Desire & Ice: A Search for Perspective Atop Denali - Softcover

Brill, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0792269357 ISBN 13: 9780792269359

Publisher: National Geographic, 2002

Synopsis

Denali (Mt. McKinley) is accessible to climbers with limited alpine experience?provided they are in top condition and able to contend with the worst weather on Earth. In Desire & Ice, novice climber David Brill tells how he rose to a challenge that subjected him to physical and psychological extremes. Brill was way out of his comfort zone on Denali, and in this lighthearted take on his achievement, he tells us all about it. Denali presents the greatest vertical gain?from just above sea level to 20,320 feet?of any mountain on the planet. Sited 2,400 miles north of Everest, it is notorious for 100-mile-per-hour winds and temperatures of 60 to 100 degrees below zero. Denali?s thin air and 21 hours of sun per summer day create a near-Himalayan climbing environment. Then there?s the specter of death on the mountain. Since a group of miners (the Sourdough Expedition) defied all odds and reach the North Peak in 1910, Denali has claimed the lives of nearly 100 climbers. These extreme conditions and storied history are woven throughout Brill?s account of his own attempt to scale Denali. Trained by expert guides, the 45-year-old fledgling mountaineer mastered the skills to propel him from sofa to summit. His account overflows with vivid personalities and events: As Brill and his rope-mates cross glaciers and crevasses, claw their way up walls of ice, and wait out a killer storm, the author probes the motivation of his guides and fellow climbers?including two women whose quest for the summit ends in a flesh-freezing bathroom break.

About this title

About the Author

David Brill is director of communications for the University of Tennessee's Energy, Environment, and Resources Center. He is author of two other books, A Separate Place: A Father's Reflection on Building a Home and Renewing a Family and Desire and Ice: Searching for Perspective atop Denali. He has scaled both Mt. Rainier and Mt. McKinley. He lives in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Review

A great example of an everyday man doing an extraordinary thing. This inspiring account shows what is truly possible. -- Ed Viesturs, five-time Everest veteran and leader of the 1996 Everest IMAX® Expedition.

Brill's riveting account is essential reading for anyone who aspires to reach the summit of North America's highest mountain. -- Jim Wickwire, co-author of Addicted to Danger and one of the first Americans to summit K2

Brill's take on climbing is informative, accurate, and laced with humor. -- Conrad Anker, co-author of The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest.

Proof that the big lessons come only when we find the courage to step outside our comfort zone. -- Rick Ridgeway, co-author of Seven Summits

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792269357
• ISBN 13: 9780792269359
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320