The modern storyteller; an essay about communication.

[Romke]

(e-mailed by Harry from sunny basecamp)

Nowadays an Everest expedition is as much a technological adventure as it is a physical and mental activity. In this time and age where only corporate sponsorship and media attention can pay for the realisation of dreams it is vital to have some way of contact with the homefront. If you do not deliver, then getting funding the next time will be even harder. Sometimes adventure is just like a real job :-) But it is not just _having_ to do it what makes us climbers want to share our daily adventures. Sharing the experience with the people you are close with is one of the main reasons for adventuring in the first place for many people.

In the old days storytellers would capture audiences by sharing the experiences and knowledge of faraway places. When photography as well as traveling became available to more people the stories were partly replaced and partly enriched (though often partly bored) by photographs and slides.

But in modern society adventure needs to be live. A story about what happened 2 months ago is not interesting enough. The audience needs to have the feeling that it is happening now and that they are the first to know about it, so they in turn can share the story by email, phone etc, turning them into a modern storyteller themselves. By living out my dreams and sharing them, I know I can inspire others to have dreams themselves. This alone makes it worth all the trouble of trying to get all the 'userfriendly' PDA, Satellite phone, laptop and powerstuff going :-)

But I know that until the communication gets really userfriendly, i.e. until I can send full size (8mp) pix for little money and in a few seconds, the current updates are just a quick fix. The real stories and fullsize images will wait until after our safe return; on a good old fashioned slideshow evening with close friends...

[MournesMan]

Harry

I agree with your views on the storytelling aspect of adventure.  The technology does represent a quick fix and the best images and stories are greatly enhanced by the
climbers(s) when they return.  However, for the rest of us with an interest in adventure, these communications enable us to live the dream in spirit with the expedition members and it is great to read your communications, look at the pictures and listen to Lorenzo's rich and emotional accounts - all these things bring it much closer and almost makes one feel part of it.  They inspire thoughts of excitement and comradeship - and give me hope that one day I may get to live the dream!

Best wishes, good luck, take care of each other and keep eating the apple pie (although it couldn't be as good as the ones you get here in good old Co Armagh, Norn Ireland!!!

Colin