4 out of 4 stars
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David J. Mauro joins the Ozone Brotherhood as he climbs the highest mountain peak on each continent becoming the sixty-fifth American to conquer the Seven Summits. The Altitude Journals is the eloquent accounting of how he accomplished this amazing feat.
He subtitles this work “A Seven-Year Journey from the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth.” At age forty-four, Mauro dubs his life a disaster. He’s newly divorced and feels he’s failed at marriage—just like his absentee father. He’s still lamenting his brother’s alcohol-fueled death eight years earlier—he’s failed to save his only brother. In the midst of his despair, an invitation arrives from brother-in-law Ty to join a team climbing Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska. Although Mauro is not a mountain climber, he accepts the challenge. He doesn’t know it yet, but this is the start of his quest.
Each chapter is titled with the name of the mountain the author climbs, but this isn’t a dry recitation of compass points or GPS coordinates. With an engaging style and wry humor, Mauro chronicles his personal life’s struggles as well as the physical hardships he faces on each expedition. The story is beautifully written, sometimes waxing downright poetic. “This night, they burned a cinnamon tree. The smell was intoxicating, otherworldly. It permeated everything in camp—our sleeping bags and clothing, our hair and tents. It quashed the collective bouquet of our humanity, now ripened by effort and heat.”
My least favorite chapter is about Vincent Massif (elev. 16,050’) in Antarctica. It’s his fifth climb, and by the time he decides to go, he feels he’s been told by the fates “to write” rather than “to climb”. He heads south simply to have something worthwhile to write about. This turns out to be the least enjoyable trek for him and it shows in his writing.
The most sparkling chapters, by far, are about Denali (elev. 20,310’) and Everest (elev. 29,029’). Denali because it’s his first foray into the high altitude realm. He braves the steep learning curve in ice and snow to return stronger and wiser. And Everest just because it’s Everest—the highest point on Earth and the most dangerous, life-threatening journey a human can attempt. The tremendous sense of accomplishment and joy Mauro experiences at each summit brought tears to my eyes.
Mauro discovers that enduring the hardships of such extreme adventures requires finding joy every day. He applies this principle to all aspects of his life and is able to heal many emotional wounds from his past.
On the surface, the book seems best suited for adventure lovers, mountain climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts. However, anyone can relate to the author’s everyday challenges and take inspiration from his philosophy of approaching any monumental task one step at a time. This is a personal tale, often deeply spiritual, always honest even if the truth is not neat and pretty. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It’s all but pristine in its editing and includes interesting facts about mountain climbing that the average person would not know. If a book is supposed to take readers where they may never be able to go, Mauro succeeds in 29,029 ways.
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The Altitude Journals
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