1 An Almost Unabridged Expedition Experience. Start at Episode 000 and work your way forward. http://www.therestofeverest.com All content ©2003-2008, therestofeverest.com. Please ask for permission before use. http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:43:00 -0700 Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:43:00 -0700 Hand coded by TreeLine Productions An Almost Unabridged Expedition Experience. Start at Episode 000 and work your way forward. An Almost Unabridged Expedition Experience. Start at Episode 000 and work your way forward. The Rest of Everest is a video podcast conceived and 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 has been very well received, there's just 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 of 2007, the final episode from the 2003 expedition was released. Stay tuned (and subscribed) because Jon has new material from his return to Everest in April of 2007 all filmed specifically for the podcast. This is going to be quite a journey. Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, adventure, outdoors, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video www.therestofeverest.com jon@therestofeverest.com Jon Miller, TreeLine Productions clean 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode081.html Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 22:46 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode081.mp4 Everest Trek And Workshop For 2009! No video episode this week, but you may not mind. Please listen to this special episode and visit EverestTrek2009.com for more information. http://www.therestofeverest.com/special-announcement-everest-trek-2009.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0700 Everest Trek And Workshop For 2009! No video episode this week, but you may not mind. Please listen to this special episode and visit EverestTrek2009.com for more information. Audio-Only Special Announcement! Everest Trek And Workshop For 2009! No video episode this week, but you may not mind. Please listen to this special episode and visit EverestTrek2009.com for more information. We'll return with video episode 081 next week. Thanks for listening! Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:16 28:16 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/everest-trek-2009.mp3 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode080.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 19:39 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode080.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode-bonus-annapurnaiv.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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. Audio-Only Bonus 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 visit www.annapurnaiv.com Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:56 19:56 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/AnnapurnaIVannouncement.mp3 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode079.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 25:47 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode079.mp4 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! http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode078.html Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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! 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 26:14 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode078.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode077.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 19:02 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode077.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode076.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 23:15 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode076.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode075.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 27:30 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode075.mp4 Violence in Lhasa And Everest Closures. 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode-special-report.html Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0700 Violence in Lhasa And Everest Closures. 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. Audio-Only Special Report 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 38:27 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/rest-of-everest-lhasa-everest-closure.mp3 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode074.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 21:35 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode074.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode073.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 23:10 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode073.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode072.html Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 26:12 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode072.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode071.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 27:53 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode071.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode070.html Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. He's got the shirt and was very surprised to win! If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 23:34 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode070.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode069.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ---------------------------------------- Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 175 reviews. As the contest begins again I have 125 reviews. I've picked a number between 126 and 175 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. The first contest winner is a reviewer named Steve Wolfe. If you're Steve, then shoot me an email at jon@therestofeverest.com to claim the shirt. I'll mail it directly to you!. If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my shirt page. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 24:42 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode069.mp4 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! http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode068.html Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0700 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! Episode 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 ________________________________________________ Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 125 reviews. As the contest begins I have 87 reviews. I've picked a number between 87 and 125 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. We'll see how this goes and if there's a lot of participation I'll come up with new contests in the future. If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my website. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 24:08 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode068.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode067.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:00:00 -0700 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 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 ________________________________________________ Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 125 reviews. As the contest begins I have 87 reviews. I've picked a number between 87 and 125 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. We'll see how this goes and if there's a lot of participation I'll come up with new contests in the future. If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my website. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 19:20 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode067.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode066.html Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 ________________________________________________ Win a Rest of Everest embroidered t-shirt. On my Rest of Everest page in the United States iTunes podcast directory I am looking to get up to 125 reviews. As the contest begins I have 87 reviews. I've picked a number between 87 and 125 so all you have to do to get the shirt is write a short review and add your name to the end so I can identify the author. If your review is the secret number, then I'll announce it on a future episode and you will win a shirt. We'll see how this goes and if there's a lot of participation I'll come up with new contests in the future. If you don't win but would still like a shirt, you can buy one by visiting my website. Thanks, and good luck! Jon Miller 20:33 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode066.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode065.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 26:19 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode065.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode064.html Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 24:40 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode064.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode063.html Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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 23:18 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode063.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode062.html Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. This new series is my way to say thank you for all of your support. That's it for now. Next week, we return to Kathmandu. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 6:06 6:06 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode062.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/savage-sister-pt2.html Sun, 11 Nov 2007 19:00:00 -0700 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. "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 22:25 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/savagesisterteaserpart2.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/savage-sister-pt1.html Sun, 04 Nov 2007 17:00:00 -0700 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. Bonus Episode China 2007 "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 21:36 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/savagesisterteaserpart1.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode061.html Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode061.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 32:55 32:55 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode061.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode060.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode060.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 20:04 20:04 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode060.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode059.html Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode059.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 16:23 16:23 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode059.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episodeaa000.html Sun, 02 Sep 2007 22:00:00 -0700 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. Bonus Episode Alan Arnette Introduction 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. Thanks everyone. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:41 18:41 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/alanarnetteintro.mp4 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! http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode058.html Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:00:00 -0700 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! Episode 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! There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode058.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:07 18:07 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode058.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode057.html Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 057 Unsung Heroes 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode057.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 19:11 19:11 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode057.mp4 Off With Their Beards! This afternoon our camp was buzzing with activity. 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode056.html Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:00:00 -0700 Off With Their Beards! This afternoon our camp was buzzing with activity. 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode056.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:56 17:56 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode056.mp4 "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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode055.html Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700 "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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode055.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 18:25 18:25 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode055.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode054.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode054.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:53 21:53 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode054.mp4 Thank you for nominating the show for "Best Video Podcast" in the 3rd annual Podcast Awards! http://www.therestofeverest.com Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:00:00 -0700 Thank you for nominating the show for "Best Video Podcast" in the 3rd annual Podcast Awards! The Rest of Everest has been nominated for "Best Video Podcast" in the 3rd annual Podcast Awards. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate me! Now, I need your continued support to vote for the show. The voting process begins Saturday, July 28th and runs through Saturday, August 11th. You can vote once per day, every day. Please consider taking the time to help the show out and vote often! Visit www.podcastawards.com and vote for The Rest of Everest!!! I cannot thank all of you enough. I have the best audience in the world. Jon Miller 5:02 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/voteforeverest.mp3 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode053.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode053.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 17:47 17:47 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode053.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode052.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0700 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. Episode 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! There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode052.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:17 21:17 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode052.mp4 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! http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode051.html Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:30:00 -0700 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! Episode 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! There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode051.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 25:35 25:35 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode051.mp4 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)! http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode050.html Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:00:00 -0700 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)! Episode 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)!!!!! There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode050.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 36:52 36:52 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode050.mp4 "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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode049.html Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:00:00 -0700 "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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode049.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 21:32 21:32 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode049.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode048.html Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:45:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode048.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 23:45 23:45 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode048.mp4 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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode047.html Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:45:00 -0700 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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode047.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 28:39 28:39 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode047.mp4 "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. http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode046.html Wed, 30 May 2007 08:00:00 -0700 "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. Episode 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. There's more to this journal entry. Please visit http://www.therestofeverest.com/podcast-episode046.html for the rest of the story. Jon Miller Total Running Time: 30:17 30:17 Everest, Mt. Everest, Mount Everest, Mountains, Mountaineering, climbing, expedition, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel, Nepal, Kathmandu, Katmandhu, Tibet, Sherpa, Monk, yak, Buddhism, Hinduism, Spirituality, documentary, film, video, podcast www.therestofeverest.com clean http://media.libsyn.com/media/treeline/episode046.mp4 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 firs