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The Last Man On The Mountain: The Death Of An American Adventurer On K2 (2011)

by Jennifer Jordan(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393079198 (ISBN13: 9780393079197)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: Most mentions of Dudley Wolfe in other mountaineering books had left me with the impression that he was a rich buffoon whose unfortunate fate - left to die alone high on the mountain - was the result of his own incompetency. This account of the tragic 1939 expedition completely changed my point of view. The entire team was unprepared, ill-equipped, and it's a miracle only Wolfe and three of the Sherpas died. I found myself drawn in from the very beginning, even though it's not a fast-paced tale, and you know how it ends from the very first pages. Jordan conducted extensive interviews people who knew the participants in the expedition, and even when she has to speculate to re-create the story, I got the feeling that she had really come to know the climbers through the stori... morees their friends and families told.The tale of the aftermath of the expedition was equally intriguing. It can't be a coincidence that the records of the American Alpine Club's investigation have gone missing from the archives. I felt especially bad for Jack Durrance as I read about his life after K2. I wonder what he might have been like if not for the trauma of the expedition.I'd passed over this book countless times because I didn't think I would be interested in a book about Dudley Wolfe. Boy, I was wrong!
review 2: I enjoyed this book very much. Jordan did a great deal of research and it really shows... the only negative I had was about her portrayal of Dudley as some kind of exalted figure. I'd agree with her (based on her writing) that he wasn't simply a caricature of a millionaire, but I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him a hero either. He seemed more like a normal person with an adventurous spirit who met an unfortunate end thanks to a tragic choice of teammates and lack of communication.I'd recommend this book to someone else though. I found the descriptions of early high altitude climbing fascinating, and in gritty contrast to the Savage Summit book of the 1953 expedition that followed. less

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