A Real Look
into Guided Climbs on Denali
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Desire & Ice
by David Brill
Who must have this book: Anyone thinking about
taking a guided climb up the West Buttress of Denali.
Who should have this book: Anyone who enjoys
real life adventures or has interest in mountain climbing
ISBN: 0792269357
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One
thing this book made very clear to me is that all Denali climbers
are type-A personalities. I am a type-B personality, and while I can
appreciate what they are doing up there, I don’t see why you
would do it when you could just grab a fishing pole and have some
nice quiet enjoyment closer to ground level.
If I ever were to decide that climbing the mountain was something
that I needed to do, this is exactly the experience I would most likely
have. The author David Brill is not a climbing fanatic with a dozen
high peaks under his belt. He is in generally good condition physically
and is shaky enough emotionally to be ready for the climb. Like many
people, he chooses Denali as his own personal test and then goes about
preparing for it.
This is not a heroic saga against the worst odds and unbelievable
conditions, it is a clear look at what a guided trip up the West Buttress
of Denali is. There are no major injuries on the trip, but there is
a clear telling of the suffering that takes place on the mountain.
Brill does not hide the suffering, fear, cold, exhaustion, or frustration
of climbing Denali and he did not come away from the mountain untouched.
He lost the feeling in his finger tips for a month or so and in a
more lasting way was changed in his day to day perspectives.
I was never able to put this book down after I picked it up. Brill
has a wonderful way of bringing you along on the climb and keeping
you engaged. Possibly because he never gets preachy about how the
climb changes you but just lets you see through his eyes and emotions
what the climb is like. While you are climbing with him you get the
same summit fever while having to accept that 50 per cent of the climbers
do not get to the top. You share his anguish as weather and situations
start closing the window on his hoped for summit day and can feel
the pull of the summit that tries to overwhelm common sense.
If you are thinking of climbing the mountain, especially if
you are looking at a guided climb up the Washburn Route, get this
book. It will give you a good idea of what to expect on a
“good trip.” And by good, I mean no one lost any fingers
to frostbite. There was still plenty of suffering, which is why I
am keeping to my fishing pole.
Overview
The books starts with Brills decision to climb the mountain,
in some ways to give his life direction and a challenge. Once the
decision is made, he does a great job of getting himself ready for
the challenge by climbing nearby peaks in Tennessee to taking winter
climbing courses on Mount Ranier.
The bulk of the book covers his actual climb on Denali from Arriving
in Anchorage to returning to the bars of Talkeetna after they return
from the mountain. At times he stops the narrative to give the history
of Denali climbing and other background information about subjects
like altitude illnesses and gear.
There is true suspense right up to end of the climb up. There is always
the hope of reaching the top but lots of obstacles that keep coming
up and reminding you that not all climbers make it. At the end of
the experience he does a unique thing, he gets the perspectives from
the others in the group to see how they saw the trip. It is interesting
how they all saw the events very similarly and how close the group
became during the trial. He ends the books with his own reflections.
Author
David Brill is now a retired Mountain
Climber and journalist for such magazines as National Geographic Traveler,
Men’s Health, and Backpacker. He has written other books including
As Far as the Eye Can See about through hiking the Appalachian
Trail.
