I Climb; Therefore, I Write...

Jetset Jenna writes:

Several years ago my dad and I discovered we share a passion for mountain climbing. That's not to say we actually climb mountains. No, that's dangerous. We prefer to sit in the comfort of our own homes and read about other people's climbing adventures. The book that got me started was Jon Krakauer's bestseller Into Thin Air. I loved the drama, the danger, the packing lists. I learned new words like "sherpa," "crampons," and "pulmonary edema." I was hooked instantly and my collection of mountain climbing books began to grow. Reading about individuals with successful careers and families who spend ungodly sums of money to risk their lives to climb the world's highest peaks is utterly fascinating. These people--men and women of all ages, from all walks of life--feel the pull of the mountains and must climb them. Luckily for us armchair enthusiasts, just about everyone who's ever climbed Everest, K2, or Aconcagua has also written a book about it. Some books chronicle the long careers of climbers like Reinhold Messner whose book Free Spirit includes details of his many mountaineering accomplishments. Above the Clouds by Anatoli Boukreev is an eye-opening diary into the true life and journey of a controversial climber. Other books focus on the horrors of high-altitude climbing such as In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories From the Mountaineering World by Peter Potterfield. Survival stories in general are the real draw to mountain literature, especially if they contain tales of frostbite, lost appendages and mountain sickness followed by a major comeback. Beck Weathers' book Left For Dead is about his ordeal during the 1996 blackout on Everest that resulted in several deaths. Weathers, a pathologist from Texas, was literally left for dead during a blizzard, found his way back to camp, and later had his frostbitten hands and nose amputated. All the gruesome details are there and best of all, now Weathers is an inspiration to others. Now that's a story! The question every climber has been asked, Why climb the mountain? has a standard answer, Because it's there. But I wonder if sometimes a more accurate answer would be, Because then I can write a book about it. Either way, I'm glad they're out there climbing the high peaks and then finding the time to chronicle their adventures. That way I too can reach the summit of the world's highest peaks. From the comfort of my couch.