By Jon Miller
An Almost Unabridged Expedition Experience–Now In HD
So Much More Than a Sign. After leaving Shigatse we had some nice time in the Land Cruisers as we “cruised overland” through the stark Tibetan landscape. We’re all ready to be using our own feet as transportation at this...
Did I Mention That It’s Big? We spent the morning today exploring the Tashilhunpo Monastery here in Shigatse. I’ve been waiting to return to this monastery since the moment I left it back in 2007. I was incredibly impressed with...
Breakfast of Champions. We finished the day in Gyantse by touring the remarkable Kumbum, a 15th century temple containing “100,000” holy images of Buddha. Once again, the Kumbum was a building I was really looking forward to revisiting since exploring...
New Laughter From Old Jokes. We spent the night here in Gyangtse and spent the morning touring the Palcho Monastery. It’s a wonderful place to visit but one of the most interesting events of the day happened well before setting...
Maple Leaf, OK. Snow Lions, Not So Much. One of the highlights of the Friendship Highway–literally one of its highest points–is the beautiful Karo La. The pass is somewhere around 5000m or almost 16,500 feet high and the view from...
This Is Only A Test. We’re continuing out of Lhasa and taking in a lot of mileage on our way to Gyantse. Personally, I am almost never simply a passenger in a car–I’m usually the driver. Sitting in the back...
Infinitely Improbable. The team finally made it to the Potala Palace today. It was closed yesterday for some kind of administrative meetings so I’m very pleased they were able to visit this amazing complex. The earliest parts of the current...
Making Lemonade. With Damion stable in the hospital, our Lhasa emergency relaxed a bit and we were able to continue exploring this amazing city. There are so many things to see here and at the top of the list is...
The Potala And Priorities. Our first day in Lhasa started out just as I had imagined it. We spent some quality time in and around the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. As a tourist, the Jokhang does...
What A Journey, But Totally Worth It. Today we finally returned to the Kathmandu airport after several days of sightseeing and hanging out in Thamel. Our destination today? Lhasa, Tibet! That’s right today we finally flew back into Tibet. It...
Well, Well, Well. Gossip. Today the group traveled to the remarkable ancient city of Bhaktapur for a sight seeing outing. Unfortunately for me, I had to stay behind in Thamel and take care of some behind-the-scenes- business for the upcoming...
Everybody Poops. The thing is, most people don’t want to talk bout it. But when you’re traveling in the himalayas, what comes out of your body is just as vital to know about as what goes into your body. It’s...
A Toursit, Not A Sherpa Shortcut. Today was a day of many rituals. The entire team has arrived and so it was time to get back to business. Firts order of the day? One of the infamous Thamel haircut/massages! After...
New Faces, Old Places. It’s so great to be back in Kathmandu and so cool to be starting this new Everest adventure! This is going to be the longest trip I’ve made back to the Himalayas since the original Everest...
A New Dimension In The Himalayas. Season 5 of The Rest of Everest begins this week with a special episode of the podcast. This is definitely a first because everything you’re about to see was filmed in 3D. I’m very...
All Good Things Come To An End. It’s difficult to believe that we’ve reached the end of this amazing experience but here we are. The past couple of days in Kathmandu have been pretty amazing. I look forward to going...
Here is an excerpt from a Tips From The Top Floor episode where Chris Marquardt and I discuss all things Kailash. As most of you know, registration for the workshop trek is open and we still have space available. If you’d...
Tipping Karma For Good Karma. Tonight we officially ended the trek by both checking in to our hotel and then showering for the first time in 2 weeks. I guess you could think of the shower as a sort of...
No Paradise In Sight. Today was the last day of the trekking portion of our workshop. It’s kind of hard to believe that we’ve made it this far and that tonight we’ll be sleeping in a hotel. The day started...
One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Sherpakind. The rest of today was the kind of day where you feel like a kid again. Thilo, Kyle and I were hiking with Sonam and were really enjoying our nice,...
One Of The Happiest Days Of My Life. We had a pleasant, almost balmy, evening last night and are now on our way back towards Namche Bazaar. These elevations seemed a bit high over a week ago but now the...
Nelly Was Right. We continued down the trail today and finally made it back into the trees. It’s always fun to descend beneath the treeline–almost as much fun as passing the treeline on the way up! The only problem I...
Brought To You By [Insert Company Name Here]. We talk a lot about the need for the proper outerwear on this show. We talk about the need for a warm sleeping bag. Hmm, we even spend a lot of time...
Now that we’re on our way down from Mt Everest the group has settled in to the daily routine of trekking in the himalayas. We hike for 6-8 hours each day and then walk into our nightly camp which is...
Blame Canada. This morning we began the last phase of the Everest trek…the downhill portion. The views of the high peaks were absolutely stunning as we were setting out in the morning during the best weather of the day. Indeed,...
