Customer Reviews

Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presedential Range

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Those who grew up in part, as author Nicholas Howe did, climbing Mt. Washington, remember well their first experiences of encountering crosses and other memorials within an easy calm-weather walk and even within fog-free sight of shelter on this mountain. Brief accounts are shared in low somber voices among hikers of victims that gave up and lay down to die of hypothermia, leading neophytes visiting the mountain in warm, clear, placid weather to wonder how such a thing could repeatedly happen.

"Not Without Peril" brilliantly fleshes out historical background and details of nineteen mostly long-forgotten climbing tragedies, with dogged, disciplined library research and interviews. Most of these people who did die did not succumb to falls off cliffs or ropes. They most often died of exposure, on or near ordinary hiking trails, in treacherous weather that may have blown in with little warning, usually between May and October. The clearly labeled, story-specific topographical trail maps are particularly helpful and often omitted from other books of this genre. The key lessons (carry proper synthetic-fiber or wool cold-weather clothing at all times of the year, and descend immediately when weather conditions threaten or begin to deteriorate) are clear. Most victims ignored both of these rules, as countless trampers more fortunate than they still do, at their peril.

The most compelling account in the book is its most detailed one, that from 1986 of Don Barr, who made a classic series of ill-advised decisions and collapsed from exposure during a raging late-August winter storm, half a mile from and above the AMC Madison Hut. The hut staff, 52 hut guests, and rescuers converging on the scene were unable to help in time. The new hut manager made the final, painfully haunting, but ultimately correct and wise-beyond-her-years decision to not risk further lives attempting a highly unlikely safe rescue. The rich detail, the interviews with major participants, the presence (and survival) of Barr's son and a companion, and the imagery of a frightful storm and a lonely death on a night from arctic hell make this account particularly harrowing.

Some of the victims in "Not Without Peril" were experienced climbers who should have known better. Many were naïve, had more grit than sense, or suffered only the simple misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. What's remarkable is how some of these victims, in spite of dazzlingly inadequate clothing and horrible weather conditions, managed to survive for days before finally succumbing. Others survived in spite of rescue techniques that are no longer used by trained rescuers to reduce the risk of additional, potentially fatal hazards to the injured. Detailed warnings and descriptions of hypothermia and rescue from it in the current AMC guidebook suggest death can overtake victims more quickly or surely than it did in some of these accidents, as it actually did to others in this book. Even more remarkable are the dogged determination, courage, and selflessness of the rescuers willing to endure hours and days of misery putting their lives at risk in weather conditions unimaginable to most of us for a small chance to save the lives of people who have often made foolish or at best uninformed choices.

On the downside, "Not Without Peril" lacks a satisfying conclusion. It abruptly ends where the last story stops, making it seem more a collection of magazine articles than a unified book. One more chapter would have been the best place to offer advice on how to prevent, recognize, and treat hypothermia, and to offer some commentary on common climber mistakes and other threads running through the accounts. Also, this book has more run-on sentences than there have been hikers (128 identified here) who have died on or near Mt. Washington. Mr. Howe needs to get control of his commas and discover the clarity provided by periods and semi-colons. His manuscript was carefully researched and mostly artfully written, but ultimately reduced in impact by the frequent occurrence of this elementary grammatical error. His editor must have been oversleeping at an AMC hut.

Nick Howe brings a veteran hiker's respect to this vivid collection of stories about harrowing experiences in New Hampshire's Presidential Range, reminding novice and veteran hikers that the seemingly modest New England terrain can be as dangerous as the Himalayas if you approach the mountains unprepared for the vicious weather shifts from floor to peak. Between 1849 and 1994 (a terrible year on Mt. Washington, the highest peak in New England), the mountains had claimed 115 lives.

If it's true, as Howe says, that "Mountains were invented in the 19th century" when Americans and Europeans began to enjoy leisure time in scenic places, then the late 20th century witnessed the transformation of mountain climbing from an adventurous hobby limited to small numbers of dedicated enthusiasts to a popular sporting activity attracting millions of people around the world. In general, today's climbers are better prepared, more knowledgeable and better dressed for mountain climbing. But in far too many cases, climbers push past the envelope of safety, ignoring age-old warning signs of changing weather patterns and avalanche-prone trails.

As a part-time hiker and Appalachian Mountain Club member, I found Howe's tales of tragedies and rescues fascinating. The Presidential Range will always draw climbers like me, who can learn valuable lessons from these compelling stories.

Nick Howe and I worked together at Madison Springs Hut in the summer of 1950, and I know his accounts of the weather and conditions on the peaks are accurate. The story of MacDonald Barr's death on Mt. Madison, 24 August 1986, is incredibly moving, both for its appalling details of the death by exposure and the agony of the hut crew as they realized they had no choice but to leave Barr to his fate. I wept in sympathy and empathy. Extraordinary book, researched not only in the archives but on the peaks as well.(I'm 69 years old)

This book is an expanded telling of the story Mr. Howe wrote for Yankee. I climbed Mt. Washington shortly after the original story. I went better prepared for the weather, thanks to Mr. Howe, and was able to assist a member of our climbing party to the "lake of the clouds" AMC hut (with the help of the hut staff and a cell phone). The fog seemed more like a dark blanket that shrunk the world to a few yards. A mile seemed like hundreds stopping every few feet while a fellow with a heart problem stopped to rest. After reading the original article I never considered leaving the man behind. I only wondered if he would be added to the list of those who died. I awaited this book for a few years. I met Mr. Howe at the Capitol City Dinner in Concord, NH after reading the Yankee article. Thank you sir for a great read. Thank you also for the stories that convinced me to better prepare for Mt. Washington. You may have saved a life perhaps two.

