by Edited by Carol Stone White
University Press of New England, 2012
There’s something about wilderness rescues and mishaps that seems to bring out the voyeur in many of us. Are we drawn to the cautionary tale, fascinated by the raw power of nature and the arrogance of some people in the face of it? Maybe we just want to think to ourselves, “I can’t believe they did that! I would never do something that stupid!” Or maybe it’s a bit like a train wreck – we just can’t help but look. Whatever it is, tales of misfortunes in the wilderness have long been popular in fiction and nonfiction, and those who spend time in the mountains love to trade in such tales.
So what goes wrong? People go into the woods, they make decisions (often influenced by dehydration, hypothermia, bad map reading, lousy communications, underestimating weather conditions, overestimating fitness, and fear) and Mother Nature just does what she always does. In Peak Experiences, a few of the 54 stories are recounted in standard accident-report form, but most are told by the rescued and the folks who had a close call. Many, like a good fishing tale, are entertaining, funny, and have a message to pass on to the reader (assuming the reader is a soon-to-be hapless fellow adventurer).
Peak Experiences is organized around such topics as weather, rescues, treacherous places, the dangers of water, and animal and avian behavior. Each section includes a somewhat oddball assortment of entertaining tales. Doug Mayer’s story of getting himself out of the woods with a broken leg, and Laura Waterman’s tale of nearly drowning in her sleep in the middle of winter both stand out, but my favorite was Donna Brigley’s “Never Underestimate the Power of Pudding.” Brigley’s story is of a much longer journey, framed by her time in the mountains and filled with uncertainty, loss, and searching. She manages to convey how necessary spending time in the mountains is to the health of her soul while contemplating the inherent risks. She writes about why she needs the woods. She ties it up in a bow. And I’m a sucker for pudding.
The stories are great, but Peak Experiences is also a helpful book. Advice and “Cliff Notes” of backcountry travel wisdom are sprinkled throughout each chapter. And the appendices include a list of clubs and organizations that can get you started in adventures in the outdoors, safety guidelines, and suggestions for further reading.
All of the stories show the rewards of backcountry travel and the risks involved – risks that apply to all, no matter how well prepared you are or how impeccable your decision-making is. Those who venture into the woods need to be skilled, prepared, and fit, have good information and dependable partners, and make sound decisions. But they also need a bit of luck – for in the end, it may just be that tiny bit of luck that makes the difference between a close call and a tragedy.