Review by jabdart -- The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro

[jabdart]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Altitude Journals" by David J Mauro.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In the dog days of summer, I like to read books about snow and ice. I learned this concept from Gerard Keis when I lived in Salt Lake City. High adventure in the frozen tundra makes a great read when you are sweating and scratching mosquito bites. So, The Altitude Journal was a perfect selection for this summer of record high temperatures. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

This is memoir of seven years in the life of David J. Mauro. In those seven years he summits the seven continents. It is more than a blog, which he did write for a few of the climbs, because he fills us in on the time between his adventures. Besides mountaineering, he’s an improv actor. While some bits of humor are sprinkled throughout the story, he doesn’t overdo it. He does give us insight into the workings of improv and how he benefited psychologically from participating in it. I found some of his family stories not really connected to the main thrust of the book.

At times I referred to the book as the attitude journal because Mauro spends a lot of time describing how his attitude changes over the course of the climbs. He even claims he is not a lover of mountains. Each treck had a purpose. The first four were about emotional changes and the fifth climb was done specifically to write a blog while climbing so his readers were getting somewhat of a real time experience. He says he is not a climber, but rather a seeker. The book includes photos of meaningful moments that add to the experience.

I have an image of rock climbers as my desktop screen. I climb at a local place called Memphis Rox. I thought this book might inspire me to try the real thing. At first it did. I was more confident getting on my roof to fix a few things and I’m making a rope ladder to assist me in climbing in my back yard. But after reading about all the risks, I think I’ll just focus on my local rock climbing gym and leave the serious mountain climbing to others.

The summer isn’t over and so my next climbing adventure will be on the silver screen. Mountain Film on Tour is coming soon to a theater near me. I look forward to ice, snow, frostbite and an air-conditioned theater.

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The Altitude Journals
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