4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Part climbing journal, part personal growth memoir, The Altitude Journals chronicles seven years in the life of author David J. Mauro. Although he was not previously a climber, during this period of his life he joined the ranks of a relatively small number of mountaineers who have successfully climbed to the summit of the tallest mountain on every continent. Each climb and how it fits into the wider context of the author’s life and personal growth journey is described in turn.
At the start of the book, Dave is 44, recently divorced, grieving the death of his brother, and has never climbed a mountain. As the book develops, the reader follows Dave as he gets into a new relationship, faces challenges in his relationship with his aging father, and rediscovers faith in himself. This all becomes possible as he develops new skills and knowledge through his high altitude climbing expeditions. This new part of his life takes him out of his comfort zone and provides the wider context for his personal growth.
The first peak Dave attempts is Denali, the highest peak in North America. He is invited along on the climb by his brother-in-law Ty, who is making a documentary. The fact that Ty believes in Dave’s ability to succeed more than Dave himself does is a powerful motivator to accept the invitation to be one of only two amatuer climbers on the trip. Dave’s account is an honest, candid description of the mistakes made and challenges faced by an inexperienced climber on a major expedition. He weaves together a detailed description of the climb and a deeply personal account of his innermost thoughts and experiences. His success on this climb opens the door to the idea that his brother-in-law’s confidence in him might not be entirely misplaced, and gives him enough belief in himself to open the doors, one by one, to each of his subsequent expeditions.
Each climb is a unique and deeply personal experience for Dave. I enjoyed following his journey from newbie to experienced climber. Not being a climber myself, I learned a lot about the different kind of training and preparations needed before attempting each summit, according to what kind of terrain he would be climbing and whether or not he would be carrying weight. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the geography and physical conditions on each climb. The book includes a few photos, and every one of them enhanced his textual description of the climb.
As well as the physical characteristics of each mountain, Dave describes the personal significance each mountain and climbing experience held for him, and what he learned from each expedition. Who Dave is and what motivated him to climb came through strongly, and made the book about so much more than mountain climbing. By the end of the book, it is clear that Dave has achieved much more than the summits he has reached.
As significant as mountain climbing has been in Dave’s life, I appreciated that he took the time to reflect on the environmental and human costs of the growing popularity of mountain climbing. I found the final section of the book about his expedition to climb Everest deeply thought provoking. It is impossible to quantify the life-enriching value that such an expedition has for the author himself and for other climbers like him. It is therefore also impossible to weigh that value against the human and environmental costs of such activities. This is a dilemma that it cannot be entirely comfortable for climbers to contemplate. It is a credit to the author that he nevertheless touched on some of these issues in his book.
The only thing I did not enjoy was the inclusion of descriptions of a number of interpersonal conflicts with and between other climbers which came up on more than one expedition.. Although it is inevitable that conflict between individuals will occur, especially in high stress situations, some of the description seemed unnecessarily detailed and gossipy to me.
The book was extremely well written. It was engaging to read and easy to follow. I encountered few errors, and I therefore believe it has probably been professionally proofread and edited. It is a book that will likely have a wide appeal: to climbers and non-climbers who enjoy reading about extreme expeditions, as well as to readers who enjoy motivational human interest memoirs. Given the overall strength of the book, I have no hesitation in rating in 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Altitude Journals
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like heliz_t's review? Post a comment saying so!
