riverc0il
05-14-2001, 06:43 PM
Just finished reading "Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire" and I just wanted to recommend it to everyone. It's been in print for at least a year now, so I'm sure most of you have already gotten a chance to read it...
But for those of you who have not, I highly recommend this book. It details various tragic accidents that happened in the Presidential Range (most stories focus on Mount Washington). The book is written as a series of Short Stories interwoven with some intriguing history. The author (Nicholas Howe, a long time and very knowledgeable visitor to the Presidentials) does a fantastic job of weaving history and short story together so that they are joined together even though told seperately.
The book begins with the first known ascent of Mount Washington taking place in the 1600's and goes through 1994. The author does an incredible job of bringing these people to life and making it more than just a history story, but real people dieing tragically. You finish the story saying, "man... that could be me one day." The stories range from the highly trained and skilled ice climber slipping on bad luck to the boastful fool who disregards all warning. Most stories end in tragedy, a few miraculously survive to tell their story.
The people are real, the stories are well told, and the history is rich without being boring. You feel for these people even though you know the conclusion of most of these tales before you pick up the book.
I'd recommend any one who frequents the presidetials and especially Mount Washington to give this book a read. It's a strong reminder of how far we can all push our limits, how far we can not, and even when we do everything right... sometimes you can only push nature so much.
But for those of you who have not, I highly recommend this book. It details various tragic accidents that happened in the Presidential Range (most stories focus on Mount Washington). The book is written as a series of Short Stories interwoven with some intriguing history. The author (Nicholas Howe, a long time and very knowledgeable visitor to the Presidentials) does a fantastic job of weaving history and short story together so that they are joined together even though told seperately.
The book begins with the first known ascent of Mount Washington taking place in the 1600's and goes through 1994. The author does an incredible job of bringing these people to life and making it more than just a history story, but real people dieing tragically. You finish the story saying, "man... that could be me one day." The stories range from the highly trained and skilled ice climber slipping on bad luck to the boastful fool who disregards all warning. Most stories end in tragedy, a few miraculously survive to tell their story.
The people are real, the stories are well told, and the history is rich without being boring. You feel for these people even though you know the conclusion of most of these tales before you pick up the book.
I'd recommend any one who frequents the presidetials and especially Mount Washington to give this book a read. It's a strong reminder of how far we can all push our limits, how far we can not, and even when we do everything right... sometimes you can only push nature so much.