Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void is a book written about the hardships the two friends, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, faced high in the mountains of the Peruvian Andes. Throughout the book, the author explains the dangers of alpine style climbing as well as the effects it had on the two climbers, physically and emotionally. This book is as realistic as it gets when reading about the risky situations that climbers can be put in while alpine style climbing. I feel that is exactly the message that the author, Joe Simpson, is trying to convey to his readers and the climbing community; the truth about what happened during their trip, as well as the importance of looking after ourselves, including the determination it takes to survive.
Alpine style
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climbing is known as the “purest form of mountaineering,” according to Wikipedia. A climber only takes his main necessities with him on the climb such as food, water, shelter, and any other thing they absolutely need. This is the opposite of expedition style mountaineering where the climbers set up camps along the mountain, before the actual climb, that would be stocked with everything they need (Wikipedia). Alpine style climbing became popular when climbers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climbed without the use of oxygen (Wikipedia). Although there are many negative aspects of alpine style climbing such as running out of food and other necessities and the lack of fixed ropes in case of an emergency, there are also benefits to this style of climbing. First of all, it is cheaper due to the climber needing less equipment and not having to hire someone to carry their excess belongings. This style of climbing is also faster than the typical expedition style climb and therefore reduces the chance of risks such as avalanches or blizzards from happening because they are not on the route as long (Wikipedia). Alpine style climbing as well as climbing in general is a popular extreme sport.
You would be surprised by the amount of athletes there are that participate in these activities. One athlete in specific is Emily Harrington. Twenty-seven year old Emily Harrington has been climbing for over half her life (Word Press). During her climbing career she has been very successful. According to her Word Press biography, Emily Harrington is a “five-time sport Climbing National Champion, a two-time Sport Climbing North American Champion, has placed podium in World Cups, and finished second at the Sport Climbing World Championships in 2005.” To prepare for her climbs, Emily takes advantage of the boulders in her hometown, Boulder, Colorado (La Sportiva). She also uses gymnastics and when she’s not in her hometown, she practices wherever she gets the chance (RXR Sports). She’s even built a treadmill in her garage to train when she was limited on training resources (La Sportiva).
Although Emily Harrington seems to be more of a sport climber, she loves outdoor climbing. She has climbed some of the tallest mountains in the world including Mount Everest. This is why I think Emily can relate to the main characters of Touching the Void, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. In a reflection of her Mount Everest climb, Emily talks about the rough experience she had. In this reflection, she states
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that: “Everest is a controversial place full of both real-life danger and ego-crushing criticism. It’s the most personal struggle I’ve ever had to undergo during a consecutive period of time. I’ve never been as sick as I was when I first arrived at basecamp with a respiratory infection. I’ve never fought so much physically to keep pushing, taking steps, and enduring the exhaustion, extreme heat and bitter cold. I walked by dead bodies, human souls who’d lived just four days prior, and left this world in pursuit of the same goal I was trying to achieve. I was afraid a lot of the time. Never before have I faced such a truer reality; that my own life could be taken away from me by circumstances out of my control, and the unsettling knowledge that it was my choice to be there, but for what? I fought intensely with my own mind on a daily basis, to justify this mission to myself, despite the danger, death, and even the harsh criticism I was receiving for even setting foot on the mountain in the first place with no previous high altitude mountain experience” (Smith, 2012). This quotation of Emily Harrington’s words, provided to us by Abbey Smith’s article, “Emily Harrington’s Everest Lessons,” was a great example of what I feel Joe Simpson and Simon Yates felt on their journey in the Andes. In the beginning of the Joe Simpson’s story, the main characters, Joe Simpson himself and his friend Simon Yates set a goal to alpine style climb the West Face of Siula Grande which had never been climbed. They started on their journey and are forced to go through different obstacles such as a snowstorm and ascending through powder snow which can be very dangerous. After more small problems occur, they eventually reached the summit and decided to continue downward before the storm came. While trying to cross over the