just trying to cover my costs to ensure that we can make it all the way through summit day. In return I'll give anyone who donates any amount access to all of the video and audio dispatches I sent out over satellite modem while I was actually at Everest in 2003. It's pretty interesting stuff and you won't find it anywhere else. Thanks to everyone for watching and keeping The Rest of Everest in iTunes top 100 travel podcasts! Namaste! Jon Miller | 5/17/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 177 | CleanVideoEpisode 004: The City of Bhaktapur | "Down with the U.S. Imperialism." Lhawang, our head Sherpa, or Sirdar, and Ben's Everest climbing partner finally arrives. It was great to meet Lhawang after hearing so much about him from Ben. The two were part of a Dhaulagiri expedition just 10 months earlier so this was a great reunion. Earlier, we check out one of Thamel's seemingly millions of embroidery shops and place an order for the team's expedition shoulder patch. The shop owner has his work cut out for him as we need 3 days of work completed by tomorrow night! While Lhawang checks in with family and friends, Major, Ben and I head into the Kathmandu Valley to visit the city of Bhaktapur. Upon arriving at the city's gate, we meet a 16 year-old student named Kewan who makes it his mission to tell us anything and everything about this "City of Art and Architecture." This kid is amazing and not even a tiny bit camera shy. The city is in full preparations for Biska Jatra, it's largest festival. There's so much going on that Major and I split up, each armed with a camera, and take off in opposite directions. Kewan takes Major to an alter where they perform animal sacrifice while I photograph some of Bhaktapur's more colorful residents. Our visit is cut short as thousands of Nepali marchers descend on the Durbar Square to protest U.S. president George Bush's declaration that Nepal is a country that harbors terrorists. We are absolutely engrossed watching this event unfold when Kewan grabs our arms and urges us to leave. He is concerned for our safety since we're all, well, Americans. We meet no harm and quietly walk out of the square. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 29:56 ___________________________________________________ Dispatch 6, April 9, 2003: Kathmandu A presence of hostility has grown in Nepal. Never have I felt so strongly about the need to get out of the city and into the mountains, not just because I love them, but because they are safer than Kathmandu Our experiences today have indicated we are foreigners. When we woke this morning two blocks from our hotel window a billowing plume of black smoke rose into the haze. There were no sirens and very little alarm. This morning we had scheduled a puja, or blessing ceremony, with a very important monk in Kathmandu When driving to his location we got stuck in a traffic jam, a rare occurrence in this city, it was caused by protesters who blocked the road and demonstrated. They blew up a gas station as an expression of their sentiments about the war in Iraq. We were advised to head back the same way we came. This is not the Nepal I once knew. In the early afternoon we ventured to Bhaktapur, a fourteenth century section of Kathmandu, to dig deeper into the fascinating history of Nepal. At the gated entrance we were greeted by a young man named Kewan whose persistent attitude and willingness to educate, reaffirmed my faith in the genuine goodness of Nepalese. Kewan led us through Durbar Square, in and out of temples shaped like large blocky cones called pagodas, and into a main square where the town was preparing for it’s Biska Jatra festival. This festival is a real community builder, children and adults worked together on a chariot the size of a small building, and young people flocked around an alter where a buffalo will be slaughtered shortly. Bhaktapur is a fascinating adventure in it’s own right. The day ended abruptly, when the afternoon brought a signal to leave. A protest march went right through the very square where we were filming. Signs read: Down With US Imperialism. Like I said…It is time to get to the mountains. I am thankful we leave soon! Ben Clark | 5/10/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 178 | CleanVideoEpisode 003: Kathmandu, Part 2 | Om Mani Padme Hum. Major finally arrives and the Everest expedition continues. We check out the largest Stupa in Nepal: Boudhanath. I can't get over how amazing this place is. I just want to spend the day walking around and around the central spire (in a clockwise direction as is the custom) and stare up at the Eyes of Buddha. There's a sort of New Age rendition of "om mani padme hum" piped in on the loudspeakers that you can't escape and can't get out of your head when you leave. It's beautiful, but touristy, and I buy a CD of it anyway. The following day we set out early for a scenic flight along the Himalayas. It's a clear day and we get a very good view of Everest from the plane. The mountain is easy to spot...it's the tallest one in sight. As the plane flies over the Kathmandu Valley I catch a glimpse of a familiar place. It's Boudhanath Stupa in all of it's architectural glory. I bet that if the plane wasn't so loud we could probably hear the New Age music playing. When we return to the hotel from the flight, we meet up with Elizabeth Hawley. She's the author of the Himalayan Database and interviews someone from every expedition to the Himalayas. She may not be well known outside of the climbing world, but here in Kathmandu she's an institution. Ms. Hawley has been documenting climbs for over 40 years even though she's never climbed one herself. That evening I try to play my new CD and discover that it's blank! No matter, I still can't get the song out of my head... Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:49 | 5/3/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 179 | CleanVideoEpisode 002: Kathmandu, Part 1 | Forget Bob Seger. We're not going to Kathmandu, we're already here. The gateway to Everest. Unfortunately, Major's still behind in Bangkok but he's on his way. Ben and I visit Swayambhunath Stupa, where the Eyes of Buddha watch over us. This is a place I will never forget. Part Buddhist and part Hindu, the temple is an amazing mix of faiths and people. We make friends and get schooled in the art of the sale from an unforgettable Nepali shopkeeper. Quite the fast talker. Early in the morning, Karma tells us some bad news. The permit to film in Tibet has risen to $6500 per camera--and we have four cameras. Fortunately, you can also spell "permit" like this: B-R-I-B-E. Kathmandu is amazing. Up in the mountains where I'm going to. If I ever get outta here, that's what I'm gonna do. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:48 ___________________________________________________ Dispatch 4, April 7, 2003: Kathmandu The sunlight rose gently this morning like the volume of the pigeons living just outside the window of our hotel room. As the suns first rays began to lightly carve away the night in the heart of Kathmandu, I was already awake and just beginning to feel the air of it’s humidity. Sounds of horns, birds, engines, air conditioners all began to creep forward with the light, signaling the presence of the over 1.5 million people who call the Kathmandu Valley home. My first thoughts were about Major’s extended stay in Bangkok and subsequently his belated arrival this afternoon. It was fun to see his reaction to Kathmandu after Jon and I had already settled in to its many unique characteristics. It is fascinating to explore Kathmandu, even more so with a camera and Major, a four-time Emmy award winner, and Jon, a talented multimedia production virtuoso. We are a team once again and we are learning as much about this region as we can! Today is our first day filming and sight seeing the locations that Karma and I have organized to show the true beauty and culture of Nepal. We visited the Swayambhu area this morning. This location, aptly nicknamed “The Monkey temple” by 1960’s free-spirited visitors to Nepal, is a historical site over 2500 years old and brimming with the essence of this nation and it’s Buddhist roots. There is a space in this area that as you walk through it you feel somehow lost in time as passages of Tibetan scripture reverberate around you, smoke from burning incense and candles fills your lungs, and your skin rubs alongside a foreign passerby as men kneel to the ground and pray to monks who offer melted wax and dry rice. Hard to imagine? It is even more difficult to express through photography. Some things must remain sacred to those who experience them out of respect to the cultures that request it. This is Nepal, this is where we are, this is why we are here! Ben Clark | 4/26/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 180 | CleanVideoEpisode 001: Walmart to Kathmandu | The Everest expedition begins. We start things off with a trip to Wal-Mart to get as much "high energy" snack foods as we can pack in our duffel bags. After a couple of days of packing, we finally board a plane and head west for Asia. There's a little ... | 4/24/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 181 | CleanVideoEpisode 000 Introduction | Start Here. Get a good feeling for what this Podcast is all about. A little background on the expedition, team members, the film and how this all came to be. Total Running Time: 9:44 | 4/13/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 181 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
True to life in the Himalayas
As someone who has spent a great deal of time in the Himalayas, and the Tibetan Plateau in particular, this really gets at not only the heart of life in the greatest part of the Himalayas, but the culture surrounding it. It is great to see Americans attempting to understand another culture, rather than constantly compare it in a denigrating light to American culture. I love seeing the day-to-day of climbing at altitude, instead of just the glorious aspect of climbing a big mountain. Anyone who has climbed at altitude knows that it isn't all glory. A lot of it is patience and perserverance. This has got to be my favorite video podcast on iTunes. I recommend everyone download it.
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