Update
I'm happily sitting here in Santa Monica with Anders as we nerd out on getting ready to head to Nepal. I landed in LA last night 45 minutes early but then proceeded to sit on the runway for 80+ minutes. But as we say, there is no such thing as a bad flight--just bad attitudes...it sure beats walking or driving for that matter (which I know from personal experience).
I awoke at about 6 am LA time after about 4 hours of sleep and after securing my favorite "Flagels" (flat bagels) and a cup of Jo set about unloading all of my stuff in Anders living room (I'll post a pic or two tomorrow) in anticipation of the making a list and checking it twice ritual to come.
Anders and I chatted a bit and since his coach has him on a rest day, I went out and ran 4 miles and then headed over to Westridge Canyon and did the "Nike Missile" hike--just over 7 miles and about 1200 vertical (pretty easy) in under two hours. We're chilling tonight and just attending to many of the things we need to do to get ready. We have the luxury of another 4 days before go time.
Technology
In case you have interest, I thought I'd share with an inventory of the technology I'm bringing on this trip. It falls into three main categories: communication, documentation and entertainment.
Communication wise we have an Iridium Satellite Phone and several batteries and charging stuff. Rumor has it that Iridium is not super good in Nepal but hopefully it will work well enough. We both have our iPhones, which apparently can be quite useful with a Nepalese Sim card, which we'll need to purchase in Kathmandu....we'll see. Also on the way up to EBC and when we get there, we may be lucky enough to catch Wi-Fi here and there. Hopefully, Anders and I, with our manager Judy back home, will be able to maintain a regular communication to you throughout this journey.
On the documentation front, my main mode will be my fantastic Sony a7rii, a 42MP mirrorless digital ILC. I have my Zeiss 16-35 wide angle zoom, a Sony 35mm/f2 prime, a Voigtlander 10mm hyper wide prime and a Sony G Master 70-300 zoom lens to capture what will hopefully be some great pics. I can also shoot 4k vid with the Sony but both Anders and I are also rocking the Go Pro Hero 5 Blacks for that need. We also both have Sony RX-100 mark Vs (24MP point and shoot) for back-ups. I'm really, really excited to record all of the incredible beauty that awaits us. I hope to share with you when I return in the late spring.
To give you a sense, here are some of my earlier mountaineering vids:
Aconcagua 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLkOT_KmZhY
Vinson Massif 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPd9bocdOss
Kilimanjaro 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W7n1vGX5Ow
There are a bunch more on my YouTube page if you are interested.
Mostly our entertainment will be God's great beauty and ourselves--it truly is a great thing to be part of a major expedition like this! That said, I also have the following:
- 2 iPods--one with Kara's music and one with Alex's
- my iPad with about 20 hours of TV shows and a couple of movies
- my Kindle which currently features books on Buddhism, theoretical cosmology, entrepreneurialism, and quantum mechanics
- my MacBook Air
- some playing cards for some epic Hearts battles
- my journal to record my feeble thoughts
Weightlessness
I was thinking about this quite a bit on my hike today. It's a very weird thing to unplug and go to Nepal for 30+ days (or in Anders' case, 60). So much of my life is about routine and patterns. We have friends and family that we visit, talk to and have fun with. Work. Training...etc.
It all gets unplugged. Untethered. Disconnected. We head off to Nepal and everything is different. No getting up in the morning and grinding some fresh brewed Jo. Stomach problems. Dodging Yaks. All new things.
Many times I've had dissidence about routine in my life--I like new things. However, when the routine goes you realize how much you miss it. You drift and feel a bit weightless. It's unsettling for sure. I'm really going to miss Judy.
But I also know the dislocation brings the opportunity for great personal growth. I'm getting my head rapped around the weightlessness of it and trying to find peace. I'm also beginning to get very pumped for the adventure!
What a privilege it is to go experience Nepal and Everest (well for me "near Everest") with my son.
Hey folks--this is very exciting!
I'm honored to have you join us...
