Everest On Orbit Update
Astronaut Scott Parazynski’s Everest Journal: Leavin’ on that 2:16 plane to Katmandu
“OK, so Gladys Knight has a better knack for lyrics, but I’m about to depart on a pilgrimage today that I’ve been dreaming of (and preparing for) my entire life — a trip that I hope will take me all the way to the summit of Mount Everest.”
What Gear Does An Astronaut Bring to Climb Mt. Everest?
Editor’s note: Scott left for Nepal on Sunday. I leave on 18 April. That said, Scott’s gear database is 95% similar to what I will be bringing – except that my gear (in terms of insulated clothing) will be adequate for nearby ascents we’ll be making up to 20,000 feet. Scott is headed for 29,000 feet at -40F above more than half of Earth’s atmosphere. He’ll be standing in the jet stream.
Scott is also a bit more weight (up mass) conscious than I am. I am bringing a lot of electronic gear and will have two porters carrying my gear. At first I felt like a total wimp (I have climbed 1,000 foot cliffs) to pay someone to carry my stuff. It costs USD $250 to get a duffel bag (I will have 2) to Everest Base Camp and back. Alas, I live at sea level so I am just going to shut up and accept the situation.
Then I learned that this number just also happens to be the average annual income for someone in Nepal. As such, I am inclined to think of more things to carry up – and perhaps more porters to pay. I’ll also be spending a week or so by myself in a desperately poor third world country trekking at high altitude with two porters and a Sherpa with minimal English skills.
It is truly another world that Scott, I, and others will be entering even before we reach Everest Base Camp.
