Review by skindrukas -- The Altitude Journals

skindrukas · Post by **skindrukas** » 26 Oct 2018, 14:36

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Book Review of The Altitude Journals
By David J Mauro

This book isn’t just a climbing journal but also reveals the author’s personal growth story as he goes from the lowest point of his life to the highest point on earth.

Growing up in poor conditions and without a father, David J Mauro was a searching kid, after trying and not succeeding the usual activities that were offered in school and neighborhood, occupying himself with the odd ones (like throwing an ax at a stump and having it stick) which also didn’t bring him any success. Then marrying a woman he would divorce after, seeing himself as a looser through his two sons’ eyes, would bring him to the “the lowest point of his life”. With no place of his own, extremely lowered self-esteem and without any idea what to do next one day his life shift completely when a cardboard tube arrives in the mail from his sister and Ty, his brother-in-law. The package contains two climbing poles and a note, saying “Happy birthday, Super Climber!” which reminds him of Ty’s prior invitation to climb the continent’s most dangerous mountain.

“But I’m not even a mountain climber” was, what some people would call, a healthy and rational reaction. Nevertheless, as David J Mauro tries to explain himself why he finally accepted the challenge, he expresses a powerful thought that many who suffered being at what seems to be the lowest point of their lives, would agree on: “…a person who believes he has nothing left to lose is a fantastic and dangerous soul”. Without a family to hold him back, and after many hours, days and months of hard training, David J Mauro heads on his first ever mountain climbing experience with a goal – to at least reach the Denali base camp. Eventually he summits the seven highest points in every continent of the Earth.

As a world traveler and hiker I loved the book. Yet not every traveling book is interesting to read, The Altitude Journals isn’t the case. The book caught me from the very first pages, gently inviting to follow someone else’s personal fails as they lead him to a much unexpected life path. Having experienced something similar myself I was crying and laughing at all the proper moments of the author’s story, seeing my own life from a different perspective with every mountain he conquered.

Besides my personal life experience that created the unavoidable bond with the story within the pages of this book I found it very pleasant to read. As I’m not yet a mountain climber, I was a little bit concerned about the technical part of the actual climbing being described, as I would not, I thought, understand it. Surprisingly, as the text reveals some of the technical subtleties they aren’t too much complicated to follow for any reader and the author doesn’t go deep into explaining how to climb the mountains. Therefore, climbers that seek some sort of a manual should find another source.

The book is not as much a climbing journal as it is an inspirational story of how the limits we think exist can bring us to a unlimited and rewarding joy when the odd coincidences and failures combined with our own will and determination, leads us on a path beyond our own imagination. Thus, I’d recommend the book for everyone that needs a little bit of push in their lives, to someone who may think he or she has nothing left to lose. For me – this book was yet another proof of the possibilities we unleash by following our dreams and ignoring the limits created by our own minds. As a friend once expressed himself when I said I’m traveling around the world – “but it’s so expensive!”, I caught myself thinking the same way about him – as his hobby is sailing yachts. Everything is equally possible if dreamed with honesty – this is what touched me the most while reading. It made me believe I can climb a mountain too one day.

Although some chapters are less expanded, thus I would have liked to read more about some of the summits, as in my opinion they were a little bit rushed through, I rate the book 4 out of 4. Well written, involving and inspiring, yet nothing more than just a story of one man’s experiences, it’s a modest, valuable and a life changing tale.

******
The Altitude Journals
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Espie · Post by **Espie** » 27 Jan 2019, 19:59

The book is not as much a climbing journal as it is an inspirational story of how the limits we think exist can bring us to an unlimited and rewarding joy when the odd coincidences and failures combined with our own will and determination, leads us on a path beyond our own imagination.

During my cadetship days way before I've abandoned military life, hikes weren't really an uncommon thing. There are challenges before and during the actual hike that we had to contend, but the journey and the sense of accomplishment thereafter make the effort all worth it. I can't say I can still do things like that now, but it's good to be reminded of what was and what could still be. Thank you for your insightful review.

skindrukas · Post by **skindrukas** » 28 Jan 2019, 10:02

Thank you for stopping by.

Indeed, hikes are still one of my favorite hobbies. Right now I can't go hiking because I live in a place where that is hardly possible - it's unsafe unless you hike with a guide on usual touristic routes. I miss hiking alone...This book helped me to remember what I want. I almost started dragging and pulling truck tires back and forth after reading the book

That's how mountain climbers exercise.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 08 Apr 2019, 07:40

“…a person who believes he has nothing left to lose is a fantastic and dangerous soul”.

This is a magnificent quote. When you can't go any lower, the only way is up. I'm not much into outdoorsy experiences, but I do relate with the feeling of needing to make a big change when everything seems to go wrong. It seems like a very inspirational story, and I'm glad the climbing terminology is not hard to understand.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

nooregano · Post by **nooregano** » 08 Jun 2019, 22:26

…a person who believes he has nothing left to lose is a fantastic and dangerous soul

This is such an incredibly true quote! It really seems like you have to hit rock bottom before you can decide to do fantastic things. This sounds like an incredible book, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, skindrukas!