Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Communication explained

I know that lots of people check the website daily hoping to hear some news from the mountain so I thought I would try to explain how things work. Presently, there is very little satelite phone communication because of the Olympic torch run. Everything is being monitored closely. Unauthorized use of a satelite phone could result in you being forced to leave the mountain and therefore lose your opportunity to summit. The authorities are not fooling around in this regard. I assume Arnold from Summit Climb posts his updates at Base Camp through an Army Liason officer.
Although there is an internet at Dingboche where the family is presently resting it does not always work. Power to this area is limited to solar power. No sun - no power. You pay by the minute to use the internet and I imagine there are lots of people trying to communicate with home.
There is a lot of down time on the mountain when you do nothing but rest to prepare for climbing or rest after climbing. On those days there is nothing to report. One of the biggest concerns to this adventure is mental boredom. It is hard to read or do anything in your tent during the day because it is like a sauna and at night it is cold and you have to use a head lamp.
After May 10th news should pick up. Keep your fingers crossed that the Chinese summit by then or we are into more politics.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update! Much appreciated. I hope we hear more soon. In the meantime, have enjoyed learning about the cultural and environmental aspects of the area. Very informative!