Wonderful book, written very matter-of-factly
High Adventure by Edmund Hillary
Book on Amazon | My review on Amazon
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed Sep 25, 2006
The outcome of the adventure – the first successful summit climb of Everest – is a well-known fact. However, Hillary’s telling of the story makes a gripping tale, well worth reading. Sometimes the matter-of-fact narration makes you think those climbs and hazards were really easy. A look at the black and white photos (in the paperback edition I have, these are separate plates) of the ice walls and crevasses dispels such fantasies. Even following well-trodden routes up the Everest is no mean task; it is awe-inspiring to read about the route-finders’ story in first person.
The book talks about not only the actual climb of Everest, but events leading up to it for the previous two years. Some of these are amazing feats of strength and courage, and give an understanding of the spirit of the original pioneers. For instance, Hillary and his friend ford various rivers in full monsoon strength – they not only ford it once, but ferry across terrified porters with massive loads, multiple times. They spend days together fording such rivers and helping porters across with their luggage. All this only to reach the foothills of the Himalayas, this is only the precursor to the actual climbing. Then almost as an aside, Hillary talks about rafting down a river and being caught in a whirlpool.
The tone of the book remains light and easy. Hillary describes reaching the summit as a moment of quiet satisfaction, nothing over-dramatized. The story talks for itself I guess, there’s no need for adding drama to it.
