4 out of 4 stars
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In “The Altitude Journals”, David J Mauro takes us along on his journey of climbing the seven summits, which are the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Mauro climbed his first mountain, the Denali in Alaska, not because he was interested in mountain climbing, but because he was recovering from a divorce and saw the invitation to join a group of climbers as chance for himself to escape his personal low. After the Denali, Mauro writes that he felt a sense of “being called by the mountain” rather than deciding to climb them, but in the end, he finds himself standing on the summit of the Everest at the highest point of the planet.
For Mauro, these summits are about much more than only mountain climbing: from every mountain he brings back a valuable personal revelation or new understanding of the problems he is facing in his personal life. Over the course of climbing all seven summits Mauro finds personal happiness in love, closure with his father, and a deeper understanding of his relationship to the people close to him.
This book is excellent from start to finish. I was captured immediately by the wonderful writing, especially by the passages describing the beauty of the mountains in the midst of the harsh and dangerous environment. There are snow-covered expanses and deadly ice falls in the Himalaya and hot and jungle treks that need to be crossed before even reaching the base of the Carstensz Pyramid (and which can be more dangerous than the climb itself). Mauro also observes the cultures of the people in the places he visits, and his anecdotes about the children of the “cannibalistic” tribes in the Indonesian jungles or the friendship with his Nepalese Sherpa guides are entertaining and touching at the same time.
Mauro is able to convey the sense of drama when his group makes the passage over ice ledges, while being funny and self-ironic at times. I found the time spent describing the mountain climbs and the time Mauro spends at home exploring the lessons the previous mountain has taught him and preparing for the next very well-balanced. There is no part of the book that I did not enjoy.
One episode that stood out for me was where Mauro talked about how he felt very self-conscious after climbing his first two mountains. Mauro had the profile of each mountain that he summited tattooed onto his right leg, and some people around him accused him of wanting to show off. For a while, these negative reactions caused Mauro to wear long trousers even in summer, before he got comfortable with his new identity as a high-altitude mountain climber and understood that the negativity was based on the other people's insecurities.
Mauro has extensive writing experience from sharing his climbs in a blog (reading about him searching for internet access in the Himalaya or reciting his entries over the phone from Antarctica are just some more of the unexpected details that make this book so vivid). Mauro’s skills are evident throughout the book, which is also excellently edited, and so “The Altitude Journals” deserves every single one of the 4 out of 4 stars I rate it with. I believe that this book is enjoyable for anyone, mountain climber or not.
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The Altitude Journals
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