Review by kelso9326 -- The Altitude Journals

[kelso9326]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Altitude Journals" by David J Mauro.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Few people think about climbing mountains as a hobby. Even fewer consider climbing the seven tallest mountains in the world. David Mauro didn’t consider it either until he was convinced to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America. David’s life wasn’t going great at that point so he really had nothing left to lose. He didn’t expect it to turn into a life-changing journey. In the end, he became one of the very few to climb all seven of the tallest mountains on Earth: Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, Carstensz Pyramid, and Everest. One on almost every continent, it’s quite the accomplishment. While climbing, David kept journals and blogged. The Altitude Journals, written by Mauro, is a compilation of those stories, with plenty of life lessons mixed in.

There were many aspects of the book I enjoyed. The pictures throughout, which were mainly David standing on each summit, were a nice addition although I was expecting more of them. Who would go climbing mountains all over the world and not take hundreds of pictures? I also liked the breakups of chapters by each mountain. It gave a good stopping and starting point and separated the story well. There are then small headings inside those chapters so the book is broken nicely. It made this book quite an easy read since it was so organized.

Not only are there stories of what happened during each climb but we also get insight into how each climb came to be. It was also interesting to see his training for each climb as some of them were drastically different from each other. Everest is all ice and snow; completely different from the jungle and heat of Carstensz Pyramid. Denali usually takes 2 weeks while Everest takes 2 months in most cases. Reading not just about the climb but also the lead up made it more personal and interesting to read.

The book was quite enjoyable and I found myself not able to put it down at times. There was some profanity but I would have let out some colorful vocabulary too if I was freezing on top of a mountain. There were no typos I noticed and the book seemed professionally edited. I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4. I can’t give it a 3 since I honestly found nothing I disliked.

I really loved reading The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro. It’s been one of my favorites for a long time. I always lean towards fiction books for the fantasy of them so I was reluctant to read this at first. Once I started I couldn’t put it down and sought every chance to read I could get, even if it was only five minutes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about one of the craziest pastimes there is, and how it all happens. It was utterly fascinating and I’m sure many others will find it that way as well.

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The Altitude Journals
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