Pickets and Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I started reading this book and it is a fast read. Chapter 1 is very interesting. There are lots of folks I would never want to meet. The authors climbing partner, Kim, the skier that takes the wands and ditches them, the authors boy friend that she says tried to kill her and I hate to say it I am not sure I would want to climb with the author. Chapter 1 reads like a how not to execute a winter climb and how not to pick a partner and how to ignore all the warning signs of an epic about to happen.
To me this book shows the real underbelly of climbing. The self centeredness that some climbers have and the attitude that the outdoors is just Disneyland with SAR teams.
The book is a real eye opener for anyone who has never climbed in this environment. The writing is OK but a bit bleak and negative. And the author seems to draw some of this negativity in people to her. This can make the book a bit uncomfortable to read.
The climbers themselves are a selfish lot and the tourists in the book range from selfish to suicidal. There are times in this book where you will have to wonder if Bree sometimes sets herself up for failure. If by nothing else never saying no. In the end I think the book reveals she is a good person. And that as climbers sometimes we need to look inwards and outwards. Inwards to our challenges and goals and outwards to insure we do not leave a wake of carnage in our paths.
So I give it a solid 3 might warrant a 4 but certainly not a 5.
Tag line should be "Mamas don't let your kids grow up to be climbers......"

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A funny and sometimes cringe-inducing story of a young woman's experience as a climbing ranger where respect is hard won and on-the-job performance can be the difference between life and death.Being a climbing ranger on Mount Rainier proved to be a life-altering experience for Bree Loewen. As one of only a handful of women on staff, Bree fought to prove herself among men in the field, while confronting the often unrealistic expectations of the public on a mountain that shows little mercy. With honesty, self-deprecation, and wry humor, she reflects on her experiences on Rainier: assisting injured climbers, rescuing lost children, battling inscrutable bureaucracy, lugging heavy equipment, and trying to make sense of it all. Whether it's her account of a solo climb in dicey conditions or trying to protect her good jacket while cleaning the outhouses at Camp Muir, Loewen's writing is engagingly human and humane.

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