Not Without Peril details the deaths and mishaps that have claimed over a hundred lives of hikers on Mt. Washington and the surrounding Presidential Range Mountains.

I bought this book in the Mt. Washington Observatory bookstore at the top of the mountain - fresh from the thrilling views observed on the way up to the 4,000 foot level and the cold enveloping mist of the ever present fog at the peak (one wonders why so many flock to a mountain top whose view is obscured 300 out of 360 days a year on average - but the views on the lower levels are spectacular). And I have to agree with one reviewer who stated that this book will primarily be of interest to those who know the Presidential Range. I would add avid outdoors types to this list, also.

The author writes an interesting book about death and mayhem on the mountain. The chapters cover a hapless (nearly always) hiker or hiking party who met usually with death at the place billed as having the world's worst weather (and the highest ever recorded wind speed of 231 miles per hour). Mt. Washington is the convergence point for three jet streams and its altitude combined with location produces wild, cold, and snowy weather with high winds very consistently.

Most of those who died did so because they ignored warnings or were foolish in estimating their ability to survive in extreme weather or took very bad risks. That central theme runs through nearly all the stories. This book is in some ways a warning to those who would take risks in the outdoors - don't; and even if the weather reports are fine, be prepared with shelter and food and most importantly let others know your route. The writing is fine, though some of the stories picked are very short. The author also fills in the stories with the history of exploration of the mountain, its weather station and important personalities who have figured in rescue operations over the last century. There is one very interesting and contemporary case where a man was left to die near a shelter based on the judgment of the shelter manager and the perceived risk to rescuers with a night time rescue attempt. Although the author is sympathetic to the judgment of the shelter manager, I'm sure lots of people will continue to debate whether or not she made the correct call.

If you enjoy this book, I'd recommend another one just like it called "Death in the Grand Canyon." This is an enjoyable book that highlights the dangers of taking Mother Nature for granted on Mt. Washington.

I read this book while flying for business this fall. I found that about 80% of the stories interested me. Some of them seemed to be the same story repeated about people wandering in the snow. Other stories were much easier for me to visualize and to really become involved with.

I have hiked Mt. Washington from Pinkham Notch to the summit twice in the summer and I have skied Tuckerman Ravine twice. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has considered going on the mountain during the winter but has only spent similar low-risk time on the mountain like myself. It definitely makes you think twice about preparation if you are heading up into the whites, even in the late spring and early fall.

I took two major thoughts away from this book.

1. The danger of hiking in the Whites if you are not prepared. The White Mountains are a beautiful place that anyone who enjoys the outdoors would enjoy. You just need to be adequately prepared with the right equipment and sound judgement.

2. The history of the White Mountains, the AMC, and Joe Dodge. The focus of the book was clearly more on the dangers of hiking in the Whites; however, it was interesting to get a short history lesson about the first people to make the area more accessible for recreation.

Many people describe this book as "tedium". It would be if you arent truly interested in history, or are just interested in long winded descriptions of nature views. What Howe has done is written a frank reminder that needs to be revisited frequently: that no one can take their safety for granted on the trails and faces of the Presidential Range, least of all on Mt Washington. Clear testament to the need for this reminder is as close as the NH evening news where there are increasingly routine reports in the White Mountainns of seriously injured climbers, fatalities and lost hikers of all levels of experience and expertise. Howe simply pulls togehter the why and how - if climbers, experienced and potential were to read this book perhaps they would pause to make sure they were adequately prepared for their climbs or at least give themselves the best fighting chance against the fickle and unpredictable elements to be encountered there.
Obviously those who found it boring were looking for entertainment more likely found in A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail or surfing the remote control, skipping the History channel, A&E, Discovery and PBS.

If you can answer YES to any of the following questions (especially the questions at the bottom of the list), you will enjoy this book.

1. Are you a hiker/outdoors person? 2. Have you ever visited the White Mountains of New Hampshire? 3. Have you ever climbed any of the Presidential Mountains in the Summer? 4. Have you ever climbed any of the Presidential Mountains in the Winter? 5. Did you reach the top?

If you answered YES to ALL of the above, you will LOVE this book. It gives an appreciation of the unknown element involved within extreme weather activities. Enjoy!

I had the chance of meeting the author at the base of Mt. Washington after climbing it and getting a pretty bad headache at the summit. While this little peril of my own set me back, this book couldn't have captured the spirit of these mountains any better. Howe has a talent with taking the dusty accounts of adventure and plight back onto the behemouth from which they were told. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has ever been to the White Mountains and wanted to go back again.

Nicholas Howe has written a fascinating account of one of the world's most interesting weather spots, the Presidential Range of New Hampshire. In a zigzag fashion, much like a trail up Mount Washington, he takes his reader through the history of the White Mountains via the stories of those who were unlucky or unprepared or unable when confronted with the terrible uncaring and uncompromising forces of wind, water, and frigid cold -- the all-powerful and capricious gods who reign above the timberline in a sort of terrible trinity of infinite combinations. Mr. Howe has done his homework and you come to know these souls much as you'd come to briefly know someone with whom you'd shared a shelter during a memorable storm. Their stories demonstrate that while human culture and technology change, the gods of the mountains don't and the balance between life and death remains a razor's edge. This is a compelling book that pulls you in and makes you feel as if you'd hiked the Presidential Ranges, North and South, yourself.