The first time I backpacked for a story was in August 1995 at Mount Whitney. Quite a walk, as I recall.
But there were things I preferred about that hike to the one I'm doing in September. Recall I'm walking with a photographer to Mendel Glacier from the east side.
When we did Whitney, we didn't have a satellite phone. For photography, we were still shooting film, not digital. It was all good. I like photos taken on film. And I like not carrying a nonfunctional chunk of weight -- i.e. the satellite phone -- in my backpack.
Cell phones? Yeah, one guy had one. At about 13,500 feet, he climbed out on a ledge and called his girlfriend in Newport Beach. Whoopee.
Now for Mendel, we're carrying a satellite phone. Again. It was an albatross on the Muir Trail hike two years ago. I expect it to function better this time, but who knows?
At least, we are under no illusions about photographs this time. On the Muir hike, we brought some kind of palm pilot and tried to send photos. Never worked. Even when we got a clear shot at a satellite, it didn't work.
Look for us. We'll be the hikers trying to locate a satellite.
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