Full Description
An inspiring story of adventure and endurance in a quest to rediscover the passions of youth.
At the end of 2019, Tom French retired from a four-decade career in business, determined to return to interests that had defined his youth and see what meaning they still held. One of these interests was mountaineering. Another was adventure travel, with a particular focus on Nepal. A third was cross-country ski racing. Having taken "gap years" between school and university, and again before he started work, he decided to take a gap year before settling into the expectations of retirement. One year turned into three as he rebuilt his athletic strength, competed in cross-country ski marathons, and climbed some of the world's highest mountains, including two expeditions to Mount Everest. On the first Everest climb, a cyclone forced him to turn around high on the mountain and descend the treacherous Lhotse Face in a blizzard. On the second, he approached the mountain through the remote Makalu Barun region, the first climber ever to do so, and climbed to the summit on a moonlit night.
But this is a book about much more than Everest. It is about beauty and joy found in wild places, about cross-country ski racing and mountaineering more broadly, and—most of all—about a journey to find meaning in life and reconnect with the passions of youth.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: Mountain Dreams
Chapter 2: In and Out of the Flow
Chapter 3: Life and Retirement Planning
Chapter 4: Aconcagua
Chapter 5: Back to Skiing
Chapter 6: The Gyro of the Universe
Chapter 7: Approaching Everest
Chapter 8: Base Camp
Chapter 9: The First and Second Rotations
Chapter 10: Pushing for the Summit
Chapter 11: Deciding to Return
Chapter 12: Cotopaxi
Chapter 13: Winter Preparations
Chapter 14: The Makalu-Barun
Chapter 15: Back on the Mountain
Chapter 16: Climbing Toward my Dream
Chapter 17: Aftermath
Chapter 18: Cholatse
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
