Dawa and I have been continuing to record 'voiceovers' for our SecretSpot.TV podcasts and reflecting on our fortuitous meeting of over a year ago. I am especially fond of the memory of shooting Episode 1 during our 2007 Everest Freestyle Expedition Base Camp Trek and being in the shadow of the big mountain we will one day traverse together.


Dawa and Phill Recording voiceovers for Episode 6 of SecretSpot.TV


Chris and Phill contemplating Episode 6 of SecretSpot.TV
(while at 11000ft on Denali's West Buttress)


Video of Phill and Dawa doing voiceovers for Episode 6 of SecretSpot.TV

It was exactly a year ago that Dawa introduced me to his ancestral home and helped bring my world view and personal philosophies into a sharper focus. There is extreme beauty in simplicity. It's all just a matter of perspective. =^]


Passi, Lapka (Gelu's Mom) and Gelu in a Cow Shed


A truly Secret Spot at 12000ft in Nepal was  a good place to reflect on...everything

These reflections fill my bionic heart to bursting. That's a good thing. =^)


July showers bring July flowers...in remote Nepal


Video of Cold Chillin' THE Cow Shed

There will be some footage from my 'Cow Shed' experience in Episode 7 of the SecretSpot.TV podcast. We should have that posted about a month after Episode 6 (Episode 6 to be posted within a week or less).


Dawa goes over the Tilman Trek maps

Our 'Tilman Trek' is also coming up...starting a week or so after the Fall equinox of 2008 . We'll be traversing Nepal...south to north...climbing a few 20,000ft peaks and eventually re-visiting Everest South Side Base Camp. We'll also be busy using and testing the gear from our always increasing list of Sponsors and Friends. There's still room on that trip for a few qualified individuals.

If you or someone you know has what it takes to join us...leave a comment for this blog entry...and I'll be sure to respond.

We'll get to look at the tallest peak on earth and consider our longer than usual trudge from Tibet to Nepal in 2009. I'll also be thinking about returning to Dawa's village in later November of this year. Icy Cold will try to break our spirit...but we'll rise to her challenge and smile our usual smiles...then try to warm her heart. Time, as always, is on our side. =^]

Speaking of cold...I wonder what it feels like to be up on Mount Rainier right now?! Michael Fagin at WowWeather.com (and EverestWeather.com) had the following to say about the weekend:

A weather system will move into the Mt. Rainier area on Friday and bring some strong summit winds (60 mph at times) and precipitation for Friday and Saturday. Then by Sunday the weather will improve so for Sunday we can expect partly sunny conditions with just a slight chance of a brief shower with summit winds in the 15 to 30 mph range.

Brrrrr...Friday sounds windy and cold. I've been on Rainier when it's less than warm. It's not a situation most people would wish upon themselves.

I've also been on Rainier under ideal conditions. You can click here to see the panoramic view that Alex and I enjoyed from the summit of Rainier on Sept 15th, 2007.


Alex and Phill on the summit of Mount Rainier on September 15th, 2007

Fortunately Michael's weather services (WowWeather.com) help people make sense of the climate and weather patterns in the Cascades. Que bueno!

Here's what he has to say about early next week on Mount Rainier:

Monday and Tuesday will be sunny and warm with summit winds of 10 to 26 mph and on Wednesday summit winds of 10 to 30 mph and chance of afternoon thundershowers and finally Thursday summit winds of 20 to 40 mph and chance of morning and afternoon  thundershowers.

It sounds like Dawa and I need to go climb Rainier after the weekend. Thanx, in part, to the SatellitePhone Store.com and AnchorageSatellitePhones.com...I'll be doing some live satellite dispatches while on the climb! So...once again...if you subscribe to this blog you'll be able to virtually climb Mount Rainier with us.

As always...I invite you. =^)

Until Soon

Phill =^)

PHILL MICHAEL | Expedition Leader and Summit Climber
Everest Freestyle Expedition/Secret Spot Seven Summits
SecretSpot.NET
SecretSpot7Summits.com
SecretSpotEverest.com
Blog.SecretSpotEverest.com

NB If you are subscriber to this blog and you are having a hard time viewing the media in your email...just go directly to the blog by clicking here (or clicking on the permalink below)...and you will be rewarded. =^]