Book 8

This weekend I finished Touching the Void, Joe Simpson's remarkable mountaineering survival story. This is one of the books I picked that was rated 5 stars by a friend on Goodreads. Now I'm no mountaineer or climber, even though I do love the mountains. But the places these guys go are insane. I can't imagine doing this type of climbing in perfect conditions.

Which makes Simpson's story all the more remarkable. He ended up climbing down a mountain after falling down a crevasse in a glacier, alone and freezing, and all this after already breaking his leg. Even knowing that he survives (after all he is writing the book) the story is very tense. It includes a good depiction of what his climbing partner, thinking Simpson was dead, went through as well making his own way down the mountain. It really is amazing what people can endure.

The book is a worthwhile read. My only complaint is the first part, about climbing up the mountain, is very technical. I'm sure those familiar with climbing would enjoy it, but I found it a bit slow at times. All that changes when the disaster hits, and I found it a much quicker read from that point on. The reader gets a good picture of the hardships endured on the lonely, grueling climb down. Amazing that this is all a true story. I may need to check out the movie.