Not without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire (Tenth Anniversary Edition)

by Nicholas Howe

Overview

Among the most dangerous mountains in the world, Mount Washington has challenged adventurers for centuries with its severe weather. From the days when gentlefolk ascended the heights in hoop skirts and wool suits to today's high-tech assaults on wintry summits, this book offers extensive and intimate profiles of people who found trouble on New Hampshire's Presidential Range, from the nineteenth century through present day. Veteran journalist Nicholas Howe draws on his investigative skills and familiarity with the mountains of his childhood to create this gripping collection. The result is a compelling story about our changing relationship with the mountains we love and the risks they pose. This Tenth Anniversary Edition includes a new afterword by Nicholas Howe, with commentary on how our relationship with the Presidential Range has evolved over the last decade.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934028322
Publisher:	Appalachian Mountain Club Books MA
Publication date:	10/14/2009
Edition description:	10th Anniversary Edition
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	266,070
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Howe has been a journalist since 1977. His widely-published work focuses on outdoor recreation and history.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

1 In the Beginning: 1849 Frederick Strickland 1

2 Gentlefolk Essay the Heights: 1855 Lizzie Bourne 14

3 The Man Who Collected Views: 1855 Dr. Benjamin Lincoln Ball 26

4 Calamity in the Unroofed Temple: Sewall Faunce 47

5 A Presidential Brain Trust: 1886 William Curtis Allan Ormsbee 55

6 The Grand Scheme: 1912 John Keenan 76

7 The Mayor of Porky Gulch Takes Office: 1926 Max Engelhart 93

8 The Wreck of Old No 1: 1929 Daniel Rossiter 115

9 Summer People Go North: 1933 Jessie Whitehead 124

10 Wrong-Headed from the Beginning: 1933 Simon Joseph 141

11 A Deadly Crossing in Great Gulf: 1934 Jerome Pierce 155

12 The Choice of Presidents: 1938 Joe Caggiano 164

13 Death Comes in Small Parts: 1952 Raymond Davis 177

14 The Summit as Home 182

15 From Homespun to High Tech: 1954 Philip Longnecker Jacques Parysko 198

16 A Question of Life or Death: 1986 MacDonald Barr 216

17 The Deadliest Season: 1994, 1994, 1994, 1994 Derek Tinkham Moroe Couper Erik Lattey Cheryl Weingarten Sarah Nicholson 251

Afterword 285

Acknowledgemnts 289

Appendix: Deaths on Mount Washington 293

Image Credits 301

About the Author 303

Interviews

The Tenth Anniversary Edition will feature an Afterword reflecting on new developments on the Presidential Range since 1994. This edition will also include an updated Appendix with a list of deaths on Mount Washington.

Editorial Reviews

First published 14 years ago, Not Without Peril has quickly risen amongst the ranks of outdoor books and is clearly deserving the title of an outdoor classic. Combining painstaking historical research with his own intimate knowledge of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Nicholas Howe recounts the struggles, deaths, and near escapes of hikers on Mount Washington. Howe gives us more than just facts of each accident, but he goes deeper, placing the accidents in the historical context of the times, including the period’s clothing and equipment, and providing a more complete understanding of the background and personalities of the people involved.

2014 National Outdoor Book Award Judges

Nick Howe has combined extensive research with his rich personal knowledge to weave an articulate tale of adventure, challenge, and tragedy. Today’s mountain travelers can ignore these historic lessons only at their own peril. (Praise for the First Edition of Not Without Peril)

Peter Crane

Praise for the First Edition of Not Without Peril: “Nick Howe has combined extensive research with his rich personal knowledge to weave an articulate tale of adventure, challenge, and tragedy. Today’s mountain travelers can ignore these historic lessons only at their own peril.”- Peter Crane, Director of Programs, Mount Washington Observatory, and Member, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue

From the Publisher

From a distance, New Hampshire's Mount Washington strikes one more as a subject for art than as a serious challenge for climbing. At 6,288 feet, the highest mountain in the Northeast is a pipsqueak next to Everest and other towering Himalayan peaks, but history has proven it not much less deadly. In addition to nearly 140 hiking fatalities since the mid-19th century, mishaps on the mountain necessitate approximately 120 rescues each year. Nicholas Howe's Not Without Peril, now in its second edition, chronicles all these fascinating "Quiet Monster" misadventures with humane precision. This could be a life-saving read for area visitors.