Description:
Since he was a boy, Ed Hommer had dreamed of becoming a bush pilot in Alaska, but just as his wish was coming true at the age of 27, a nightmare harshly intervened. In December 1981, while flying a chartered plane, Hommer and three passengers crashed into the side of Mount McKinley. For five days the men huddled in the shell of the plane enduring serious injuries and subzero temperatures while fierce storms thwarted attempts to rescue them. By the time they were reached, two of the men were dead, including Hommer's brother-in-law Dan. Hommer ended up losing both of his feet above the ankles to frostbite. And, for a time, he also lost his will to live, succumbing to bitterness and alcoholism, even turning away from his wife and young daughter, who was born just days after his rescue. But after realizing that "Flying was as much a part of me as my legs," he decided to bury his self-pity and get back into life, working to earn his license again and eventually becoming a full-time pilot for American Airlines. But flying again was only half the battle. He needed to confront the mountain that almost killed him in order to feel whole again. So, using high-tech prosthetics, Hommer began running and cycling to get in shape in order to climb Mount McKinley, a feat he achieved in 1999 after one failed attempt. In this inspiring memoir, he writes honestly about all that he lost and gained during the 20 years it took to fully recover from the crash. "I was born into the outdoors," he writes, and it was to the outdoors that he returned in order to be born again. --Shawn Carkonen
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