The Rest of Everest Returns!

After a brief, and well deserved, hiatus, The Rest of Everest has made a welcome return this week, with Producer Jon Miller returning to his familiar role as host and narrator. He's joined in this episode by show regular Ben Clark and his climbing partner Josh Butson.

Fan and regular viewers of the podcast know that the last episode, Episode 61, was the final show to focus on the 2003 climb. After 62 complete podcasts, Jon has put together the most in depth and comprehensive look at an Everest climb ever put on film. But that doesn't mean that there aren't more stories to be told.

Case in point, with this weeks episode entitled Savage Sister Part 1. The focus of the show is on Ben and Josh's recent visit to the remote Sichuan Province in China, where the two hoped to top out on an unclimbed peak known as The Barbarian. The episode was actually recorded back on October 18th, when the two had just arrived home from China, so you're getting their impressions of their trip, straight off the plane, jet lag still included.

The episode is a lot of fun to listen to as Jon, Ben, and Josh have a good rapport with one another and you can tell they had a lot of fun making it. On top of that, the images of the area that they explored, and the peaks that surround the region are stunning. Josh and Ben took plenty of gorgeous pictures, as well as video, and it's a treat to see this region that few Westerners have ever visited. The approach to the Barbarian took five days through thick, dense forest, before they could even step foot on the mountain.

As a fan of the show, I'm happy to see a new episode, and Part 2 should be coming shortly. After that, we'll begin to get regular episodes of Jon's 2007 visit to Everest. If you're new to the show, be sure to go back to Episode 0 and start there. You won't be disappointed. Episodes can be downloaded directly from the Rest of Everest website, or you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and have it downloaded automatically as new episodes are released.

When this episode was recorded, Jon was recovering from back surgery that he had that morning. I'm personally glad to hear he's on the mend and feeling better, but what other podcast producer would fight through the pain, not to mention some strong drugs, to work on an episode for us? ;) Much appreciated Jon!