Saturday, February 8, 2020

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

"I was breathing heavily as I dug through the soft surface snow to find the firm ice below. I drove in two ice screws and planted both axes above my stance before tying into them and shouting for Simon to come up. We were close to the serac barrier...I felt confident and at ease. We were a match for this route and I now knew that we would finish it. I felt a thrill at the knowledge that I was, at last, on the verge of achieving a first ascent, and a hard one at that."

In May 1985, Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, ascended the West Face of Siula Grande, a 21,000-foot peak in the Peruvian Andes. They navigated glaciers and ice fields, slept in snow holes, and struggled to avoid the deep crevasses hidden by snow. On their fourth day of climbing they reached the summit. But it was on their descent that things started to go wrong. Joe falls badly, breaking his right leg. Simon must then lower him by rope down the mountain, 300 feet at a time, a grueling and torturous task for both men. Then, when they've almost made it to the glacier below, Joe drops off an ice cliff. Dangling in mid-air 150-feet below Simon, he can't climb up or down. It's getting dark. A blizzard is kicking up. And, with no strength left in his frostbitten hands to pull Joe back up, Simon is forced to cut the rope tying them together. Joe falls into the yawning crevasse below. Simon is sure he is dead. But somehow, Joe survives. Even more amazing, he manages to find his way out of that crevasse, and then crawl and hop back down the mountain all alone to their camp.
"I was mesmerized by this beam of sunlight burning through the vaulted ceiling from the real world outside. It had me so fixated that I forgot about the uncertain floor below and let myself slide down the rest of the rope. I was going to reach that sunbeam. I knew it then with absolute certainty. ... In seconds my whole outlook changed. The weary frightened hours of night were forgotten, and the abseil which had filled me with such claustrophobic dread had been swept away. ... I could do something positive. I could crawl, and climb, and keep on doing so until I had escaped from this grave."
Simpson's inner resolve and what he had to do to get back down the mountain is a remarkable story of sheer grit and determination. I can't believe he lived to tell the tale. And what a story it is! It confirmed for me what I already knew:  I will NEVER attempt to climb some far off icy mountain peak. But I will continue to read about those who do from the comfort of my own couch.

Happy Reading!


Similar read:  The Ledge by Jim Davidson 
(This is another mountain adventure I loved.)


24 comments:

  1. Sounds suspenseful! I haven't read a climbing book for a good while and will keep it in mind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow! This sounds like an exciting read! I know I'd never want to climb a mountain. With my luck, I can just imagine all the things that would go wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? With my luck, they ALL would go wrong! ;D

      Delete
  3. There's no way I would attempt to do any climbing like this. Sounds like a harrowing story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is harrowing, but also uplifting and inspiring.

      Delete
  4. No way would I go for a climbing expedition, but this book sure sounds exciting. Thanks for bringing this book to my attention! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah...climbing a mountain that might kill me isn't my idea of fun either. :)

      Delete
  5. Wow, sounds intense! And I have no desire to climb any of those peaks, but yes it is amazing to read about experiences like that!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I read Touching The Void years ago and it really was a good read. How Joe managed to get himself back to the camp with his injuries is beyond me. I haven't read The Ledge yet.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. It's a pretty amazing story, that's for sure. :)

      Delete
  8. I could never sign up for some expedition like this. I can't imagine people who do this or other extreme sports. What an incredible story!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm always so impressed by people who have this kind of determination and drive...because I don't. :)

      Delete
  9. Wow, what a story! I was sure it was fiction until I took a closer look at the cover and saw the words "true story." I'm like you guys...love to read about mountain climbing expeditions, but there's not enough money in the world to get me to try something like this. Heck, I start whining about the cold when it gets below fifty degrees.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :D I'm not a fan of the cold either. And I certainly don't want to camp out in the snow!

      Delete
  10. I think they made this story into a movie, too, right? I'll have to check. I do enjoy hiking, but I'd never do anything like this. I have no desire and I hate hiking in the snow.

    Sounds like a scary, tough situation and I can only imagine Simon was racking with guilt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do think they made this story into a movie/docudrama.

      Delete
  11. This is the kind of thing I too only want to experience vicariously through reading! But what an amazing story.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Totally agree! I love reading wilderness survival stories, but I definitely don't want to live one. No, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because we're smart...and we don't want to die! ;D

      Delete