Mountaineering types and adventure travel advocates are always hyping their accomplishments--until too many people follow in their footsteps. We can officially call Mt. Everest done-ski now that the Olympic Torch has made it to the summit.

When a team of torch runners can just say, "Let's take this thing up there," you know it's gotten too easy to just cruise up the mountain. Well, maybe easy is a bit of a stretch:

The summit attempt had been repeatedly delayed because of bad weather, and the team had been forced to sit for days at various high camps.

The group of ethnic Tibetan climbers and Chinese journalists must've been a lonely on the climb: China barred access to the summit earlier this year to keep any pro-Tibetan protests from marring the mountain-top torch run.

Related Stories:
· Olympic Torch Reaches Everest Peak [NYT]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
· Olympic Torch coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Xinhua]]]> pbb 2008-05-08T13:06:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/28/163241/098

We tried our damnedest to cook up a travel angle on the whole Miley Cyrus drama, but we just couldn't do it. So instead of stretching, we're gonna set you up with a classic travel news link dump to wrap up the day.

Europe--and Lonely Planet--wanna see your travel videos, and Tijuana is picking up the pieces after an insane gun battle. Protesters *won't* be greeting the Olympic Torch in Pyongyang. And, yes, everyone wants a piece of the Gossip Girl action. (Including us!)

Related Stories:
· Europe Wants Your Videos [Budget Travel]
· Mystery Surrounds Tijuana Drug Shootings [LAT]
· Torch Relay Map [Google Maps]
· Bretty Snyder's Travel Blogs to Watch [BNet]
· Congressman Hopping on Amtrak's Sunset Limited [Houston Chronicle]
· OMFG: "Live Like Gossip Girl" Package at The Franklin Hotel [HC]

[Photo from the Sunset Limited: Susansfh]]]> pbb 2008-04-28T16:45:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/16/173517/763

After passing through San Francisco, the Olympic Torch didn't find much trouble in Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam or Muscat. Now in Pakistan, the torch is prepping for a tour of the rest of Asia before heading back to China.

Among the upcoming stops are Kuala Lumpur, Canberra and Nagano, and today's relay through Islamabad was incident-free. But beware, torch watchers: Protesters in Australia are already agitating, so we could be in for more drama.

Related Stories:
· Tracking the Torch [Google Maps]
· Tracking the Torch's Carbon Footprint [Slate]
· Chinese in Australia Vow to Defend Torch [Telegraph]
· Olympic Torch Run has Sparse Crowd in Pakistan [AP, via Google]
· China Completes Blacktop Road to Mt. Everest [AP, via IHT]

[Photo: Google Maps]]]> pbb 2008-04-16T17:45:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/