Touching the Face of God

The words below are excepted from the book. It discusses my years in Europe and Asia enjoying the mountains in the region. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Buy it. Read it, and write me a brief review.

"The Matterhorn is the most striking of all the other surrounding peaks because it stands alone, detached from the neighbouring chain of mountains. Its isolation means there is no protection from the winds, and by late afternoon the combination of the warm south side and the cold north face can form an innocent-looking cloud-cap in which there is a microclimate with swirling mists, electrical storms and violent blizzards while the surroundings may be basking in warm sunshine, even in summer. For that reason, it is strongly recommended that climbers get an early start and be off the mountain by early afternoon.

Although the Matterhorn is certainly not the most difficult 4,000-meter peak in the region, by August 1865, it was one of only two remaining that had not been conquered. Edward Whymper, a lithographic artist and illustrator from England, arrived in Zermatt in 1862 to capture the Alps on canvas for the British public; instead, he was captured by the Alps. After six unsuccessful attempts, he and a group of guides and fellow climbers set out for the summit on 14 July 1865 along the H?rnli Ridge—seven climbers in all. Everything went well, and at 1:40 pm, Whymper reached the summit and boisterously planted the flag on the top.

Unfortunately, in one disastrous moment during the descent, a party member slipped, threatening to pull all seven climbers 1500 meters down the North face. Only the breaking of the rope saved Whymper and his two guides, while the other four plunged to their death. There was much controversy surrounding the accident, casting a dark shadow over the idea of risking lives to achieve glory by conquering mountains. Whymper left the Alps and continued climbing in the Andes and the Canadian Rockies, forever haunted by the accident."