Customer Reviews

The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a climber, and I enjoyed the book. There were some bits that weren't terribly interesting, but much of it was. The chapter on meadow restoration was fascinating. Another chapter illuminates something I've long wondered about: why you so often see insects and spiders on the snow thousands of feet above their apparent habitat. It'll be a while before I scoop up a handful of snow to suck on while climbing!

The history is well done; the story the early history of the park were very interesting. And his is the most complete account of the Army airplane crash into the Tacoma Glacier that I've ever read.

He mentioned a couple of other books that I've been grateful to learn about: "The unpublished journals of John Muir" (published now, of course) and "Mountain Fever", an account of the early ascents of Mt. Rainier, both of which I've got now, and one of which I've read.

I feel I've learned something fairly profound from this book. He climbed to the summit and still doesn't appreciate the urge that drives people to do that sort of thing. He felt nothing at the summit, or at Camp Muir, except an emptiness. When I climb, it's always a deeply meaningful experience: last time I was on the summit, I called my wife on the cell phone, and was actually in tears. Each time I climb Mt. Rainier, even if it's just a hike up to Camp Muir, I feel on the descent a tremendous reluctance to leave, and keep looking back for one last look of the icefalls, the massive, serene, intricately shaped rock formations. For me, climbing Mt. Rainer is like visiting a lover, and each time I leave, to return to my life, my job, my wife, the question "but when will I get to see you again?" looms largest.

So I might be expected to reject his experience, or his interpretation. But what he's finally helped me to understand is that different people appreciate different things. It's as futile for me to try to convince someone else to love mountaineering they way I do as it is to try and convince someone to enjoy a particular sort of food that they find distasteful. "How can you not like sushi? Here, just try some flying fish roe!"

So I'll take what he's taught me about the mountain and its history, and be grateful to him for the work and craft that went into it. I'll admire his clear and concise writing style. And, I'll be grateful that there are people who don't enjoy climbing, since it lowers the traffic on the glaciers and the summits.

For anybody that is infatuated with Mt. Rainier, this is the book for you. Living in the Pacific Northwest, Rainier is a fact of life for all of us. On sunny, clear days when it towers over the downtown seattle skyline, we say that the "mountain is out" and cannot help but steal glances at its mighty presence.

It is readily apparent that this book is a labor of love for the author. He revels in any and all information about the mountain that he can track down. All of his studies of the mountain add flavor to his own wanderings. He sees in the mountain all of the history, geology, native folklore, and danger that it deserves. His respect is palpable and his experiences are priceless. If you want to experience Rainier in a different way than you ever have before, you need to check this out.

This book is well written, an easy read, and highly recommended.

Bruce Barcott writes as if you were in the room speaking with him. His style is friendly, to the point (often blunt) descriptive and frequently flowery. He uses such descriptive phrases that I was often left rolling on the floor, tears of laughter flowing from my eyes.

It's hard to categorize this book. It's not really about climbing mountains, though there is plenty of that. It's not really about geology, though there is plenty of that as well. It's not about ecology, though ecologists will certainly connect with Barcott, and it's not really about history, even though there are lots of interesting historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the book. The book is sort of a mish mash of all these subjects that Barcott ultimately ties in with the mountain that defines Washington State, and Seattle in particular: Rainier.

It's hard to say what part of the book I enjoyed the most. I really enjoyed the stories about the mountain's "real" name. Even though I grew up in Federal Way, Washington I never knew about the battle waged by Tacoma in trying to rename Rainier with it's original (or at least one of them) Indian name. There are other interesting historical footnotes like the military plane carrying marines home for the Christmas holidays that slammed into the mountain. And, of course, there are stories about early climbers like Muir.

Barcott describes lots of his hikes around Rainier, particularly the wonderland trail, and he ends the book with an account of his climb to the summit. As it turned out, I had climbed Rainier in June of the same year Barcott climbed it (he climbed in July) and so it was interesting comparing my recollection of the trip with his.

Barcott tries hard not to come across as the typical macho, climb-or-die mountaineer. In fact, he has some rather harsh words to say about some of the people who climb - offering physiological analysis that, although insightful and probably close to the mark, is sometimes pretty insulting. But that's Barcott's style - to the point with no BS. I like it.

The author presents lots of stuff in the book as factual, but there are no footnotes or chapter endnotes. Consequently, at first I was a little skeptical about how much of the book (especially what appeared to be anecdotal) is just fabricated for its story-telling value. Upon reaching the end of the book, however, I had to conclude that Barcott has probably done his homework and research pretty thoroughly. There is a long list of references (roughly 100) with descriptions about many. Some of the references look pretty good, and I'm probably going to get one or two of them for further reading. The book also has a complete index, which is something the forgetful among us always appreciate.

