New York, 1998. 224 pp, color photos. Paperback, VG.
The author was the youngest to climb Ama Dablam and Cho Oyu, and attempted Everest during the infamous 1996 storm described in Into Thin Air.
This is a terrific book for teens, young adults, and, yes, adults about a Rhode Island teenager, Mark Pfetzer, who makes his dreams come true. The book is written as if it were a personal journal, and in it Mark takes the reader on a journey into his young life. He shares with the reader how his interest in climbing developed, as well as his early climbing experiences.
Mark, mature in many ways beyond his years, is not your typical teenager. Clean cut, intelligent, fit, and not given to peer pressure, he is a bit of a loner with a dash of entrepreneurial flair. As his climbing experience increases, so does his desire for snow capped peaks. This desire motivates him to get sponsors for his world wide travels that take him to the vast mountainous regions around the globe. Mind you, he begins his world wide travels, unaccompanied by his parents, at the ripe old age of thirteen.
While one may question the wisdom of letting someone so young travel around the world to do high altitude climbing, it does not diminish the pleasure one derives from reading about a young person who derives such joy from his travels and climbing. While at times Mark seems a little full of himself, one must remember that, notwithstanding his achievements, he is still a teenager, and, like most teenagers, he has his moments.
Mark is, without a doubt, a son of which any parent would be proud. I am sure that he will continue to live his life to the fullest. I look forward to reading about any future adventures that he may commit to paper. Dream on, Mark, and may all your dreams come true.
