The Last Man on the Mountain: The Death of an American Adventurer on K2
By Jennifer Jordan
- Release Date: 2011-08-01
- Genre: Mountaineering
Description
"A fascinating tale…Readers who are into high-altitude adventure stories won’t be disappointed." —Associated Press
In 1939 the Savage Mountain claimed its first victim. Born into vast wealth yet uneasy with a life of leisure, Dudley Wolfe, of Boston and Rockport, Maine, set out to become the first man to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and, in the opinion of mountaineers, an even more formidable challenge than Mt. Everest. Although close to middle age and inexperienced at high altitude, Wolfe, with the team leader, made it higher than any other members of the expedition, but he couldn’t get back down. Suffering from altitude sickness and severe dehydration, he was abandoned at nearly 25,000 feet; it would be another sixty-three years before the author discovered his remains.
Reviews
Emotional
5By Rick 7140This incident happened in 1939 but as I read it I found myself having emotional responses ranging from tooth grinding anger to watery eyed sadness. Good job Jordan now I'm going to buy the Savage Summit, if it's half as good.......2 thumbs up from this armchair mountaineer
5By ChemistdanAnother excellent book from Jennifer Jordan. The book begins with the author's discovery of Wolfe's remains on K2 in 2002 and from this dramatic scene, takes us into the story of the last man on the mountain. She not only gives us an exciting narrative of the fateful climb in 1939, but extensive backstory on Wolfe and the other major players. We come to know why he went to the mountain, and it is as fitting a tribute as any to him. He truly was the last man on the mountain. Extensively researched from personal papers, letters and archives. Great photographs from the expedition illustrate the book. Useful map detailing locations of camps (bookmark this). All in all an exciting read and a poignant tribute to Wolfe and all those lost in the mountains.
