Desire And Ice

The award-winning journalist and author of As Far As the Eye Can See describes his journey as a novice, middle-aged climber to the top of North America's highest peak, Denali, detailing the physical and psychological challenges of his trip, the harsh conditions he faced, and the history of expediti

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TAPS INTO "EVERYMAN" TREND IN ADVENTURE TRAVEL. Though he had previously thru-hiked the AT and bagged Mount Rainier twice, David Brill was neither an ultramarathon-er nor a technically skilled mountaineer when he set out to climb 20,320-foot-high Denali (still known by some as Mount McKinley) in May 2001. After getting into shape by hiking up and down a neighboring 3,300-foot mountain with an 80-pound pack on his back (and bright yellow Arctic mountaineering boots on his feet), Brill summited Denali at the climax of a three-week expedition, proving that everyday athletes can accomplish once-in-a-lifetime feats. BROAD AUDIENCE APPEAL: The easy story-telling grace and casually self-deprecating style with which Brill relates his climbing and hiking odyssey will captivate any reader or traveler who enjoyed A Walk in the Woods or Into Thin Air. COMMISSIONED PHOTOGRAPHY: Compelling colour photographs, shot during the expedition by Bill Hatcher for National Geographic Traveler magazine, reveal the difficulty of the route, the quirky characters encountered on the path to the summit, the immensity of the mountain, and the beauty of the Alaskan landscape over which Denali presides.
KOOKS OR ICONOCLASTS?: Through profiles of fellow climbers he met during training sessions on Rainier or during the Denali expedition itself, the author vividly sketches a fascinating array of oddballs and outcasts, dreamers and driven - in short, typical "climbing personalities." What is it about the peak experience that impelled these characters to leave their comfortable lives behind for a shot at the summit?