Customer Reviews

Escape from Lucania : An Epic Story of Survival

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4 star:		(7)
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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.

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.

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.

David Roberts may be the greatest English writing mountaineering author. He tells the story of Bradford Washburn, who would go on to be the head of the Boston Museum of Science, and Bob Bates when they go to climb the highest unclimbed peak in the Alaska and Yukon. He tells it in a way that captures the whimsey of the sport of alpine climbing while not ignoring hte objective hazards.

It is both inspiring and informative about the human spirit and the importance of a positive attitude. The reader has the benefit of this story being told by Roberts because he can contrast his own expeditions with Washburn's and Bate's to show how risky and fortunate they were.

Read it.

David Roberts is an experienced mountaineer and an excellent writer, particularly on the subjects of mountains and climbing. Escape from Lucania is his story of the first ascent of Mount Lucania in Alaska in 1937 by Bradford Washburn and Bob Bates. I initially became familiar with the two climbers through Mr. Roberts' latest book The Last of His Kind, a biography of Brad Washburn that really whetted my appetite to learn more about the famous journey to and from Lucania.

Mount Lucania was particularly difficult because of its inaccessibility. The mountain is buried deep within the St. Elias range on the border of Alaska and the Yukon. Washburn and Bates were two college-age climbers who were determined to make the first ascent of Lucania. The primary difficulty was in getting to the mountain and then getting back alive. They thought their plan of having a bush pilot fly them to the area of the mountain, dropping them off, and then coming back at a prearranged date to pick them up would lead to success. What they did not count on was the unique weather conditions in the area in the summer of 1937. The weather turned freakishly warm and the plane barely made its landing in the slushy conditions. Then it took several days for the pilot to take off again. He swore he would never attempt to land near Lucania again.

Washburn and Bates had no choice but to carry on and develop an alternative plan for getting back to civilization. Of course, they still went ahead with the ascent of Lucania. Then they were faced with 100 miles plus of hiking under difficult conditions and with dwindling supplies. An unexpected obstacle turned up when the glacial flow in the Donjek River proved to be so severe that the pair of mountaineers was forced to undertake a huge detour before they could even attempt a perilous crossing.

The story of their trek from Lucania back to civilization is truly astonishing and should not be missed by fans of mountaineering books.

This book is more about the long trek out from Lucania than the climb. In the same genre as "Into Thin Air" and "Touching the Void", it paints very vivid pictures of the hassles of first getting to the mountain, then getting away from it.

Its a quick, enjoyable read. The writing is not as crisp as Jon Krakauer's but its descriptive and credible. The ending is a little rushed, compared with the beginnng. The maps and diagrams could have been better, but they gave a fair idea of the route taken.

It made me read Washburn's original stories from his youth, climbing in the Alps which the Appalachian Mountain club has reprinted and were originally published by Putnam.

This is just a story of two friends. It is not complex but it is a very fun read. It is not written as a catharsis, like into thin air was, it's basically the coolest story your grandpa ever told you.

This short account of a true story of two young men and their quest to have a first summit attached to their names is wonderful. Their undaunted courage and lasting friendship make this a great story to hand down to your children.