A gripping adventure/disaster story including bottomless crevasses and a "perfect" storm. Karen and I have always tried to avoid hiking where winds could reach 300 mph. ( )

3.5 stars

In 1967, twelve people climbed Alaska’s (also North America’s) highest mountain, Denali (aka Mt. McKinley). The group was actually two groups “stitched” together before the climb, so many didn’t know each other, or didn’t know each other well, nor were really prepared to work (well) together. Only five survived. The author’s father worked for the park service at the time and was involved in the search afterward. This covers what is known of the climb, the aftermath, and speculation about what may have happened to the seven who never made it back.

I listened to the audio and it’s another where I sometimes lost interest. But the portions I paid attention to were interesting. Of course, in the 1960s, the hiking gear was not as advanced, nor was communication, so it was harder to know if there was really something wrong if you didn’t hear from someone via radio when you were supposed to. This book has made me interested to possibly look up some of the other books on the same mountaineering disaster on Denali. ( )

Compared to other books of this type, I didn't find this one to be one of the best . . .the author does a nice job of setting up the history of Denali and the history of various attempts to summit, but the crux of the story is about one tragic visit expedition in the mid 1960's. The author's father was a park ranger there at the time, so he does have an insider's knowledge of events. However, all of those who could provide the telling details of the story didn't survive to share the ordeal, so a lot of the story is speculative. And unlike other stories that happen on mountains, this tragedy was really not a result of poor planning, lack of reasonable rescue attempts, terrible decisions etc., but primarily due to an incredibly horrific weather system that lasted for an entire week. It held my interest, but it feels more like a history book than one detailing an adventure in climbing.

It's a story that deserved to be told, but one that was hard to pull together in a way that made for compelling reading. ( )

True story of the ill-fated Wilcox Expedition that climbed to the summit of Denali in 1967. Twelve climbers set out; five returned. The author, Andy Hall, has a personal connection to the tragedy. He was five years old at the time, and his father was the park superintendent. The author has done a good job of assembling the puzzle pieces to suggest what happened to the climbers during the mega-storm that blew hurricane force winds over the high peaks. He tells the story in a journalistic manner and throws in interesting peripheral information about mountain climbing, meteorology, and what has changed in the past almost 50 years to make climbing safer. He also includes a touching tribute to his father.

Hall pulls together research and interviews into a compelling account. He comments on the transience of human memory, as many of the accounts differ as to the specifics of what happened. I felt the author sifted through all the information to come as close as possible to figuring out what happened. My primary issue with it is that the audio sounds like a dull droning documentary. The narration improves toward the end and includes more voice inflection, but I feel I would have appreciated it even more if I had read rather than listened to it. Content warnings include descriptions of bodies, explanations of the many ways death can occur in conditions of extreme cold and altitude, and a bit of profanity. Recommended for readers interested in mountaineering and its history. ( )

Despite, or maybe because of my hysterical fear of heights (it's difficult for me to even climb a few steps up the ladder to change light bulbs), I love reading about mountain climbing disasters. A lot of people will be comparing this to [b:Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|1898|Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster|Jon Krakauer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403184587s/1898.jpg|1816662], and that's understandable. Both are about a mountain climbing disaster. But that's about all they have in common, and that's ok. While Andy was present at Denali at the time of the disaster, he was only 5 years old. So his recounting of the event is based upon historical documents, notes and interviews with survivors and rescuers. His personal relationship to the park superintendent (his father) and others bring a more personal feel to this account. With a 12-man expedition, plus other individuals that got invovled later, there's a lot of people to keep track of. That was one weakness. Also, since I'm not familiar with Denali, it's geography and such, maps detailing the route the parties took and where the bodies were located would have been a big help.* Still a great read!

* I later discovered that at the very end of the book - after the Notes and Index, there was indeed a map, as well as pictures. Wish these would have been placed earlier so I could have referred to them while I was reading. (I was reading the Kindle version.) ( )