Escape from Lucania : An Epic Story of Survival [Hardcover]

David Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

In 1937, Mount Lucania was the highest unclimbed peak in North America. Located deep within the Saint Elias mountain range, which straddles the border of Alaska and the Yukon, and surrounded by glacial peaks, Lucania was all but inaccessible. The leader of one failed expedition deemed it "impregnable." But in that year, a pair of daring young climbers would attempt a first ascent, not knowing that their quest would turn into a perilous struggle for survival. "Escape from Lucania" is their remarkable story.

Classmates and fellow members of the Harvard Mountaineering Club, Brad Washburn and Bob Bates were two talented young men -- handsome, intelligent, and filled with a zest for exploring. Both were ambitious climbers, part of a small group whose first ascents in the great mountain ranges during the 1930s and 1940s changed the face of American mountaineering. Setting their sights on summitting Lucania in the summer of 1937, Washburn and Bates put together a team of four climbers for the expedition. But when Bates and Washburn flew to the Walsh Glacier at the foot of Lucania, they discovered that freakish weather conditions had turned the ice to slush. Their pilot was barely able to take off again alone, and there was no question of returning with the other two climbers or more supplies. Washburn and Bates found themselves marooned on the glacier, more than a hundred miles from help, in forbidding and desolate territory. Eschewing a trek out to the nearest mining town -- eighty miles away by air -- they decided to press ahead with their expedition.

"Escape from Lucania" recounts Washburn and Bates's determined drive toward Lucania's 17,150-foot summit under constant threat ofavalanches, blinding snowstorms, and hidden crevasses. Against awesome odds they became the first to set foot on Lucania's peak, not realizing that their greatest challenge still lay beyond. Nearly a month after being stranded on the glacier and with their supplies running dangerously low, they would have to navigate their way out through uncharted Yukon territory, racing against time as the summer warmth caused rivers to swell and flood to unfordable depths. But even as their situation grew more and more desperate, they refused to give up.

"Escape from Lucania" tells this amazing story in thrilling and vivid detail, from the climbers' exultation at reaching the summit to their darkest moments confronting seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It is a tale of awesome adventure and harrowing danger. But above all it is the story of two men of extraordinary spirit, inspiring comradeship, and great courage.

Today Washburn and Bates, now in their nineties, are legends in climbing circles. Bates co-led 1938 and 1953 expeditions to K2, the world's second-highest mountain. Washburn, whose record of Alaskan first ascents is unmatched, became founding director of Boston's Museum of Science and is one of the premier mountain photographers in the world. Some of his remarkable images from the 1937 Lucania expedition are included in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This short but sweet look at the ascent two Harvard buddies made of Mt. Lucania in the Yukon Valley in 1937-at the time, the highest unclimbed North American peak at 17,150 feet-is a welcome respite from the high-tech, thrill-a-minute climbing tales that have descended like an avalanche. With their friendship cemented in the elite ranks of the Harvard Mountaineering Club, the brash Brad Washburn and the more reserved Bob Bates decide to explore their "passion" for Lucania, but are immediately faced with hardship when their pilot, who lands them at an unexpectedly slushy base of the mountain, is unable to return to pick them up. Roberts's narrative shows how the resourceful duo decided to climb the mountain and then head more than 100 miles on foot to the nearest town, dressed in clothing that "essentially consisted of layers of wool and cotton." In this day of high-tech expedition gear, it's good to know that Washburn's headgear was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police hat. Roberts (True Summit), a longtime chronicler of adventure and exploration, deftly details a time when "the American public remained almost completely ignorant of mountaineering." Roberts's book reveals the true story behind one of the earliest and most remarkable expeditions of the 20th century.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Now in their nineties, in 1937 Bradford Washburn, age 27, and Bob Bates, 26, climbed to the summit of 17,150-foot Mt. Lucania in the Canadian Yukon, at that time the highest unclimbed mountain in North America. Washburn and Bates had been left stranded in the Yukon's Walsh Glacier at the start of their journey, when their pilot was unable to return with two other team members and part of their supplies after his landing site had become a "sea of slush," forcing them to hike more than 100 miles across unexplored territory. Roberts describes their expedition in vivid detail: what they ate (beans, soup, raisins, bacon, and dried beef); the weather (snow, rain, and fog); and the dangers involved (hidden crevasses, lack of sleep, inadequate gear, and no medical kit). Roberts draws on conversations with Washburn and Bates and quotes from their diaries. Some of Washburn's photographs from the expedition augment this hair-raising adventure story. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743224329
• ISBN-13: 978-0743224321
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little-known survival story comes to life, December 12, 2002

