09-21-2021, 11:00 AM
Well, that was a horrific journey through 940 deaths over 604 pictures. I mean the cover photo is of a guy who froze to death and was basically mummified. There were a few tidbits of historical knowledge. I did learn how Flora Hutchings died. Flora was the first white child born in the park. She was killed by a rockfall hiking up The Ledge Trail.
I learned a lot of climbing terminology (which I will soon forget) from the chapter on deaths while climbing. It also reinforces my need to never rock climb. The homicide section was pretty horrific. There were two serial killers in the park. One was the brother of the man immortalized in the book "My name is Steven" which is twisted. I think the worst depiction (stop reading now!!!) was the dead woman who was raped after she fell off Nevada Falls.
I can't really recommend the book. I have a lot of negative associations with places I love in the park. I'll never look at El Capitan the same. But hopefully the rawness of the depictions will fade and I can get back to thinking of the park as the home to Indians who were forced out and sent to malarial swamps in the San Joaquin Valley.
I learned a lot of climbing terminology (which I will soon forget) from the chapter on deaths while climbing. It also reinforces my need to never rock climb. The homicide section was pretty horrific. There were two serial killers in the park. One was the brother of the man immortalized in the book "My name is Steven" which is twisted. I think the worst depiction (stop reading now!!!) was the dead woman who was raped after she fell off Nevada Falls.
I can't really recommend the book. I have a lot of negative associations with places I love in the park. I'll never look at El Capitan the same. But hopefully the rawness of the depictions will fade and I can get back to thinking of the park as the home to Indians who were forced out and sent to malarial swamps in the San Joaquin Valley.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm