The Rest of Everest Episode 121: Sat Phone Conundrum

A new episode of The Rest of Everest dropped on schedule yesterday. That's not the real news though, as the real story is that I'm actually writing about it on schedule for once. Seems like, for one reason or another, I've been slow to post about the recent episodes, despite the fact that I'm enjoying the current season of the show that has us trekking up to Everest Base Camp on the Nepali side of the mountain.

This week's episode, entitled Sat Phone Conundrum, continues the long hike, with the group enjoying their rest and acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar. The usual group of show commentators join ROE creator Jon Miller this week, along with a voice from the past in the form of Ben Clark, who long time listeners will be very familiar with.

Early in the show, Jon is trying to use some of the technology he brought along with him on the trek to report on the team's progress back to those of us who were following along back home. This portion of the show is actually very interesting for everyone who has ever wondered how to sat phones and modems work, and how do those wonderful dispatches from those far off, remote locations, get back to us via the web. As is typical with kind of gear though, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't In this case, it wasn't working all that well. As an aside, seeing the amount of technology the group had with them is pretty impressive. There are all kinds of cameras, both still and video, laptops, cell phones, SPOT Messengers, and of course the afore mentioned satellite phones and modems. All the comforts of home!

Other highlights of this episode include seeing some photos of famous Sherpas in the local Sherpa museum, parts of the workshops that were conducted along the way, including tips on how to use the "world as your tripod", and of course, the every present Himalayas, which loom constantly in the background of the video.

Fans of the Rest of Everest or Everest junkies in general, will also want to consider picking up the Everest [the other side] DVD, which is now available to order from the website. This is the DVD of the movie that launched this podcast, and is an excellent documentary of what it takes to climb the mountain. At $25 it makes a great present for the outdoor adventurer on your list, or a perfect stocking stuffer for the holidays. To find out more, get a preview, and order a copy for yourself, click here.