By 

Jon Eric Davidson (Redmond, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape from Lucania : An Epic Story of Survival (Hardcover)

Perhaps in the dual wakes of the Shackleton phenomenon and the tragic events on Mount Everest in 1996, books in the survival/mountaineering genre have seen renewed popularity. With the entry of "Escape From Lucania", a little-known - yet epic - story of survival immediately shows it will be one of the top books of the genre.

Author David Roberts provides a written account - taken from extensive interviews - of two men and their quest to climb one of the highest North American peaks in what was then quite literally an unknown wilderness. Mount Lucania had been attempted only once prior to this expedition, but its summit remained out of reach. These two friends, both members of the Harvard Mountaineering Club, took on the risk of attaining Lucania's summit. The climb, it turned out, was perhaps the most uneventful of the entire expedition.

Mr. Roberts somehow manages to pack a great deal of background information and detailing of the events into about 200 pages. This was remarkable, considering this could have been the type of story to fill several hundred more pages. He introduces the reader to the collection of characters: the two men who survived this trek, the two who were slated to climb with them but didn't due to problems at the base camp landing site, and the gruff bush pilot who flew the two men and their gear into the wilderness. Mr. Roberts then dives into a recount of the harrowing attempts to get the bush plane freed from the glacial morass and airborne, the decision to travel as light as possible, the successful summit push, and then the amazing 100+ mile journey out to the nearest civilization.

In the course of this story, I found that the actual climb and descent from Lucania seemed to be the least difficult of their entire trip. That in itself is stunning, since they traveled with very little in the way of cold-weather - much less climbing - gear. I was left amazed that the bush pilot was able to take off from the glacier and return to Valdez, and was equally amazed at their decision to "escape" over such a long route that wound up being a treacherous trek with limited food and included fording of swollen rivers.

In terms of the modern mountaineering book, the natural comparison would be to works such as Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". "Escape From Lucania" doesn't match up well with Mr. Krakauer's, mostly because of the stunningly tragic circumstances surrounding that story. But "Escape From Lucania" is unique in that the people conquered uncharted territories and lived to tell about it. This book is also well-served by the fact that in subject terms - in this case, Mount Lucania - it is virtually unheard of in most popular circles. Most readers think immediately of the Himalayas and Alps when it comes to extraordinary mountaineering feats. Mr. Roberts manages to remind us that there are, and have been, similar legends made in our own backyard.

At times, Mr. Roberts seems to be trying to write for a more intellectually elite audience, which is a bit of a criticism I had with the book. But overall, the book is well-written and a fascinating read. It isn't the best of its genre, but it ranks among the best. I give it four stars out of five, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced, exciting piece of non-fiction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite an epic but a good read., March 7, 2003

By 

Amoebus (Champlin, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Escape from Lucania : An Epic Story of Survival (Hardcover)

For anyone who is an armchair adventurist (like me), this is a fun read. Roberts creates a smooth story and actually downplays what were really dangerous acts.

The highlight of the book for me was the picture of Bob and Brad on the back cover and in a picture inside. Here are two people who are completely immersed in life. They have just summited Lucania and they know they have 80+ miles of hard hiking in any direction with a limited amount of food. Their smiles warm us through miles of mountain air and decades of time. Ahhh, to be 20 again with the world under your feet.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A First Ascent, an Impossible Location, Two Friends..., November 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Escape from Lucania : An Epic Story of Survival (Hardcover)

In the current age of high tech gear, millionaire adventurers, and an every-man-for-himself attitude, it's easy to forget that there was, not so very long ago, an era when relatively modest people of the highest character took on first ascents with little more than wool sweaters on their backs. Escape From Lucania is not only a window into this era, but also a look at the men themselves, men of decency, honor, ambition, character, honesty, immense skill, intelligence, and an "aw, shucks" attitude. These are men who would abandon their own ambitions on a moment's notice to save a friend. These are men I would want to have with me when the going gets tough. And the going does get tough in this book.