LEFT FOR DEAD
MY JOURNEY HOME FROM EVEREST
By Beck Weathers and Stephen G. Michaud
Bantam Books, 2015, 292 pages
Review by Michael Beach
At first one could assume this was another account of the tragedy that has been documented in a number of works including books and movies. Although the authors reference occurrences of the 1996 Everest attempt, this book focuses more about how mountaineering, and other obsessions, took Weathers away from his home and family. As a result, he nearly lost his family. On Everest he nearly lost his life. He did lose physical parts of himself. He documents both the physical rescue and recovery, as well has the changes he made in himself to become a part of his family again. Although there is adventure in the book, this is more a self-assessment and philosophical journey.
Beck Weathers was among climbers from several adventure tour organizations who paid for guides to help them summit Everest. Unfortunately, a series of physical problems kept him from reaching the goal. Worse, bad weather swept in on summit day and trapped many of the climbers out in the open, including Weathers. He and several other climbers were eventually left behind as other climbers felt unable to help them, and judged that helping them back to camp would not stop the inevitable. Death did come to the other stranded climbers around Weathers, but for reasons even he does not understand, he wondered alone, blind, and severely frost bitten eventually stumbling into camp.
Having read a few of the other accounts, this telling adds perspective. It is also very applicable to many who obsessively take on goal achievement as a method to stave off depression. That is Beck Weathers’ assessment of himself. His family suffered to the point that his marriage was on the brink of divorce. Coming home physically after Everest did not stop the potential of divorce. What saved his family was his willingness to understand the real issues he faced psychologically and get help in approaching something like normalcy in himself. He had to take this step first before he could work with his wife to reconstitute the family unit. Though this reviewer was not as obsessed as the primary author, yet some of those same tendencies are noted, making this work of the author’s introspection one also for this reader.
MY JOURNEY HOME FROM EVEREST
By Beck Weathers and Stephen G. Michaud
Bantam Books, 2015, 292 pages
Review by Michael Beach
At first one could assume this was another account of the tragedy that has been documented in a number of works including books and movies. Although the authors reference occurrences of the 1996 Everest attempt, this book focuses more about how mountaineering, and other obsessions, took Weathers away from his home and family. As a result, he nearly lost his family. On Everest he nearly lost his life. He did lose physical parts of himself. He documents both the physical rescue and recovery, as well has the changes he made in himself to become a part of his family again. Although there is adventure in the book, this is more a self-assessment and philosophical journey.
Beck Weathers was among climbers from several adventure tour organizations who paid for guides to help them summit Everest. Unfortunately, a series of physical problems kept him from reaching the goal. Worse, bad weather swept in on summit day and trapped many of the climbers out in the open, including Weathers. He and several other climbers were eventually left behind as other climbers felt unable to help them, and judged that helping them back to camp would not stop the inevitable. Death did come to the other stranded climbers around Weathers, but for reasons even he does not understand, he wondered alone, blind, and severely frost bitten eventually stumbling into camp.
Having read a few of the other accounts, this telling adds perspective. It is also very applicable to many who obsessively take on goal achievement as a method to stave off depression. That is Beck Weathers’ assessment of himself. His family suffered to the point that his marriage was on the brink of divorce. Coming home physically after Everest did not stop the potential of divorce. What saved his family was his willingness to understand the real issues he faced psychologically and get help in approaching something like normalcy in himself. He had to take this step first before he could work with his wife to reconstitute the family unit. Though this reviewer was not as obsessed as the primary author, yet some of those same tendencies are noted, making this work of the author’s introspection one also for this reader.
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