Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome

Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome | Bob Madgic | Responding to Mountain Goddess' review

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Shattered Air: A T...

	Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome Bob Madgic Burford Books, 2007 - 264 pages average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Helps to Explain Mountain Climbing a Little Bit

Half Dome is just about the prettiest mountain in the world. I've seen it from several angles, including overhead from a plane on an absolutely gorgeous day. I've never really had the urge to go walking up that vertical face. In fact I've often wondered just what it was that drove climbers to challenge the rock, to challenge themselves.

Mr. Madgic calls the two principal climbers reckless. But he also explains that this was a typical decision that they would make as a way to conquer their own fears.

I was left with several feelings. One is that their actions really caused a great deal of risk and effort on the part of the rescue people. Their own foolishness is one thing, but to cause others to be at risk is quite another. Two, any remote desire that I might have had to climb half dome is totally erased. I'll just look at it from a distance.

As for the book itself. It is well written, it reads almost like a mystery novel. You are wondering just what's going to happen to these people. If it is evening while you're up to the lightening strike, put the book down right then. Otherwise you'll be up later than you planned.

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Responding to Mountain Goddess' review

As a key participant in this event, I am saddened that you would give the book such a bad review based on your desires to be mentioned. You did not give your real name on the review, nor the full name of the person we only knew as "Brutus". To my knowledge, there is no record of you contacting the rangers, nor did any of us who were there meet or talk with you. Mr. Madgic tried very hard to find Renee Miller for several years, unsuccessfully, to get her story.

If you did, in fact, help in any way that night, those of us who were on top thank you for your efforts. It was an intense experience for all of us and, thanks to the years of effort writing this book by Mr. Madgic, it is now recorded in a beautiful, TRUTHFUL, and FACTUAL way.

Again, I am sorry you feel left out after all of these years.

Linda Crozier Ghilarducci (Hoog Party)

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Bought 5 copies: 4 to give as gifts and 1 to keep.

What a great "read"! Bob Madgic writes a gripping account of a day filled with tragedies and courage. I learned a lot from his thorough research. It's like three books in one: an adventure story, a guide for conducting yourself during a backcountry medical emergency and a valuable reference source on a subject (lightening) about which sound practical information is hard to come by. My stomach was tied up in knots as the intertwining events unfolded. So far, the 7 people that we have either given or lent the book to (all have been to Yosemite) have really connected with the story and are enthusiastically recommending it to other people. My two sons (teenager/young adult) couldn't put it down and they are not avid readers.

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Couldn't put it down, but needs better photos

I enjoyed reading Shattered Air, the account of hikers and their encounters with a terrifying electrical storm atop Yosemite's Half Dome. The story is told very well, and having done the half dome hike several times myself,I couldn't leave the book alone until I finished it. Since it is a true story, there is a section of photographs, but I was disappointed in the photo quality, and not every character was represented. Some newspaper clippings could have been included in the photo section.
All in all, reading the book was an adventure, and I will recommend it to anyone interested in hiking Yosemite.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7

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