I'm happily sitting here in Santa Monica with Anders as we nerd out on getting ready to head to Nepal. I landed in LA last night 45 minutes early but then proceeded to sit on the runway for 80+ minutes. But as we say, there is no such thing as a bad flight--just bad attitudes...it sure beats walking or driving for that matter (which I know from personal experience).
I awoke at about 6 am LA time after about 4 hours of sleep and after securing my favorite "Flagels" (flat bagels) and a cup of Jo set about unloading all of my stuff in Anders living room (I'll post a pic or two tomorrow) in anticipation of the making a list and checking it twice ritual to come.
Anders and I chatted a bit and since his coach has him on a rest day, I went out and ran 4 miles and then headed over to Westridge Canyon and did the "Nike Missile" hike--just over 7 miles and about 1200 vertical (pretty easy) in under two hours. We're chilling tonight and just attending to many of the things we need to do to get ready. We have the luxury of another 4 days before go time.
Technology
In case you have interest, I thought I'd share with an inventory of the technology I'm bringing on this trip. It falls into three main categories: communication, documentation and entertainment.
Communication wise we have an Iridium Satellite Phone and several batteries and charging stuff. Rumor has it that Iridium is not super good in Nepal but hopefully it will work well enough. We both have our iPhones, which apparently can be quite useful with a Nepalese Sim card, which we'll need to purchase in Kathmandu....we'll see. Also on the way up to EBC and when we get there, we may be lucky enough to catch Wi-Fi here and there. Hopefully, Anders and I, with our manager Judy back home, will be able to maintain a regular communication to you throughout this journey.
On the documentation front, my main mode will be my fantastic Sony a7rii, a 42MP mirrorless digital ILC. I have my Zeiss 16-35 wide angle zoom, a Sony 35mm/f2 prime, a Voigtlander 10mm hyper wide prime and a Sony G Master 70-300 zoom lens to capture what will hopefully be some great pics. I can also shoot 4k vid with the Sony but both Anders and I are also rocking the Go Pro Hero 5 Blacks for that need. We also both have Sony RX-100 mark Vs (24MP point and shoot) for back-ups. I'm really, really excited to record all of the incredible beauty that awaits us. I hope to share with you when I return in the late spring.
To give you a sense, here are some of my earlier mountaineering vids:
Aconcagua 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLkOT_KmZhY
Vinson Massif 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPd9bocdOss
Kilimanjaro 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W7n1vGX5Ow
There are a bunch more on my YouTube page if you are interested.
Mostly our entertainment will be God's great beauty and ourselves--it truly is a great thing to be part of a major expedition like this! That said, I also have the following:
- 2 iPods--one with Kara's music and one with Alex's
- my iPad with about 20 hours of TV shows and a couple of movies
- my Kindle which currently features books on Buddhism, theoretical cosmology, entrepreneurialism, and quantum mechanics
- my MacBook Air
- some playing cards for some epic Hearts battles
- my journal to record my feeble thoughts
Weightlessness
I was thinking about this quite a bit on my hike today. It's a very weird thing to unplug and go to Nepal for 30+ days (or in Anders' case, 60). So much of my life is about routine and patterns. We have friends and family that we visit, talk to and have fun with. Work. Training...etc.
It all gets unplugged. Untethered. Disconnected. We head off to Nepal and everything is different. No getting up in the morning and grinding some fresh brewed Jo. Stomach problems. Dodging Yaks. All new things.
Many times I've had dissidence about routine in my life--I like new things. However, when the routine goes you realize how much you miss it. You drift and feel a bit weightless. It's unsettling for sure. I'm really going to miss Judy.
But I also know the dislocation brings the opportunity for great personal growth. I'm getting my head rapped around the weightlessness of it and trying to find peace. I'm also beginning to get very pumped for the adventure!
What a privilege it is to go experience Nepal and Everest (well for me "near Everest") with my son.
Hey folks--this is very exciting!
I'm honored to have you join us...
No comments:
Post a Comment