Where’s The Snooze Button On A Sherpa? This morning Jon and I woke up a bit late. The activity of the past few days had left us pretty exhausted and being all warm and cozy in our individual sleeping bags...
I Was Just In The Neighborhood. I stayed at BC a few hours longer than the rest of our group not to take in the scenery, but to catch up with my old friend Dawa. Jeff was the first to...
Chris Beat Me To It! Here is the first teaser video from our Everest 2010 Trek & Photography Workshop hosted my Chris Marquardt, Monika Andrae and me! As you’ll see, we had quite an adventure. Chris was first to have...
Jon is currently in Kathmandu getting ready to return to Everest in April and May 2010
Hilarious Hypoxia. Visiting at any base camp on Everest gives you an entirely new appreciation for high altitude mountaineering. You’re always a bit hypoxic here, and it only gets worse as you move uphill. I’ve always said that your perspective...
Can Anyone Say “Sherpa Shortcut”? This fine morning at BC just keeps getting better. We’ve been able to see climbers going up the Icefall for hours. It really puts the landscape in perspective when you see a climber or group...
Two Different Places At The Same Time. Morning here at Base Camp was truly glorious. Those of us here are going to hang out a bit, but the rest of the group is on their way up Kala Patthar. As...
Definitely A Day Worthy To Call Mom About. We made it! Yes, we’re a considerably smaller group now, but we’re here–and my friend Dawa is here. What a charmed life I lead. I know the other three guys I’m with...
This Is Exactly Why I Came. Continuing onward towards Gorak Shep we finally hit the mother lode–an endless panorama of the World’s highest mountains. Leaving Lobuche so early this morning, I think, made everyone a bit tired as we started...
Would You Like Some Yak Cheese To Go With That Whine? We all woke up very early today, because we need to maximize our trekking time. Today, some of us will make it to base camp. It’s a very exciting...
Proof That Climbing Everest WIll Always Be Dangerous. As we continued towards Lobuche today we finally made it to the Everest Memorial, a collection of cairns dedicated to those who have lost their lives on the mountain. This is a...
Happy Birthday Magan! Believe it or not, the weather cleared last night and we were able to continue our journey towards Base Camp. We figure it was Nature’s birthday gift to Megan as today is actually her birthday! How about...
No Tea, No SMS. We finally got the sat phone working today but not without help and an important lesson learned from another Dingboche proprietor. Sonam and I needed to get in touch with Babu back in Kathmandu but we...
An Absolute Tragedy. While on an acclimatization hike today a message came down from base camp containing the worst news possible. Tendi’s brother has died higher up on Everest. Tendi is our pacesetter – the guide at the front of...
Yes, Definitely A Snow Man. We woke up this morning in Dingboche to a rest day and John Fera’s birthday. We had already planned to throw a small party for John but our staff had something more “festive” in mind....
A Familiar Face. The rest of the hike to Dingboche had a little bit of everything. We enjoyed trees, tundra, flat sections, steep sections, hot temps, cold temps, sunshine and snow! It was one of those days that almost all...
The Wheel Keeps On Turning. We did make it to the little town of Tengboche last night and took a tour of the monastery there this morning. It really is wonderful to get to spend some time in a monastery...
Photo Geeks. We left Namche this morning and resumed our upward progress. Along the way Chris broke out his Lens Baby and we had a blast shooting video with it. As Chris has always said, one of the best reasons...
What We’ve Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate. Since today was a rest day here in Namche, I decided to test our satellite gear. It doesn’t work. Whenever I visit Everest I always bring some technology that allows me...
Wolfes And Wildcards. We woke up to our first morning here in Namche and another stunning view right out of our tents. In fact the view is so beautiful it makes yesterday’s difficulties fade away to a distant memory. Well,...
Happily Exhausted. The rest of the day’s trekking has finally brought us to the town of Namche Bazaar. Namche is fairly well-known since it serves as the gateway to the Everest region here in Nepal. The town is built into...
“In Person” Is Important. The podcast has been a great tool to get people around the world familiar with the Everest region. But this morning it became clear there’s no competition for personal experience. We arrived into camp yesterday as...
Too Much Information. We walked out of Lukla and left the infrastructure of modern life behind us. From here on out, there will be no roads and the only trains will be yak trains. How cool is that? At lunch...
The Gold Standard? We landed in Lukla, Nepal this morning and everyone was looking forward to seeing-and experiencing-the famous Lukla Airstrip. A quick flight to Lukla is the first stage of most treks to the South Side of Everest. We...
The Team Arrives. For the past 3 years I’ve been trying to show a more complete picture of what it’s like to visit Everest and the Himalayas. Now, with a bunch of my audience members standing around me here in...