ridge, Joe falls down and breaks his leg. This is a horrible moment for the author because he has to continue on their journey in deep pain. They continue their descent and soon find a way to get down faster: a 600 ft. drop. They made a belay seat to lower Joe down on two 150 ft. ropes making it a 300 ft. line. Joe is lowered and while waiting for Simon to catch up he falls and Simon is forced to hold his position for some time. Due to the length of the rope and the storm that was going on, it was impossible for the two to communicate so Simon did not know what happened to Joe. Joe accepts the fact that he may die at any moment and then out of nowhere he fell into the crevasse. He figured Simon had also fell but then realized that the rope was cut. Simon’s decision to cut the rope was his way of helping Joe. He knew he could not help him by continuing to hold the rope because he would also eventually die. Simon assumed Joe would be dead so continued on to the base camp. Joe, still alive, eventually finds the strength to pull himself from out of the crevasse and attempted to make his way to base. He gets close to the camp and even though he doesn’t know if Simon is still there, he yells for him. Simon and Richard find him and get him to the camp. Joe claims he does not blame Simon for doing what he did but once word got out about the series of events they had went through, people around the world had mixed feelings about Simon. Some agreed with what he did and others saw it as an act of betrayal. (Touching the Void, 15-215) In the book, Joe inserts text from Simon’s book about another climb where he talks about Touching the Void. He states “During the days before, we had made many errors of judgement. We had not eaten or drunk enough and carried on climbing long after nightfall. By doing so, we had allowed ourselves to become cold, exhausted, and dehydrated” (Touching the Void, 204). It is true to think that they did not look after themselves to begin with. Going without food, water, and sleep can have a huge impact on one’s thinking as well as their physical being. According to the article, Impact of Lack of Food & Water on the Human Body, written by Janet Renee, dehydration and lack of food is life threatening and even a small decline in fluids can affect the way a person concentrates. Another thing that negatively affected the two friends was high altitude. The higher the altitude, the less oxygen you are able to breathe in. According to Tom Scheve, in his article, How Altitude Sickness Works, a person’s body goes through many changes at high altitude, including needing more water intake due to the low humidity and low air pressure. If simply being in high altitudes result in the need for more water, I can only imagine how Joe and Simon felt since they were already very limited to it. I believe Joe Simpson wrote this book to set the truth free. Many people, who heard of their story, became opinionated on the idea that Simon cut the rope and saw it as an act of betrayal. After analyzing the climb, Joe Simpson agreed with Simon Yates that they had made their first mistake before they even left the base camp, they didn’t have the appropriate amount of gas to keep them hydrated (Touching the Void, 204). On page 203 of Touching the Void, Joe inserts text from Simon’s book which states: “I knew I had done all that I could reasonably be expected of me to save Joe, and now both our lives were being threatened, I had reached a point where I had to look after myself. Although I k new my action might result in his death, I took the decision intuitively in a split second.” – Simon Yates, Against the Wall On page 205, Joe responds with, “Ultimately, we all have to look after ourselves, whether on the mountains or in day to day life. In my view that is not a license to be selfish, for only taking good care of ourselves are we able to help others.” In my opinion, this is Joe saying that he understood why Simon had done what he did. It was not an act of selfishness or betrayal, it was simply Simon looking after himself. On page 206 of Joe’s book, Touching the Void, he clearly states that he wrote this book to take some of the criticism off of Simon. “I wrote this book in the hope that, by telling the story ‘straight’, it might nip in the bud any harsh or unfair criticism of Simon. The rope cutting had clearly touched a nerve, transgressed some unwritten rule and people seemed to be drawn to that element of the story – until I wrote it down as honestly as I could.” – Joe Simpson, page 206 I don’t think it gets any clearer than that.
Joe told us their story, as truthfully as he could, so the readers would understand both sides of the story. He then explained to us, in the “Ten Years On…” chapter of the book, his purpose for writing Touching the Void. This book provides closure for both Joe and Simon, and that may be another reason why Joe wrote this book.
With the right amount of determination, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made it out alive. Even after wanting to give up and truly believing they were going to die, they never actually gave up. In the end, Joe sees this horrible experience as an introduction to a great new chapter in his life: becoming a writer (Touching the Void, 215).
