Death Daring And Disaster

375 exciting tales of heroism and tragedy drawn from the nearly 150,000 search and rescue missions carried out by the National Park Service since 1872.

375 exciting teales of heroism and tragedy drawn from the nearly 150,000 search and rescue missions carried out by the National Park Service since 1872.

Nobody thought much of it when twelve-year-old Robert Baldeshwiler hiked out ahead of his family on the Flat-top Mountain Trail. But he would never be seen alive again. Each year, millions of people like the Baldeshwiler family come to Rocky Mountain National Park expecting nothing but a fine vacation. However, between the years of 1884 and 2009, almost three hundred people have died in the park. From taking sudden falls off steep trails, to sliding down treacherous snow fields to deadly rocks below, visitors have found out the hard way that the park is still a wild place full of potential hazards. Book jacket.

Caught way up on the mountain, no one is safe, from the archetypal nightmare of Tony Kurtz, seen to freeze to death by his stranded rescuers as he hung off the Eiger, to events that unfolded on the Grand Teton, where rescuers narrowly escaped being clubbed to death by their reluctant rescuees. This collection of 35 first-hand accounts will shock and inspire in equal measure. Here is the original draft of Joe Simpson's classic Touching the Void and the first full telling of Jamie Andrew's extraordinary rescue from the Alps, which made headlines in 1999. Plus a specially commissioned account of the epic winter rescue on Mount Ararat, 2000 - the most remote mission ever undertaken by a helicopter-rescue team. And the rescuers own grim battles for survival. Compiled by one of the world's most respected mountaineers, this volume spans five continents - from the Appalachians to Mount Cook, from Peak Lenin to Siula Grande. It includes some of the brightest stars of mountaineering and mountain rescue: Joe Simpson, Doug Scott, Pete Sinclair, Milos Vrbe, Paul Nunn, Ludwig Gramminger, Karen Glazley, Ken Phillips and Blaise Agresti.

The chilling tome that launched an entire genre of books about the often gruesome but always tragic ways people have died in our national parks, this updated edition of the classic includes calamities in Yellowstone from the past sixteen years, including the infamous grizzly bear attacks in the summer of 2011 as well as a fatal hot springs accident in 2000. In these accounts, written with sensitivity as cautionary tales about what to do and what not to do in one of our wildest national parks, Whittlesey recounts deaths ranging from tragedy to folly—from being caught in a freak avalanche to the goring of a photographer who just got a little too close to a bison. Armchair travelers and park visitors alike will be fascinated by this important book detailing the dangers awaiting in our first national park.

Oregon's long tradition of volunteer search and rescue dates back to the territorial days, when Good Samaritans and mountain men came to aid those in need. On the coast, surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service protected mariners traversing the "Graveyard of the Pacific." In the early twentieth century, outdoor clubs like the Mazamas, the Skyliners and the Obsidians served as informal search and rescue units, keeping Oregonians safe in the mountains, rivers and wilderness areas. After World War II, Oregon's volunteer teams began to professionalize and became some of the most effective units in the country. Join author Glenn Voelz as he recounts the history of Oregon search and rescue.

With its towering mountains, sun-scorched deserts, fierce wildlife, and hard-to-predict weather, the American West ranks among the most forbidding places on Earth. Yet many are drawn to the beauty of this wild and rugged region. Some are daredevils. . .some are athletes. . .and some are outdoors enthusiasts who find themselves in a chilling battle for survival. In their extraordinary, heart-stopping true stories, you will discover how much can go wrong when people find themselves caught in the cross-hairs of nature's power. . . Dare To Survive Flash floods, plane crashes, animal attacks, avalanches, landslides--these devastating phenomena all too often claim the lives of men, women, and children in the American West. But some beat the odds, living to tell about their terrifying ordeals. There are inspirational stories of extreme survival and tremendous bravery. Of the hiker who--though armed with only a knife--survived a 30-minute nightmare with a cougar. . .of the backcountry snowboarder buried alive by an avalanche, saved with only minutes to spare. . .of the outdoorsman pinned by an 800-pound boulder who freed himself by amputating his own arm. And there are the unexplainable, senseless tragedies--the little girl whose mysterious disappearance at a national park was never solved. . . the inexperienced charter pilot who crashed trying to beat curfew in a snowstorm. . .and the veteran backwoods camper who, despite every precaution, fell victim to a fatal bear attack. What does it take to endure the impossible? Dare to Survive tackles that question as it vividly reminds us that when danger strikes, survival becomes the ultimate human challenge. "This frightening but enjoyable book reveals that Mother Nature has more ways to kill than even the toughest Mafia godfather." --Ted Schwarz, author of Hollywood Confidential: How the Studios Beat the Mob at Their Own Game Rick Rinehart is a publisher, writer, and former Colorado Humanities Scholar whose honors include recognition by the National Park Service for contributions to wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park. His wife, Amy Rinehart, is a former publisher of endurance sports books who consults with outdoor retail and environmental organizations in the development of publishing programs. Rick and Amy live in Lafayette, Colorado.

In 1969, five young men from Montana set out to accomplish what no one had before: to scale the sheer north face of Mt. Cleveland, Glacier National Park's tallest mountain, in winter. Two days later tragedy struck: they were buried in an avalanche so deep that their bodies would not be discovered until the following June. The White Death is the riveting account of that fated climb and of the breathtakingly heroic rescue attempt that ensued. In the spirit of Peter Matthiessen and John McPhee, McKay Jenkins interweaves a harrowing narrative with an astonishing expanse of relevant knowledge ranging from the history of mountain climbing to the science of snow. Evocative and moving, this fascinating book is a humbling account of man at his most intrepid and nature at its most indomitable.