Hiking and mountaineering adventures are the preferred way for the Hiking Lady to spend her weekends and holidays, but the true life adventure of the two young mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates is one that I’d prefer to read in the comfort of an oversized armchair!
Touching the Void is a first hand account of Joe Simpson’s battle to survive after breaking his leg on the descent from Siula Grande, a daunting 20,813 foot (6,344 meter) peak in the Peruvian Andes Mountains. Joe and Simon were the first two climbers to successfully summit Siula Grande, but disaster strikes on the way down.
Because of Joe’s broken leg, Simon uses a mountaineering rope technique to belay Joe down the mountain. But facing blinding snow, freezing conditions, and depleted food and water, both fear death.
Then the real story of survival begins when Joe is belayed over a ledge, and is free hanging over a seemingly bottomless crevasse. Simon, who is still roped to Joe, is unable to see or hear Joe below, and as his belay seat falls and the weight of Joe becomes unbearable against his frostbitten hands, he cuts the rope, leaving Joe to fall into the crevasse below!
If you prefer watching to reading, check out the DVD.
Hiking Lady’s Recommendation: 5 of 5 stars