Touching the Void, written by Joe Simpson, is a story that questions friendship and survival, as well as shows the dangers of alpine-style climbing. Throughout the story, Joe tells the readers exactly how he remembers his and his friend’s terrifying journey that took place high in the mountains of Peru. He does a great job describing their thoughts and emotions. Not only was he able to recreate and capture his own thoughts perfectly, but he put himself in Simon’s shoes and understood exactly what he was going through at the time, as well. The author, Joe Simpson, also did a great job at describing the dangers of alpine style climbing and being out in the freezing mountains, with no food, water, and shelter other than the snow caves they built all while being in pain from his broken
leg. This book definitely shows all the hardships climbers can face while climbing. Works Cited "Alpine Style." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. “Emily Harrington.” Emily A Harrington. RXR SPORTS, n.s. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. "Emily Harrington Bio." Emily Harrington. Word Press, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. La Sportiva North America. "Emily Harrington – Training For Your Goals." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 19 March. 2015. Web. 25 March. 2015. Renee, Janet. "Impact of Lack of Food & Water on the Human Body." LIVESTRONG. LIVESTRONG, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. Scheve, Tom. "Physiological Effects of High Altitude." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. Simpson, Joe. Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. Print. Smith, Abbery. "Emily Harrington's Everest Lessons." Inclined. The American Alpine Club, 31 July 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. Yates, Simon. Against the Wall. London: VINTAGE (RAND), 1998. Print.
While describing his climb, Krakauer exhibits his ambivalent feelings towards his voyage through the descriptions of a fearsome yet marvelous landscape, fragility versus confidence, and uncertainty about personal relationships.
It was Saturday morning at Alexan’s vacation home in Tehachapi, CA. We ate our breakfast, and decided to go for a hike in the dangerous mountains of Tehachapi. It was approximately fifty degrees Fahrenheit and the clouds had covered the mountains, causing the area to be very foggy and difficult to see. Knowing that it was not a good idea Alexan still managed to convince me to go hiking, and he said to me, “Don’t worry it will be fine”. This reminded me of Oliveira saying to Ronald, “I think you feel very sure of yourself, firmly planted in yourself and in your surroundings” (Oliveira 161). Both Ronald and my friend Alexan felt very sure that they were right, and did not have any worries. I do not think Alexan even took a single thought about the dangers we could face hiking in the steep mountains with the harsh conditions we were facing. Ronald did not care to change his mind and agree with Oliveira, because he felt very confident with what he believed.
The climbers' experience in mountain climbing and at high altitudes varies; some of them are quite qualified, others very inexperienced and highly reliant on the guides. The actual summit push is when everything begins to fall apart.
Bill Bryson uses his experience on the Appalachian Trail to show how different your expectations can be compared to the reality of the situation. Bryson believed that he was fully prepared for the hike and that it would be exciting but, in all actuality it was very difficult. He also believed that the hike would be stimulating for the mind but, at times it didn’t require a lot of thinking or attention. His experience and the background research he provided created an image for his audience so they could understand the point he was trying to make. These elements served as evidence in the book and was very effective because it was abundant and meaningful.
Cross country runners spend weeks to months training for that one moment, the moment they will lean across the finish line. Crossing the finish line only lasts for only a split second, but the impact is significant. People often ask why, why spend so much time training for that one moment? Well for me it’s simple. The feeling I have when I cross that finish line is like no other I’ve ever had; it is a unique combination of pride, pain, relief, and an indescribable sense of accomplishment. After reading Into Thin Air, I realized how similar climbing a mountain actually is to running a race. Climbers, just like runners, spend months training for those few glorious minutes on top.
The author wrote this story in response to a magazine company, and eventually published it into a book. He used many styles and techniques to describe the life and death of McCandless. The mood throughout the novel constantly varies with the excitement of McCandless’s adventures and the emotions caused by his disappearance. Krakauer’s ability to engage multiple senses of a reader truly makes his novel special.
Throughout history men have attempted death defying acts. From rolling in barrells down Niagara Falls, to cliff diving, to skydiving, people often seek thrills by putting their life in jeopardy. Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Into the Wild are best selling stories and successful movies. They highlight men who attempt to defy nature and common sense for the thrill of adventure. Into Thin Air, is Krakauer’s personal account of his expedition climbing Mount Everest, while Into the Wild, is the story of McCandless’s travels through Alaska. Both Christopher McCandless and Jon Krakauer were risk takers whose dangerous experiences lead to disaster; however, their reasons for going on their expeditions and their preparation for them differed greatly.
