Desolation Peak

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In the summer of 1956, Jack Kerouac hitchhiked from Mill Valley, CA, to the North Cascades to serve as a fire lookout for the US Forest Service. Armed only with the Diamond Sutra, he sought deep contemplation and enlightenment, focusing on the "emptiness of self" and universal self. He anticipated a transformative experience on Desolation Peak, which is central to his novel The Dharma Bums and appears in parts of Desolation Angels and Lonesome Traveler. However, none of these accounts fully capture his experience, making this work essential. Kerouac's unique exploration of consciousness sets him apart from other writers, and his legacy lies in the record of his internal struggles as a sensitive artist in the mid-20th Century. The highlight is his journal, which starkly reveals his poverty, mood swings, and internal conflicts regarding his life, writing, and faith. Alongside the journal, he worked on projects like "Ozone Park," "The Martin Family," and "Desolation Adventure," reaffirming his commitment to an experimental style, declaring that "the form of the future is no-form." Also included are his transliteration of the Diamond Sutra, "Desolation Blues," "Desolation Pops," and various prose sketches and dreams.