VIRTUAL 360 Everest Trek Part 10 Everest Memorial
Join our virtual trek to the south side of Mount Everest and the top of Kala Patthar, in immersive 360 VR video, with this limited series from Jon Miller and The Rest of Everest! In Part 10 we continue the hike up to the village of Lobuche and climb the Thukla Hill up to the Everest Memorial to remember the fallen climbers on Everest and other Himalayan peaks.
View how these 360 videos are made, on Chris Marquardt's Tips From The Top Floor channel: • 901 360 Degrees of Freedom
View the playlist of this VR trek! • 360 VR Trek
After lunch in Thukla it was time to tackle the main obstacle for the day: the hill up to Thukla Pass. This is always a steep climb (in terms of the rest of a trek to Everest) and one that I wasn't looking forward to due to the higher altitudes. Luckily my apprehension was purely mental and I ended up enjoying the excursion of the hill climb!
Once at the top there is a grassy shelf in the moraine that is covered with small and large cairns of rock as well as little stone-and-mortar shrines to climbers who have died on Everest. It's a quiet, somber, and sobering part of the trek to Everest...and it grows larger with every visit over the years. The memorial's depressing existence is offset, slightly, by the absolutely gorgeous views of Ama Dablam, Tobuche, Taboche and Cholatse peaks.
After a rest spent wandering around the climber's memorials and contemplating the deeper questions of this life, we hiked around a bend in the valley and the upper Khumbu Valley revealed itself in full glory. The mountains are absolutely enormous, imposing and magnificent. It is hard to fully comprehend the scale of the peaks you are staring at.
While we were only trekking to the encampment of Lobuche, it is easy to get caught up in the desire to peer around the next ridge to see more of this awe inspiring view. Somehwere, just out of sight beyond the high ridge of Nuptse, is the summit of Everest.
We'll see it, soon.
Jon Miller
October 10, 2020
While you can absolutely enjoy this series on a mobile phone or computer, for the most “you are there” immersive experience I HIGHLY recommend viewing the videos using a VR headset. Here are some suggestions that I own and have personally tested. They range in price from just a few bucks to a few hundred dollars. Buying them from these affiliate links will support this The Rest of Everest endeavor!
I Am Cardboard VR Box https://amzn.to/3d3CSu6
This is a fantastic entry-level VR viewer that can be used with the YouTube app on your mobile phone. I found this one to be superior to the less expensive versions that need to be assembled. This one comes ready to use and has a more thoughtful design and better user experience. Worth buying even if you only have a passing interest in VR content.
Pansonite 3D VR Glasses Virtual Reality Headset https://amzn.to/37s06ZJ
A real upgrade from Google Cardboard devices. This is a true headset and is very comfortable to use. Since you actually wear it, the experience is much more immersive yet still uses the YouTube app on your mobile phone for viewing which keeps it inexpensive. It is also far more adjustable than the Cardboard options. I’ve given a Pansonite unit to Dawa’s family for viewing these episodes!
Oculus Quest All-in-one VR Gaming Headset – 64GB https://amzn.to/2YE3oF2
Oculus Quest All-in-one VR Gaming Headset – 128GB https://amzn.to/3fnOKbN
The Oculus Quest is the best all-in-one VR headset on the market right now. Using it is like peering into the future. For viewing 360 videos it only beats the Oculus Go in terms of screen quality but if you’re interested in gaming THIS is the headset to purchase. There is NO comparison. I use an Oculus Quest connected to Adobe Premiere while I edit these episodes. Amazing device with a lot of “wow” factor.
Thanks for watching. If you’re new to The Rest of Everest, please consider checking out Episode 000 to see what this series is about and how it all started almost 20 years ago. • Episode 000 Introduction
If you’re based in Colorado, consider checking out Dawa’s Fort Collins restaurant, The Himalayan Bistro https://himalayanbistro.com