As the reader, I was deeply overwhelmed with many mixed emotions such as compassion, sadness, happiness, disgust, remorse, and fear. I have pity for the characters in the book The Road, because “the man” and “the boy” have to pass day to day struggling to survive in a frigid bleak world where food is scarce “They squatted in the road and ate rice and cold beans they’d cooked days ago.” “Already beginning to ferment.”(McCarthy 29). The landscape is blackened, and mankind is almost extinct “The mummied dead everywhere.”(McCarthy 24). As I read on I noticed myself connecting more deeply with the characters. When the boy’s mother takes her own life, I was deeply saddened and my heart broke for “the boy” simply because his mom, someone he cherished and loved so much, had given up on hope and faith and deserted him. I just wan...
Differing Functions in Popular Culture It only makes sense that there are countless novels and films focused on the afterlife when we consider the human race 's collective interest in what happens after death. Several popular movies have presented different versions of the afterlife, each with their own purpose. Beetlejuice (1988) tells the story of two individuals who pass away in their home, and must navigate their new existence in the afterlife by reading a book entitled Handbook for the Recently Deceased. In this movie, the two deceased individuals seem to be in an intermediate realm between Earth and the Netherworld (similar to Hell); they are in regular contact with a girl living in their previous home, but they also visit the Netherworld
As I inched my way toward the cliff, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I could feel the coldness of the rock beneath my feet when my toes curled around the edge in one last futile attempt at survival. My heart was racing like a trapped bird, desperate to escape. Gazing down the sheer drop, I nearly fainted; my entire life flashed before my eyes. I could hear stones breaking free and fiercely tumbling down the hillside, plummeting into the dark abyss of the forbidding black water. The trees began to rapidly close in around me in a suffocating clench, and the piercing screams from my friends did little to ease the pain. The cool breeze felt like needles upon my bare skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps. The threatening mountains surrounding me seemed to grow more sinister with each passing moment, I felt myself fighting for air. The hot summer sun began to blacken while misty clouds loomed overhead. Trembling with anxiety, I shut my eyes, murmuring one last pathetic prayer. I gathered my last breath, hoping it would last a lifetime, took a step back and plun...
What is the value of a person’s life? Is one person’s life worth more than another’s? Is someone else’s life worth as much as our own? These are questions that cannot and most likely never will completely answered. At least they cannot be answered easily. There are far too many factors, variables, and opinions to consider when attempting to answer them. The story Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson, addresses many themes in the story such as survival, facing challenges, friendship, among others. For me, the issue that stood out was the idea of placing a value on a person’s life. This paper will look at the “lessons” regarding the value of human life found in the story and how the readers can consider those lessons with regards to everyday life.
inSPIRE Rock - A little to the North of that in Spring, inSPIRE Rock is a state-of-the-art indoor rock climbing facility that offers
A blast of adrenaline charges throughout my body as I experience the initial drop. My body's weight shifts mechanically, cutting the snow in a practiced rhythm. The trail curves abruptly and I advance toward a shaded region of the mountain. Suddenly, my legs chatter violently, scraping against the concealed ice patches that pepper the trail. After overcompensating from a nearly disastrous slip, balance fails and my knees buckle helplessly. In a storm of powder snow and ski equipment, body parts collide with nature. My left hand plows forcefully into ice, cracking painfully at the wrist. For an eternity of 30 seconds, my body somersaults downward, moguls of ice toy with my head and further agonize my broken wrist. Ultimately veering into underbrush and pine trees, my cheeks burn, my broken wrist surging with pain. Standing up confused, I attempt climbing the mountain but lose another 20 feet to the force of gravity.
He arrived at his first destination after about an hour of hiking. After a short while he figured he had looked over his new found haven enough, he was ready. He started down the grade with a small arsenal, consisting of a shovel, about ten granola bars, two bottles of power-ade, his snowshoes, and what was left in his hydration bladder in his pack. After descending about two hundred feet he came into the clearing he was hoping to find, it was as smooth as silk, twenty inches of fresh powder under his board. Up ahead he say a small but formidable drop off on the mountain, he knew if he was going to escape this with his dignity he was going to have to work some magic, to his success. The drop was approximately eighteen feet, but he was ready for it, he landed perfectly, it was like a dream the poof of snow exploding out from his impact, and the gentle flakes hitting his face. As he continued down the slope he did not realize that his gentle landing had severely weakened the physical structure of the mountain’s blanket, and that any moment he could bring the mass down upon himself at impossible speeds.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...