Rating: 
Summary: You'll Be Looking for People to Read This Book To!
Review: I bought this book a couple of years ago and have reread it twice already. The first time I read it I found myself hunting down my husband over and over saying "you've got to listen to this"... Parts of the book are laugh-out-loud funny. But in addition to the humor, the book is a well-written and imformative glimpse into all facets of Mt. Rainier. I've been in love with this mountain since I was a child, and I highly recommend this interesting book by a talented author.
Rating:
Summary: A fine book -- even better than his rough draft
Review: I found Bruce Barcott's "Measure of a Mountain" very compelling, and not merely because I was searching for the spot where Bruce promised to include my name (it's on Page 53). Indeed, "Measure" is a fine read for any armchair mountaineer, and it's a steal at the current price. I'd buy two if I were you. Bruce is a dear old friend, and I regard him not only as the tallest writer I know (he's 6-foot-3 if he's an inch, I swear) but also as a valuable hiking companion -- because at his height he is more visible to search parties. Yet, Bruce's easy-reading book belies the vast research that went into it, as well as the large amounts of caffeine he consumed once his deadline approached. I know I speak for Bruce when I say that EVERYONE who enjoyed "Measure of a Mountain" (especially the more expensive hard-cover edition) ought to call Bruce at his home in Seattle and invite him out on a hike around Mount Rainier. He's got a new baby, so I'm told that he's usually awake between midnight and 3 a.m.
Rating:
Summary: A fine book -- even better than his rough draft
Review: I found Bruce Barcott's "Measure of a Mountain" very compelling, and not merely because I was searching for the spot where Bruce promised to include my name (it's on Page 53). Indeed, "Measure" is a fine read for any armchair mountaineer, and it's a steal at the current price. I'd buy two if I were you. Bruce is a dear old friend, and I regard him not only as the tallest writer I know (he's 6-foot-3 if he's an inch, I swear) but also as a valuable hiking companion -- because at his height he is more visible to search parties. Yet, Bruce's easy-reading book belies the vast research that went into it, as well as the large amounts of caffeine he consumed once his deadline approached. I know I speak for Bruce when I say that EVERYONE who enjoyed "Measure of a Mountain" (especially the more expensive hard-cover edition) ought to call Bruce at his home in Seattle and invite him out on a hike around Mount Rainier. He's got a new baby, so I'm told that he's usually awake between midnight and 3 a.m.
Rating: 
Summary: Shrill and silly
Review: I found it hard to believe that someone who admits to not "understand why people climb" and to be "terrified" of America's favorite weekend climb would endeavor to write a book about Rainier. Barcott says many silly things in order to make up for poor research and sloppy editing, but his humor strikes me as being of the adolescent "look at me, I can swear, Ma" than, well, funny. I would definately give this sorry tale a miss. Rainier deserves better.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Review: I have to admit I thought Bruce was a bit odd for feeling so passionate about a mountain. Well, after I finished his book I was inspired to go visit Rainier and I now understand his obession. The information he has packed into this book is not only incredibly interesting, but presented in a very digestable way. (Now, I'm just waiting for the big mud slide!)
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book Ever
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: a book for anyone who appreciates nature
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book Ever
Review: If you are interested in the outdoors, American history, geology, glaciology, entomology or ecology, then this book is worth your time. Barcott has assembled a witty, introspective book on all things Rainier. I had never heard of Barcott until a friend sent me this book in preparation for a trip to Rainier. By the time I finished the book, I was equally more drawn to and fearful of the mountain than before. And Barcott is in good company. Jon Krakauer, who had the same effect on Everest in the minds of many several years ago with Into Thin Air, has some impressive things to say about Barcott's work on the back cover. At one point, while discussing the natural sciences as Rainier relates to them, Barcott mentions that "science isn't truth, it's merely our best stab at it." In describing this book, I'd characterize it not as an authoritative work on Rainier, but Barcott's personal best stab at it. This is a fun, non-scholarly book that offers insight into virtually every aspect of Rainier, including the history of how it got its name, the bugs that inhabit the mountain, the annual dance of glacial shift, the wild flowers that keep the mountains delicate ecology in balance and the people who are drawn to the mountain, each for their own reasons. Rainier is an intriguing mountain, and Measure of a Mountain is equally intriguing. Barcott's no nonsense, balanced style makes you feel like you are talking to a friend about their own obsession with Rainier, and his descriptions of hikes around the perimeter of the mountain make you feel like you are suffering the bug bites and soaking in the sublime surroundings right there with him. Most of all, Measure of a Mountain is a vivid portrait of one man's attempt to find balance and to understand himself in light of his surroundings and Barcott's style set against the backdrop of Rainier delivers an account free of the indulgence and self-obsession that so typically taints writers. This is a good book, and worth a few hours of your time.
Rating:
Summary: Trying to Measure up to Ranier
Review: If you are interested in the outdoors, American history, geology, glaciology, entomology or ecology, then this book is worth your time. Barcott has assembled a witty, introspective book on all things Rainier. I had never heard of Barcott until a friend sent me this book in preparation for a trip to Rainier. By the time I finished the book, I was equally more drawn to and fearful of the mountain than before. And Barcott is in good company. Jon Krakauer, who had the same effect on Everest in the minds of many several years ago with Into Thin Air, has some impressive things to say about Barcott's work on the back cover. At one point, while discussing the natural sciences as Rainier relates to them, Barcott mentions that "science isn't truth, it's merely our best stab at it." In describing this book, I'd characterize it not as an authoritative work on Rainier, but Barcott's personal best stab at it. This is a fun, non-scholarly book that offers insight into virtually every aspect of Rainier, including the history of how it got its name, the bugs that inhabit the mountain, the annual dance of glacial shift, the wild flowers that keep the mountains delicate ecology in balance and the people who are drawn to the mountain, each for their own reasons. Rainier is an intriguing mountain, and Measure of a Mountain is equally intriguing. Barcott's no nonsense, balanced style makes you feel like you are talking to a friend about their own obsession with Rainier, and his descriptions of hikes around the perimeter of the mountain make you feel like you are suffering the bug bites and soaking in the sublime surroundings right there with him. Most of all, Measure of a Mountain is a vivid portrait of one man's attempt to find balance and to understand himself in light of his surroundings and Barcott's style set against the backdrop of Rainier delivers an account free of the indulgence and self-obsession that so typically taints writers. This is a good book, and worth a few hours of your time.
Rating:
Summary: A great read.
Review: Living in Seattle, I see Rainier everyday it shows itself and like Barcott, I still get a thrill everytime. This was such a well written, enjoyable book by an regular guy instead of the usual mountain book by some super climber. I certainly learned a lot about the mountain itself and it's history. I loved the ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks "hey, I could climb that mountain". It is a lot harder and dangerous than people think. I hope Barcott writes some more books, he's a great writer.
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