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

Rating:
Summary: A talented writer sets his sights on Rainier
Review: Nature/adventure writing (i.e. Krakauer Syndrome) has exploded onto the publishing scene and it's apparent that soon every nook and cranny of this great earth will get a 300 page treatment. The smart far-reaches would be smart to sign an agent and negotiate for their own chronicler because any hack with a laptop and backpack is going to try and cash in on the search for new Muirs. Thankfully, Bruce Barcott is not a hack. Skilled more with the pen than perhaps Gore-tex, Barcott employs a self-deprecating wit and obvious love of puns in this personal memoir of time spent in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. While the colon-ed subtitle (Beauty and Terror on Mt. Rainier) overstates the case a bit and while Barcott's "scary" trip up the mountain seems to flow more from publisher's demand for action than any real dire circumstances, the greater portion of the text is a well-researched, evocative portrayal of Seattle's patron mountain. Credit Barcott for his ability to transition between broad humor and steady insightfulness. While the portions tackling mountain climbing and Scott Fischer's death toe an exploitative line (capitalizing on the Everest tragedy is still in-vogue) Barcott's never quite oversteps his grounds. It's a nice work, accessible and inviting. Where "Into Thin Air" made the mountains as beckoning as "Jaws" made the beach, "The Measure of a Mountain" makes one pine for the Cascades. And rightly so.

Rating:
Summary: Sesitive and thorough first effort by young writer
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A triumph!
Review: This book was like a hybrid of two of my favorite books - "Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez, and "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakhauer. It brought back memories of my boyhood in Seattle dreaming about the adventure of someday climbing this ever present entity. I felt the wet slap of rain soaked branches of the coastal forest as I read through this. I had always heard about the air crash of marines buried on the Mountain, and now that I have read about it I feel the Mountain's mystique even more. Thanks Bruce.

Rating:
Summary: Love affair with a mountain
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Thoughtful View from the Mountain
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A Thoughtful View from the Mountain
Review: 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!