A Fine Kind of Madness: Mountain Adventures Tall and True

by Waterman, Laura

• ISBN13: 9780898867343
• ISBN10: 0898867347
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-01
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books

Summary

In this standout collection of the writings of Laura and Guy Waterman, readers will discover a rich blend of adventures great and small. Some fiction, some nonfiction, all these stories explore the basic impulse to climb, its roots, and the underlying drives of remarkable individual climbers. This collection is certain to be a touchstone for all who are drawn to the mountains.

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(3)
BLAZING THE WAY
Strong Personalities Leave Their Mark on the Mountains---and on Their Fellow Climbers	10	(58)
The Big Little Man from Dresden	11	(9)
The Lioness at Dusk: A Story	20	(13)
The Last Act of a Gentleman	33	(4)
The Two Highest Women in the World: A Story	37	(12)
The Rise and Fall of a Short-Run Deity	49	(9)
Anniversary Waltz in Pinnacle Gully: Four Climbing Generations on Huntington Ravine's Classic Route	58	(10)
Interlude
Education in Verticality: A Short Comedy or Farce in Four Scenes	68	(6)
SHADOWS ON THE CLIFF
Danger and Death on the Mountainside	74	(66)
A Night in Odell Gully	77	(8)
Winter Above Tree Line	85	(13)
Mount Everest and the Bronx Plumber: A Story	98	(12)
Staircase to Starland: A Story	110	(10)
A Troubled Tale of the Notch of the Mountains: A Story	120	(11)
Climbing with Margaret: A Story	131	(9)
Interlude
The First Ascent: A Story	140	(16)
THE REVELATION AND THE REMAINING UNREVEALED
The Meaning and the Enduring Mystery of Climbing to Diverse and Diverging Climbers	156	(49)
The Death of Passaconaway	158	(6)
Reaching for the F***ing Stars: A Story	164	(6)
Can Women Lead on Ice?: Learning by the Process of Default	170	(4)
The Gearfreak Caper: A Story	174	(9)
Five Winter Trips: The End of Adventure?	183	(16)
Why the Lorax Lost	199	(6)
Afterword	205