Vom Mekong-Delta im Süden bis zum Roten Fluss im Norden bereist Maria Coffey drei Monate lang vor allem die Küste Vietnams, oft mit dem Boot oder dem Fahrrad. Tradition und Moderne, Kriegstrauma und Alltag: die sensible Schilderung eines Landes im Umbruch.
Spannender Bericht über die Abenteuerreise eines Ehepaares im Faltkajak: Umrundung der Salomoninseln, Befahrung des Oberlaufs des Ganges und Durchquerung des Malawisees.
'Sie wollten mir nicht gleich sagen, daß Joe tot war. Sie sagten: am Nordostgrat verschwunden, vermißt. Doch er würde nie wieder zurückkehren zu mir. Was zurückkam, war der Brief, den ich ihm zum 34. Geburtstag geschrieben hatte. Ungeöffnet.' Jahre, nachdem ihr Freund beim Gipfelanstieg zum Everest verunglückt war, fand Maria Coffey die Kraft zu schreiben – ein bewegendes Buch über all jene Angehörigen, die den liebsten Menschen an eine Obsession verlieren, die süchtig macht: bergsteigen. Eltern, deren Kind unter einer Lawine begraben wurde; Frauen, denen Stürme, Kälte und Steinschlag den Mann nahmen; Männer, die ihren besten Freund, Bruder oder Seilgefährten abstürzen sahen. Und zugleich ein Buch über Extrembergsteiger wie Anatoli Boukreev, Lynn Hill, Joe Simpson oder Chris Bonington, die es immer wieder dorthin zurückzieht, wo tödliche Gefahr und höchstes Glück eins werden.
A compelling memoir about opting for adventure instead of motherhood, and the lifelong outcomes of that choice. Instead captures Maria Coffey’s adventurous life through her biggest decisions along the way, including the decision not to have children. It’s a vivid travelogue, a love story, and a personal commentary on the risks and rewards of choosing unconventional paths. After two traumatic experiences during her twenties – a near-drowning in Morocco and her boyfriend’s death on Mount Everest – Maria determines to seize every day and explore the world. Mixed with her desire for freedom is a new fear of loss, which convinces her against parenthood. She falls in love with Dag, who shares her dreams, and they begin creating a life of adventure. There is one he wants children and thinks they could include them in their wild exploits. Instead follows Maria’s trajectory as she shares her guilt-ridden relationship with her Irish Catholic mother; her baby debates with Dag in unlikely situations, like kayaking through a storm; the doubts that rear up in remote cultures where her childfree choice is unfathomable; and how children eventually – and surprisingly – come into her life. An adventure story with a unique twist, Instead tackles the universal themes of choice and consequence, agency versus fate. It is a must read for anyone curious about stepping off the beaten track, and a testament to the power of being open to the unexpected.
The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure - Advance Uncorrected Proofs
Without risk, say mountaineers, there would be none of the self-knowledge that comes from pushing life to its extremes. For them, perhaps, it is worth the cost. But when tragedy strikes, what happens to the people left behind? Why would anyone choose to invest in a future with a high-altitude risk-taker? What is life like in the shadow of the mountain? Such questions have long been taboo in the world of mountaineering. Now, the spouses, parents and children of internationally renowned climbers finally break their silence, speaking out about the dark side of adventure. Maria Coffey confronted one of the harshest realities of mountaineering when her partner Joe Tasker disappeared on the Northeast Ridge of Everest in 1982. In <i>Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow</i>, Coffey offers an intimate portrait of adventure and the conflicting beauty, passion, and devastation of this alluring obsession. Through interviews with the world's top climbers, or their widows and families-Jim Wickwire, Conrad Anker, Lynn Hill, Joe Simpson, Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev, Alex Lowe, and many others-she explores what compels men and women to give their lives to the high mountains. She asks why, despite the countless tragedies, the world continues to laud their exploits. With an insider's understanding, Coffey reveals the consequences of loving people who pursue such risk-the exhilarating highs and inevitable lows, the stress of long separations, the constant threat of bereavement, and the lives shattered in the wake of climbing accidents. <i>Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow</i> is a powerful, affecting and important book that exposes the far reaching personal costs of extreme adventure.