The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival

The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival by Jim Davidson

The Ledge
Speaking of Adventure

Joe Simpson of Touching the void


Everett Ruess

Outward Bound


Joseph Wood Krutch

Longs peak
Mc Henrys Peak
Cathedral Ledge
Crow hill
Mt Rainier
Arete
climbing terms - simulclimbing, z pulley system, aid-climbing, camming units, snow fluke, equalized sling,

moving like molasses?
clear, bluebird day

Snow bridge

perlon cord
Kernmantle rope

pile jacket
shell jacket

Heel plunging, side step

ice axe

ice serac

avalanche survival tip - drool to know which side is up
Hyperextended knee
bight
Chouinard zero model
Royal Robbins
bowline knot
sheepshank knot
Getting pumped climbing
Elvis leg. I got it going down the tunnel at Havasupai falls. so had to turn around.
corn snow
Escape from kathmandu

Extend your reach. That it is possible, to hoist yourself up is what I learnt in the one and only indoor rock climbing attempt. That was enough to show the self laid boundaries. Mountains have a way of tantalising people and challenging them. I am a fan of the movies 'North Face','Touching the Void' and Messner's movie and that explains why I picked this book despite aversion to reading of a person dying.

I like that the book The Ledge starts off with Jim Davidson's backgrond with climbing and working at heights helping his father in business. The author's recounting of his father coming after him to check up on him shows a nascent climber's beginnings. Starting the story from here makes it credible and easy to accept the climbing feats as of courage and overcoming challenges instead of inborn dare-devilness or natural skill. The author recalls of all the classes that he is taken to enhance his knowledge and skills in climbing, safety and rescue.

Climbing lingo is lost on me as a result of which I couldnt appreciate the author's difficulty and his way of tackling the route in detail. simulclimbing, snowbridge, glissade are interesting to learn of.

With sentences like '.. feel residual volcanic grit settle on my gums', talking of muscles when he feels the impact, the author makes the experience visceral, I wonder how this will turn out as a movie and how has Joe Simpson written of his survival fight in 'Touching the void' book, from which the author finds strength to come out of the worst experience of his life. The book leaves the reader with 'author's learning from this incident and his attempt to help other climbers'. This incident and his years of climbing, have made the author broaden his scope and reach out to the general public as a motivational speaker.

If you have been in a situation where you push yourself to walk more, reach or go beyond your limit, then you can identify with what the author means with 'I feel like I'm the third person in the conversation..... this battle of wills between the voices'.

Author by comparing his friend Mike Price's spirit to Everette Ruess makes a compelling case to read 'Finding Everette Reuss'.