Overall this is a fine book. It's enjoyable, interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes reflective, but always engaging. I read the entire book - all 250 pages - in just a few days. It's a great companion for those cold rainy Northwest nights when there's a log in the fireplace.

Duwayne Anderson Saint Helens, Oregon. November 18, 1999

This is a beautiful "biography" and "love story" about Mt. Rainer. It is so beautifully written that it is hard not to fall in love the Rainer while reading it. So many books on climbing approach mountians as things to be conqured- not this one. Not that this is really a climbing book. As a matter of fact, climbing is an after thought. It makes one appreciate that when one is in the moutians there is a history and life that needs to be respected. Any endeavor in the mountains is that much better when you appreciate the location, past, people etc. that make the mountain more than just rock. Although Barcott is critical of climbing, as a climber I can see some of his points. It is not just about the summit and this book is a reminder of that.

I think if I were stranded on a deserted island, I would want a copy of this book as well as all those Dostoevsky's I've always promised myself I would read one day. Being an avid climber, this is probably my favorite book of all times, and the book I am always sure to purchase as a gift for others to enjoy. This is NOT a climbing guide or a book just for the climbing community (although we love it). This is a book for anyone who loves the Pacific Northwest, mountains, mountain weather, great stories of adventure and tragedy, geology, hight altitude bugs, plants, animals, and good humor. Each chapter unfolds an entire diverse topic. You'll find yourself going back and reading your favorite chapters.

This is an excellent story exploring both the history of the mountain as well as one man's passion and relationship with Rainier. For those who have never seen Rainier the book gives a good perspective. For those who love Rainier it will reinforce the power and emotional influence "the Mountain" can have over us.
Well worth the time!

The Measure of a Mountain is a mountain climber's book in the same way that Edward Abbey's books are for the desert explorer, it is about the relationship with The Mountain not the climb. Bruce Barcott writes in a way that captures howy we in the Northwest engage with Mt. Rainier. There is something about it that draws us back, renews us, and then pushes us away. The Measure of a Mountain captures this like no other book, video, or film I have ever seen or read does.

I often say that a climb of Mt. Rainier starts when you decide to make the ascent and includes the training, preparation, and psychological fitness that precedes a climb. This is the story of his preparation. Part of this time before the climb is getting to know yourself and understanding the challenge you have taken on. Mr. Barcott does this by analyzing, studying, presenting, and hiking around Mt. Rainier. The Mountain is none to kind to him in the process, anyone who has been to its flanks more than a time or two will truly understand. I love the end of the fourth chapter where he says "At Mowich Lake, four days into the journey, I quit the mountain. The inexorable moist had crept into the cells of my sleeping bag.....I retired for the winter, beaten." I had been there too.

This is the book to read when preparing for Mt. Rainier, not so you can self-arrest or tie a good figure-8 but so you can understand what you are doing. A must-read for anyone who approaches the grand lady of the Northwest.

Bruce Barcott's book about Mt.Rainier is a breath of fresh air after reading many of the current crop of books about mountaineering. He writes with a good sense of humor and imparts to the reader the important connection between a lot of the Puget Sound residents and the mountain. Instead of the typical step-by-step base camp to summitt saga that is prevalent in mountaineering books, he gives a good sense of the many faces of "my mountain".

Bruce Barcott's riveting book about Mt. Ranier, its geology, history, wildlife and everything else you might want to know is here in this unusual book. If you are a climber however, you may be insulted by the author's tone. He is highly critical of the macho pursuit of climbing, though he does yield to the tempatation of Rainier by the end of the book and climbs it. He calls it the one of the stupidest acts of his life. The lesson is that climbing the moutain is the poorest way to get to know it.Those of you searching for another hair-raising adventure story will be disappointed, but those of you who want a well written, thoughtful and fascianting look at men, mountains and the lure of a place will love this work. Highly recommended!

The Measure of a Mountain is mandatory reading for anyone who is considering an ascent of Mt. Rainier. Bruce Barcott, a native Washingtonian, has taken on the history, topography, geology and legends that are all a part of the massive icon of the Northwest. But interwoven among all of the background information is Barcott's somewhat obsesive drive to experience the mountain first hand. He, in a series of separate trips imparts his first hand impressions of attempting to circumnavigate Rainer on the strangely-named Wonderland Trail, camp at several of the high-altitude climbers outposts and climaticly scale the summit of mighty dormant volcano. Unlike most other books about mountains and climbing, The Measure of a Mountain is written from the perspective of a regular guy and not an egotistical, adreneline-crazed thrill seeker. Barcott is obsessed with the mountain, not with the desire to conquer it. He frankly describes his battles with the mountain and the elements. In most cases the mountain and the elements emerge victorious. But that only heightens the reader's respect for Bruce Barcott, who has crafted a satisfying account of Mt.Rainier.