Not Without Peril: 150 Years Of Misadventure On The Presidential Range Of New Hampshire

Mt. Washington, with its relative accessibility to New England’s large population, has long been a draw for experienced and inexperienced hikers alike. Both types of hikers have been caught exposed on the mountain as it’s notorious weather takes a turn for the worse. This informative and well-written non-fiction book tells the stories of those who through bad luck or lack of preparation met a tragic end on the mountain. Not sensationalized, but thoughtfully explained by an author with deep experience of the mountain, there is not only the value of a good read to be had here, but also valuable knowledge and awareness building for those heading to the White Mountains.

What a fascinating book, especially for those of us who live near and hike in the White Mountains. I just started this year my 48 4,000 footers of New Hampshire, but have climbed Mt. Washington six times in the summer, in the past. It is an often underestimated mountain, due to its diminutive 6,288 feet, but as “Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire” by Nicholas S. Howe will show you, it is never to be underestimated. To do a day-hike of Mt. Washington, you must actually be prepared for a subzero winter overnight, even when the temperatures and weather at the trailhead are summer. This book is a must-read and a warning.Howe’s goal is not to bash those who died on Washington, but to share the history of this fascinating mountain and also that of the Presidential Range; to weave in side stories related to the mountain; and finally, to warn anyone who wants to summit Mt. Washington or attempt the traverse of the Range what to expect.Some of the hikers died by pure bad luck; others by arrogance; but most by underestimating the power of weather on this unique rock. So many were sadly so young. I recall a more recent death, that of Kate Matrosova, a beautiful young woman, and accomplished mountaineer who had done several of the Seven Summits, and had done the winter traverse just the month before. But, solo, with no sleeping bag or snowshoes (deadly mistake) she attempted a one day traverse, but winds were 141 mph and the temperatures sank to -85°. She knowingly tempted fate, as did so many have on Washington and the Presidential Range.You will learn the history of creating the trails, the origins of the AMC, and progress on Washington, including its famous cog railway and the observatory. The highest recorded winds on earth took place here. You’ll learn even that Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, kept a picture of Mt. Washington in his study. For me the surprising part of the book was all the historical side stories, especially regarding the role of the wireless!The book moves along quickly, and I could not put it down. However, know that the reading style is a bit dry, and the language is surprisingly stilted at times: “Now the three men returned to thought.” “...coroner’s jury might rule that he died of complications attending sudden onset of dread.” “...he took part of a cup of gruel with warm milk.” When people died, they died; there is no sorrow, no pity, no wondering by the author. On to the next vignette of death. The stories tend to get bogged down with an overly-detailed description of the terrain and trails, which I like as I hike frequently there, but that others may not like as well.Overall, a great read for adventure, and a solemn warning should you decide to hike the Presidents. Don’t go alone; be prepared for arctic conditions, even if it is 80°, hot and dry at the trailhead; bring lots of water; tell someone where you are going; sign in at Pinkham Notch; carry a phone and/or GPS; turn back if you feel ill or lost. And never, ever underestimate these small but deadly mountains.

Those who grew up in part, as author Nicholas Howe did, climbing Mt. Washington, remember well their first experiences of encountering crosses and other memorials within an easy calm-weather walk and even within fog-free sight of shelter on this mountain. Brief accounts are shared in low somber voices among hikers of victims that gave up and lay down to die of hypothermia, leading neophytes visiting the mountain in warm, clear, placid weather to wonder how such a thing could repeatedly happen."Not Without Peril" brilliantly fleshes out historical background and details of nineteen mostly long-forgotten climbing tragedies, with dogged, disciplined library research and interviews. Most of these people who did die did not succumb to falls off cliffs or ropes. They most often died of exposure, on or near ordinary hiking trails, in treacherous weather that may have blown in with little warning, usually between May and October. The clearly labeled, story-specific topographical trail maps are particularly helpful and often omitted from other books of this genre. The key lessons (carry proper synthetic-fiber or wool cold-weather clothing at all times of the year, and descend immediately when weather conditions threaten or begin to deteriorate) are clear. Most victims ignored both of these rules, as countless trampers more fortunate than they still do, at their peril.The most compelling account in the book is its most detailed one, that from 1986 of Don Barr, who made a classic series of ill-advised decisions and collapsed from exposure during a raging late-August winter storm, half a mile from and above the AMC Madison Hut. The hut staff, 52 hut guests, and rescuers converging on the scene were unable to help in time. The new hut manager made the final, painfully haunting, but ultimately correct and wise-beyond-her-years decision to not risk further lives attempting a highly unlikely safe rescue. The rich detail, the interviews with major participants, the presence (and survival) of Barr's son and a companion, and the imagery of a frightful storm and a lonely death on a night from arctic hell make this account particularly harrowing.Some of the victims in "Not Without Peril" were experienced climbers who should have known better. Many were naïve, had more grit than sense, or suffered only the simple misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. What's remarkable is how some of these victims, in spite of dazzlingly inadequate clothing and horrible weather conditions, managed to survive for days before finally succumbing. Others survived in spite of rescue techniques that are no longer used by trained rescuers to reduce the risk of additional, potentially fatal hazards to the injured. Detailed warnings and descriptions of hypothermia and rescue from it in the current AMC guidebook suggest death can overtake victims more quickly or surely than it did in some of these accidents, as it actually did to others in this book. Even more remarkable are the dogged determination, courage, and selflessness of the rescuers willing to endure hours and days of misery putting their lives at risk in weather conditions unimaginable to most of us for a small chance to save the lives of people who have often made foolish or at best uninformed choices.On the downside, "Not Without Peril" lacks a satisfying conclusion. It abruptly ends where the last story stops, making it seem more a collection of magazine articles than a unified book. One more chapter would have been the best place to offer advice on how to prevent, recognize, and treat hypothermia, and to offer some commentary on common climber mistakes and other threads running through the accounts. Also, this book has more run-on sentences than there have been hikers (128 identified here) who have died on or near Mt. Washington. Mr. Howe needs to get control of his commas and discover the clarity provided by periods and semi-colons. His manuscript was carefully researched and mostly artfully written, but ultimately reduced in impact by the frequent occurrence of this elementary grammatical error. His editor must have been oversleeping at an AMC hut.

The stories from way back and the later ones with descriptions of the whole area of Mount Washington.

Amazing book... Great photos

Excellent book