Before Georgetown physics professor Francis Slakey decided to climb the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean, he had arranged his schedule to match his personal life: completely detached from other people. His lectures were mechanical; his relationships were little more than ways to fill the evenings. But as his journey veered off course, Slakey was ambushed by guerillas, survive a treacherous storm in Antarctica, confronted a fatal decision on Everest—and every escape from death brought him closer to life.