At the Mercy of the Mountains: True Stories Of Survival And Tragedy In New York's Adirondacks

by Peter Bronski, Jonathan Waterman (Foreword by)

Overview

In this compelling book, award-winning adventure writer and former Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue team member Peter Bronski chronicles true stories of survival and tragedy, from famous historical cases during the early 20th century, to modern tales of harrowing struggle in the mountains and wilderness. Extensively researched, these gripping tales pull together historical accounts, first-hand interviews, previously untold stories and expert analysis to retrace each misadventure

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493050314
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	898,534
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter Bronski is an award-winning author who specializes in outdoor adventure and travel, nature and science. His writing appears regularly in such magazines across the country as 5280: Denver's Mile-High Magazine, Adirondack Life, AMC Outdoors, Sea Kayaker, Vermont Life, and Westchester Magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword Jon Waterman v

Preface ix

Introduction 1

1 A Guide's Story: Magnet for Misadventure 37

2 A Carnegie Hero's Rescue on Lake Champlain 48

3 The Boy Scouts versus Wallface 57

4 The Crash of American Airlines Flight 166 68

5 Stranded: The Rescue of Maria Gersen 80

6 Grand Ambition: Two Men, Forty-Six High Peaks, Five Days, and only One Survivor 87

7 Of Ice and Men: Ice Climbers Avalanched Off Chapel Pond Slab 106

8 Marcy's Might: The Search for Steven Thomas 118

9 Running the Hudson River Gorge 126

10 Deadly Allure: Mount Colden's Trap Dike 137

11 Solo: A Long-Distance Hikers Final Days 147

12 Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Thomas Carleton 162

13 Blowdown! A Rogue Microburst Destroys Forest and Traps Hikers in the Wilderness 175

14 Mayday in the Sawtooth Mountains 188

15 Trapped: Rising Waters and No Safe Way Out 199

16 Avalanche! 210

17 An Unplanned Epic: The Third Worst Snowstorm in ADK History Surprises Two Pairs of Hikers 227

18 Lightning Strike 243

19 Dead Man Walking: The Search for Arthur Birchmeyer 254

20 Beacon of Controversy: One Canoeist, Two Rescues, and the Personal Locator Beacon that Made History 264

Epilogue: Lessons from the Backcountry 277

2020 Afterword 286

Time Line of Misadventures and Search and Rescues Covered in this Book 289

Bibliography 295

Acknowledgments 310

Index 312

About the Author 320

Editorial Reviews

"For every hiker, climber or canoeist who gets into trouble, there are thousands more who don't. Peter Bronski's compelling account of misadventures in the Adirondacks is a necessary corrective for those who go into the mountains unwary of the dangers." —Jim Wickwire, author of Addicted to Danger: A Memoir About Affirming Life in the Face of Death and the first American to summit K2


"In this compelling book, award-winning adventure writer and former Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue team member Peter Bronski chronicles true stories of survival and tragedy, from famous historical cases during the early twentieth century to modern tales of harrowing struggle in the mountains and wilderness. Extensively researched, these gripping tales pull together historical accounts, firsthand interviews, previously untold stories, and expert analysis to retrace each misadventure.

More than just a recounting of tragedy in the wilderness, At the Mercy of the Mountains is an affirmation of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity and an insight into why misadventure happens in the first place—and how to avoid it. It is a must-read for hikers, climbers, paddlers, armchair travelers—anyone who loves great tales of adventure." —Associated Press

From the Publisher