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Mountain Impulse wrote:

Mike Swiz wrote:
Amazingly enough I have yet to read Freedom of the Hills, I just haven't gotten around to it yet but it is on my list being as it's referred to as the "bible of mountaineering."

Personally, I wouldn't read it cover to cover, but rather pick chapters on skills you need to refresh (or learn). Of course, in time, you'll cover the whole thing.

For other mountaineering books see this LIST

I will keep that in mind when I do pick it up.

An excellent list by the way.

Mike Swiz wrote:
I will keep that in mind when I do pick it up.

An excellent list by the way.

Thanks Mike. BTW, Shattered Air on the list is a great read.

Augie

I'm just about to finish "Minus 148" . It's a real page turner.

It's about climbing Denali in the winter.

tigerlilly wrote:I'm just about to finish "Minus 148" . It's a real page turner.

It's about climbing Denali in the winter.

I think that's next on my list after I finish "Left for Dead" by Beck Weathers, which I'm about half way through. Honestly, I don't think it is much of a page turner. Others may disagree, and maybe it gets more into mountaineering in the second half of the book but so far it's not hard to put it down.

tathi wrote:not so much a climbing book but i love Papillon by Henri Charriere, true story about
a guy wrongfully imprisoned and sent to the penal colonies off the coast of Venezueala, not a climbing book but i think any climber can admire his incredible will, escaping jail 13 times must be harder than Everest

http://www.amazon.com/Papillon-P-S-Henr ... 0061120669

I love that book!

jasonburton wrote:Craig Childs:
_Secret Knowledge of Water_
_Soul of Nowhere_

What about Kerouacs _Dharma Bums_ ? It has some good mountain stuff in it.

John Muir _Mountaineering Essays_

+1 Craig Childs is an incredible writer. Secret Knowledge of Water and The Way Out are good reads.

Not sure if it's been said in the previous pages, but just finishing up "Last of His Kind" by David Roberts. Book about Brad Washburn, pretty solid book, enjoyed it.

Has anybody read the two books by Lucy Letcher about the 2 sisters who hiked the Appalachian Trail barefoot?

Barefoot Sisters:Southbound

Barefoot Sisters:Walking Home

I haven't, but they sound interesting.

Just read K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs. It's sort of a historical chronicle of the early attempts at K2. I liked learning about the other expeditions and Ed's expedition, but every story is interjected with his opinions on other people and how he would have done things differently. I didn't care much for the additional commentary, but others might appreciate his perspective and insight more than me. To sum the book up in one sentence: "Always bring willow wands".

DanTheMan wrote:To sum the book up in one sentence: "Always bring willow wands".

haha, I thought the EXACT same thing after reading it.

I just finished reading "Three Cups of Tea", by Greg Mortenson. Great book and remarkable story! I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, "Stones into Schools".

I'm reading "Good Business" right now. If your interested in how to make your employees happy, then it is worth reading, I think. The idea of the book is that people need more "flow" moments in life.

The author says the "flow" is how your mind behaves when rock climbing (for example). Focused, concentrating, time slips by unnoticed, sounds around you disappear, etc.. It's how you feel when your really enjoying something. People who like mountaineering might appreciate this concept.

His idea is that if you can achieve this while at work, you will be happier, more "successful". Yes, I would say that might be true. How to get more flow? That's the next chapter, which I haven't read yet.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the author. (good luck trying to type that into Google!)

Minus 148 can also be summed up as "bring MORE willow wands next time"