Should I Not Return: The most controversial tragedy in the history of North American mountaineering!

by Jeffrey Babcock

Overview

Should I Not Return is the story of a young east coast climber, who joins his brother in Alaska to climb Mount McKinley. What set their climb apart from those before it, and even those afterward, was a disaster of such magnitude that it became know as North America's worst mountaineering tragedy. Prior to July of 1967 only four men had ever perished on Denali, and then, in one fell swoop, Denali--like Melville s, Great White Whale, Moby Dick--indiscriminately took the lives of seven men. The brothers survive one danger after another: a terrible train accident, a near drowning in the McKinley River, an encounter with a large grizzly, a 60 foot plunge into a gaping crevasse, swept away by a massive avalanche, and finally a climactic escape from the terror of 100 mph winds while descending from the summit. Should I Not Return is a one of a kind cliffhanger packed with danger, survival under the worst conditions, and heroism on the Last Frontier s most treasured trophy--the icy slopes of Denali, North America s tallest mountain--Mount McKinley.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594332715
Publisher:	Publication Consultants
Publication date:	10/27/2014
Series:	Should I Not Return: The most controversial tragedy in the history of North American mountaineering!
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	716,152
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jeff Babcock has lived most of his adult life in Alaska—the Last Frontier. Should I Not Return is based upon real events during a controversial climbing tragedy and rescue attempt by Jeff and his older brother, Bill, to find seven missing climbers from the ill-fated Joseph Wilcox Expedition. Jeff and Bill went on to oversee the outdoor mountaineering program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. For nearly 30 years, they introduced countless students to the joys of mountain climbing, with numerous expeditions to Denali, its surrounding peaks, and mountains in Mexico and South America. He has written numerous articles on climbing for the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Magazine. Jeff and his wife, Margaret, raised four children in Alaska.

Read an Excerpt

Forward by James M. Tabor , author of Forever On the Mountain

You could say that life is all about frontiers. We cross one coming in, another going out, and are shaped by those we cross in between. I crossed a few myself—willingly and otherwise—during my climbs in Alaska. Thus having mountaineered a little and studied it a lot, I know that few books capture such crossings as powerfully as this one.

The book's action takes place in Alaska, which calls itself "the last frontier." Cavers and astronauts and oceanographers might dispute that claim. But Alaska is undeniably a realm of extremes—biggest, highest, coldest, deadliest. As such, it contains more challenging frontiers within its borders than any other state—and most other places—on earth. Ultimately, that is why we love, hate, and keep coming back to Alaska, despite fervent vows not to at end of our last grueling, tortuous, near-death-experiences trips. Ever, goddamnit.

Though a non-Alaskan, John McPhee, wrote the greatest of all books about Alaska— Coming Into the Country . I do believe that only an Alaskan could have written a book like Should I Not Return . Jeff was not born there, true, but our actions define us and, judged by that standard, Jeff is as Alaskan as they come. Thus it is appropriate that he has given us a book about extreme frontiers and their crossings and set in Alaska.

Just as Alaska is not your typical state neither is Should I Not Return your typical book. It is an autobiographical novel (or, as the author engagingly calls it, a "nonfiction novel") about young, callow Henry Locke's coming of age in the crucible of North America's worst mountaineering disaster. Though fiction, it hews closely to the truth throughout. The deaths of seven good, young climbers during the 1967 Wilcox Mt. McKinley Expedition form the book's crucial event, true. But this core tragedy is wrapped within layers of drama—familial dysfunction, alcoholism, sibling rivalry, infidelity, to name a few—that raise this book far above the "me-and Joe-climbed-a-mountain" genre.

I once wrote about Mt. McKinley that it was the kind of place from you cannot return unchanged. Some books are like that, too, and I'm pleased to say that this is one.

What People are Saying About This

Steven Levi

Every once in a while a book comes along that, quite literally, chills you to death in your own living room. But Should I Not Return is not a book of horror or ghosts from the unknown. It's a mountain climbing book that culminates with the saga of the recovery of climbers on Mount McKinley who vanished in the 1960s.

While this book would have been a good read if it had only been one of mountaineering forensics, what made it spine tingling was not just the writing—readable and understandable even if you are not a mountain climber—but the photographs. If you ever wanted to know just how dangerous mountain climbing is, this is the book to read. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book.

By the time you finish you will wonder not only why anyone would tempt Mother Nature in as desolate an environment as could be created on earth, but why anyone would want to go to such heights. As to the story, it was gripping. Not being a mountain climber I had only a vague idea of what actually transpired. Now I know in mind numbing detail. The tale of the corpse recoveries aside, the book will chill you to the bone when you realize you are walking in the footsteps of some very brave individuals. Wear your parka when you read this book! (Steven Levi, Alaskan author and contributor to The Anchorage Daily News)

Todd Miner

Should I Not Return is a fascinating story of an old school Alaskan expedition, told by someone who was there. Even more so, it is an insightful coming of age story of a young man wrestling with the family demons from his past and the healing power of adventure in the great white north.

The dangers, challenges, beauty, personality clashes, and the ultimate camaraderie of a two-month long expedition come alive; climaxing with the worst mountaineering disaster in North American history. Whether one is an arm chair adventurer, or a grizzled veteran mountaineer, Babcock's writing and narrative will make this a tough book to put down, and even harder to forget. (Todd Miner, Director of Outdoor Education, Cornell University)

EBOOK COMMENTARY

Every once in a while a book comes along that, quite literally, chills you to death in your own living room. But Should I Not Return is not a book of horror or ghosts from the unknown. It's a mountain climbing book that culminates with the saga of the recovery of climbers on Mount McKinley who vanished in the 1960s.

While this book would have been a good read if it had only been one of mountaineering forensics, what made it spine tingling was not just the writing—readable and understandable even if you are not a mountain climber—but the photographs. If you ever wanted to know just how dangerous mountain climbing is, this is the book to read. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book.

By the time you finish you will wonder not only why anyone would tempt Mother Nature in as desolate an environment as could be created on earth, but why anyone would want to go to such heights. As to the story, it was gripping. Not being a mountain climber I had only a vague idea of what actually transpired. Now I know in mind numbing detail. The tale of the corpse recoveries aside, the book will chill you to the bone when you realize you are walking in the footsteps of some very brave individuals. Wear your parka when you read this book! (Steven Levi, Alaskan author and contributor to The Anchorage Daily News)