|
Saturday, 12 June 2004 |
Hello  Mount Everst Nepal Base Camp and welcome to Yak Trek. This is a conglomeration of information compiled for the planning and preparation for a trek to Mt Everest, Nepal. If you want to read the day to day logs we wrote on the trail check out the Yak Logs. Check out the Everest Photo Gallery at F9photo.com. To make things more interesting and to give me something to do on the 24 day journey I updated the website via a satellite phone. I built a web engine that parsed a custom XML files that I uploaded each day from my laptop into this web site. I used a Thuraya phone to transfer the data to this site. Because I now shoot in digital, I had to bring solar panels to charge my EOS 1D Mark II, laptop and other necessities (like my Ipod). This has also become a repository of information for people carrying electronic equipment on expeditions.
|
|
|
Saturday, 03 September 2005 |
This is the trek route we are planning to take. This is the world’s most famous trek via the recently opened  Nangpa Valley. Cross Renjo and Cho la. Climb both Gokyo Ri and Kala Pattar and camp overnight at Everest Base Camp.
The trek travels to the remotest parts of the Khumbu Himal and visits all the main valleys of the region. We can explore fascinating Sherpa villages and visit the Buddhist monasteries at Tengboche and Pangboche, whilst the names of so many famous mountains including Thamserku, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Pumori will become part of our vocabulary. Not only does this trek include ascents of both Gokyo Ri and Kalapattar, we even camp overnight at Everest Base camp, allowing us to soak up the atmosphere of this hallowed place. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Monday, 12 April 2004 |
As my photographic trips started to take me further and further from civilization, I soon realized my need for power.  Now that I have converted to full digital, I now travel with a Panasonic Toughbook and an Archos to backup photos on the road. I have found this setup works well for almost any trip, however it has me very dependant on electricity. I wanted a system that I could recharge my camera and laptop in the field. I soon discovered that Canon does not make a DC charger for the EOS 1D Mark II or EOS 1DS Mark II NP-E3 battery. It puzzled me that there were not enough professional photographers requiring field power. It puzzled me that there were not enough professional photographers requiring field power. However, I guess the amount of photographers that will be away from any power for days on end will be very limited. I finally found a solution for my battery charging needs.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Wednesday, 07 July 2004 |
Brunton's SolarRoll are flexible solar panels made for powering electronic equipment on expiditions.  The rolls weigh less under a pound and can output up to 14 watts of power, which in was enough to recharge a laptop computer but not to run directly off of it (get two for that). A SolarRoll can charge digital cameras, camcorders, GPS devices, satellite phones and other products in the most remote regions of the world. The amorphous solar cells are effective in bright sunlight as well as on partly-cloudy days. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Wednesday, 07 July 2004 |
|
Laptop computers consume between 15 and 30 watts of power (some as much as 60 watts). Much less power is required when in standby mode. Generally either one 30W and in some cases two are required. Some laptops work with only 20W of panel capacity. To decide, multiple the output voltage labeled on your laptop's wall adaptor (usually a black plastic box in-line with wall plug) by the current (in amps) and this will be the number of watts your laptop uses. Most laptops use input voltages between 16 and 22 volts at usually 2 to 4 amps (doing the math above, this is between 32 and 88 watts).
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|