Pema is back with us this evening, and he’s making the year’s last dash down to Snow College to see his daughter Nawang. Of course Mingma is taking her last opportunity for a while to jab at her to not even think about wandering off into Christianity. As drove them the six hours to Zion National Park in southern Utah last month Mingma displayed super-human motor mouth powers as she sat in the back seat with her daughter. She must have been speaking in her native Sherpa language, and I failed to discern even the slightest pause for a breath the entire duration. I asked Pema later what topic had engaged her so adamantly, and he mumbled with brevity it was about religion. He must have been a little overloaded by all of the verbiage too, but at least he could zone out with his prayer beads. I had to actually stay alert. He went on to say that the Buddhist history and teachings have great depth and explaining them is no casual affair. Apparently Mingma was catching her daughter up on centuries of enlightenment in her brief (captive) company.

Thanks again to Becky Harrison at AdventurousTrekker for her advice on arranging for travel and evacuation insurance on a trek. Of course she mentioned the protection offered through the American Alpine Club, as well as comprehensive policies through other insurance agencies. Just to follow up on my previous post about insurance, CSA Travel Protection was a catastrophic No-Go because they exclude hiking outright (there’s a very proud bean counter out there somewhere). Third Eye Travel gave a huge endorsement for Access America with a big ad on their main page. Third Eye assured me that their coverage is comprehensive, and under their Access America Classic Comprehensive plan I would be covered for cancellation, medical, emergency evacutaion, baggage, and a live sympathy hotline if I’m feeling grumpy during the trip, all for about US $75 (as I was quoted). That’s so much cheaper and more comprehensive than the AAC policy that it starts to sound too good to be true. I just talked to Doug from AAC, who is dubious about the extent of the coverage from Access America, and he’s right. Access America expressly excludes mountain hiking about 6,000 feet. Yes, FEET, not meters! That’s what the call center representattive told me, and I asked her to double-check that. Um, I live at 6,000 feet elevation, so I guess if I walk out my front door I won’t be protected.