Chicago, Follett, 1966, 1st edition. 213 pp, 44 b/w photos, appendix. Hardcover with chipped dust jacket. Very Good.
Story of the first five Americans to reach the top of Everest in 1963. [Neate M101.]
Everest Diary is an account of the 1963 American expedition to Mount Everest, AMEE, an expedition which put the first five Americans on the top. Jerstad describes the grinding boredom, grueling physical exertion and complicated logistics of a large-scale expedition to the Himalayas, as well as his own personal struggle to make it to the top of the world, reflecting on his motivations for climbing and what he learned. The book also recounts the the first traverse of Everest, in which two climbers ascended from the previously unclimbed west ridge, and descended down the south side. Everest Diary is based on the diary of Lute Jerstad, a member of the expedition and the second American to reach the summit. Also described is the famous bivouac at 28,000 feet, an astounding story of survival in which four climbers spend the night high on the mountain without tents or sleeping bags.
