Dark Days and Blue Skies--T.S.M. Newsletter
Greetings from Peaklessburg.
We’re facing some dark days ahead. No, this isn’t political post-election sap of someone lamenting their horse losing. These days really are dark and getting darker until winter solstice.
I used to prefer winter because, growing up in Buffalo, of course, playing in snow made me oblivious to the time change. Who cared that it was dark? I had snow forts and cross country skiing right outside my home.
Now winter is a time to read and write more because I prefer daylight to hike, climb, ride my bicycle, and (ahem) golf. (Well trails, routes, and fairways do better without a headlamp.) So I prefer summer now, but I can cope.
RECENT POSTS, In case you missed them…
Is Hiking Your Feelings by Sydney Williams Worth the Read?
I love a good story about addiction, grief, and self destruction, don’t you? Maybe you don’t and you’re looking at me funny now. Let me give you an example of such an addition-like book the mountaineering front: I thoroughly enjoyed Margot Talbot’s autobiography All that Glitters, Paul Pritchard’s books, and, of course, David Roberts memoir On the Ridge Between Life and Death. I also tend to be drawn to them in non-climbing books, from esoteric memoirs like Amy McMullen’s Flat Ass Calm to popular self destruction stories of public and semi-public figures like Hunter Biden’s tell-all Beautiful Things… Click here for more.
What Makes a Classic in Mountain Literature?
I know you are not among them, but since most people do not share my niche interest for mountain climbing literature, and because they have not spent as much time as I have contemplating what makes these books special, I thought I would try to break down what I think makes a mountain climbing classic… well, at least as I understand it today. Click this to read on.
Astra Lincoln and 2024 Banff Mountain Book Awards
After I read all 19 mountain articles for the Mountain Article category of the Banff Mountain Book Competition I had two with the same score. In haste, I didn’t reevaluate them or scrutinize them further, but submitted my scores and comments. Well, the jury at Banff decided it was one of them and last week they awarded the winner of the Mountain Literature category was Astra Lincoln for her work in the annual Ascent Magazine originally titled “The Terror of Turning a Corner.” Here is that post and more on Bernadette McDonald and more.
GOODBYE X/TWITTER
Just as soon as I returned to X/Twitter, the world there imploded yet again. I am still monitoring my feed on that platform, but I am using Blue Sky more. People are actually interacting over there. The down side is, there isn’t much mountain climbing content there just yet, so maybe you should join and start posting some content and do some reader response? I’d like to see it.
Thanks for reading.
Andrew