The Shadow of Kilimanjaro [Paperback]

Rick Ridgeway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

In one of the most acclaimed travel and adventure books of the past year, Rick Ridgeway chronicles his trek from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean, through Kenya's famed Tsavo Park. His tale is, according to The Boston Globe, "a gripping account of how it feels to be charged by an incensed elephant and kept awake at night by the roaring of stalking lions." But it is more than an adventure story. The Los Angeles Times noted that "the pace of walking gives Ridgeway time to contemplate his great theme and the great men and women who have struggled with the conundrum of whether man can live at peace with the beasts." Ridgeway examines the effects of colonial expansion on the indigenous people, the landscape, and the animals, and contemplates the future for all of them.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Known for such feats as being the first climber to reach the summit of K2 without bottled oxygen, climbing Antarctica's highest mountain, and leading a team to the top of a formidable 2,000-foot granite tower in the most remote corner of the Amazon's Orinoco jungle, Rick Ridgeway, in his latest book, takes a walk. Of course, it's no ordinary stroll. Accompanied by park officers, Ridgeway treks unprotected among lions and elephants, rhinos and oryxes.

The Shadow of Kilimanjaro is as much a search for answers to an adventurer's most soul-searching questions as an account of a thrilling journey. In the introduction Ridgeway writes,

Henry David Thoreau did not write that in wilderness is the preservation of the world, as he is oft misquoted, but that "In wildness is the preservation of the world." There is a difference, and it is significant. A wildness is intact. In wildness, all the original pieces are there. My own backyard mountains in California, from the Coastal Range through the Sierras, are in many places wilderness, but none of it is wildness because the grizzly is gone. We may have the grizzly on the state flag; having it there, however, is not a celebration of our heritage but a burlesque of what we have done to the most noble patriarch ever to walk the land.

Starting at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and ending at the Indian Ocean, Ridgeway's aim during this adventure is less to get there and more to be there. During his weeks on foot, he thoughtfully considers the effects of colonial expansion on Africa's indigenous peoples, its landscape, and its awe-inspiring animals--all the while contemplating with a conservationist's heart Africa's uncertain future. --Kathryn True --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Rick Ridgeway is a graceful and engaging companion, and East Africa teems with danger, challenge, and excitement." --Bill Bryson, The New York Times Book Review

"Mr. Ridgeway's effort is to use his trek, which takes him from the ice fields of Africa's highest mountain to the Indian Ocean...as a starting point for reflections on history and nature." --Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1st Owl Books Ed edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805053905
• ISBN-13: 978-0805053906
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Natural History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was just there and this book makes me want to go back..., October 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow of Kilimanjaro: On Foot Across East Africa (Hardcover)

I recently returned from Kenya and Tanzania where I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and went on a safari across the Seregenti and neighboring parks. Reading _The Shadow..._ has me longing to flee my desk job for good and head back to the wilds of Africa. The book brought back memories of the trip of a lifetime, from the icy cold of the oxygen-starved summit of Kili to the vast plains of East Africa and my only regret upon reading the book was that my safari was in a car -- an amazing experience, to be sure, but I envy Ridgeway his chance to experience Africa and its wildlife from the "real" perspective, the one man has always occupied... on foot and thus always on alert.

The book is a must-read for anyone who has been to or is contemplating going to East Africa; Ridgeway does a great job of discussing the history of the region and, in particular, the precarious balance between man and beast. The history of the conservation movement and cast of characters Ridgeway introduces is a wonderful way to learn more about the area and the people and policies that shaped its development. It's the latter focus, however, that makes me recommend the book even to those who've never been and never will be to Africa, because Ridgeway's ruminations about the interaction between man and nature, about what wilderness means to mankind, and, unfortunately, what mankind is doing to the last pockets of true wilderness that remain strike a chord that reaches far beyond the scope of his 250-mile walk. As he points out, North America once was "another Africa" with megafauna roaming wild just as the elephants and buffalo still do in Africa and, if we're not careful, the African wildlife may well go the way of all the large wildlife which mankind has driven to extinction.

In one sense, it's a rather depressing book because at the same time I found myself caught up in the excitement, reliving the adventure and planning my next safari, there's a faint undercurrent of despair, as Ridgeway visits the Waliangulu tribal village and finds their way of life disappearing, as he roams through the Rhino Free Range Area where the nearly-extinct black rhinoceros population is protected. But, as Ridgeway quotes "To despair of the entire situation is a reasonable alternative. But the unsatisfactory thing about despair is that besides being fruitless, it's far less exciting than hope." The excitement, and even the hope, of this seasoned adventurer shines through throughout _The Shadow of Kilimanjaro_ as he strides through one of the earth's last truly wild places.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not at all patronizing, March 31, 2002

By 

"michaeleve" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow of Kilimanjaro: On Foot Across East Africa (Hardcover)

Rick Ridgeway has written a very informative and entertaining account of his 300 mile hike West to East across southern Kenya in 1997. The walk was metaphorically in THE SHADOW OF KILIMANJARO beginning on the summit of that great mountain and spanning the different ecological zones of mountain moraine, foothills, savannah, scrub, desert, and finally tropical white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean coast near Malindi. More significantly Ridgeway writes about his journey in the shadow of others who have written famously on Kenya, most significantly Hemingway, Dinesen, and Blixen. At yet another level this story is set in the shadow of Kenya's colonial history and its current struggles as a developing nation trying to make its way in the modern world.

Ridgeway deals with all the relevant issues - ecology and the environment, conservation, domestic politics, the economy, tourism, the romantic literary images, the colonial legacy, the Mau Mau uprisings, cultural, ethnic, and social issues. And he deals with them in the way good travel writing should. Simply present the facts as you get them and let others speak their truths. No moralizing and very little contextualizing and therefore very refreshing.

The image of Kenya that emerges is that of a real country. Not too much of the fantasy and gloss of a romantic wilderness nor the equally unreal vision of warring tribes at THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. Just reality. Strengths, weaknesses, beauty, blemishes, issues, agendas, and concerns. All the things that face a people making their way on a rapidly globalizing planet. Although Ridgeway's Kenya is a very different place than the country I knew in the 1960's when I lived there in my youth, it's still as rich and as alive as I remember it and Ridgeway has done an excellent job of bringing it home.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone interested in East African geography, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow of Kilimanjaro: On Foot Across East Africa (Hardcover)

Rick Ridgeway provides unique insights into the landscape and climate of East Africa's lowland bush. At the age of 19, as a student, I was lucky enough to have experienced a Kilimanjaro climb as well as a hike in the hot Tsavo bush. The thoughts described by Mr. Ridgeway in this book tap some of my most sacred memories. But more than my personal connection to his experiences, the theme of wildlife conservation is presented from a well educated, historical and contemporary perspectives. It is becoming more and more important for all of us to become familiar with these conservation issues.

Furthermore, Mr. Ridgeway communicates very well the physical and emotional demands of life in such a challenging environment. The Shadow of Kilimanjaro is a fantastic window into a part of our world that is incredibly harsh yet ineffably beautiful.