The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory
Peter and Leni Gillman
The Mountaineers Books, $18.95, 288 pages
Despite the discovery of George Malloryıs body on the ragged north slopes of Mount Everest in 1999, the question of whether he and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine ever reached the summit in 1924nearly 30 years before Hillary and Norgayıs first recorded ascentstill remains tantalizingly unanswered. Yet, the mystery of Malloryıs final climb has only added to his legendary stature, and these two recently released paperbacks probe into both the climbing achievements and personal obsessions of the man who is credited with answering the question "Why climb Everest?" with the answer "Because itıs there."
Mallory and Irvine never returned from their last push to summit Everest, but, from lower on the mountain, one of their climbing partners reported seeing them approaching the top before clouds rolled in and blocked his view. Ever since, the mountaineering world has debated whether these two tweed-clad pioneers could have actually reached their goal. In 1999, the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition endeavored to follow Malloryıs route, seeking conclusive proof as to how Mallory and Irvine met their end.
Ghosts of Everest details the discoveries of the1999 expedition, neither proving nor disproving the theory that Mallory reached the top, but instead casting a spell of otherworldliness around Malloryıs final climb as well as saluting the intrepid spirit of Everestıs early pioneers. The narrative navigates deftly between a chronicle of Mallory and Irvineıs 1924 attemptreconstructed through letters, personal accounts of surviving members of the ill-fated expedition, and some deductive speculationand the 1999 expeditionıs search for the body and tracing of Malloryıs route.
Stunning photographs of the route up Everestıs perilous Northeast Ridge complement the detective work and speculation on how Mallory might have reached his goal. And the account of Conrad Anker and David Hahnıs climb on the same route is an epic in itself. But the most compelling and haunting images in the book are of Malloryıs fallen and practically mummified body, found by Anker: "The clothing was blasted from most of his body, and his skin was bleached white. I felt like I was viewing a Greek or Roman statue."
Yet, while Ghosts of Everest boasts stunning photos and riveting accounts of the mountaineering feats of both 1924 and 1999, The Wildest Dream offers an even more fascinating glimpse into Malloryıs legend. Biographers Peter and Leni Gillman spend less time on the controversies surrounding Malloryıs summit bid and more on the complex and driven psyche of the man himself.
The Wildest Dream invokes a bygone age in which the Earth was still full of the wild unknown and explorers mingled with thinkers who, before World War I and the atomic age, still held faith in the aspirations of humanity. The biography fills out little-discussed but fascinating aspects of Malloryıs life, including his brief flirt with homosexuality as well as his interaction with literary great Robert Graves and economist Maynard Keynes.
There is an eerie irony, too, in the biographyıs exploration of Malloryıs obsession with his own naked body when contrasted to the power his corpse emanates in Ghosts. Most importantly, however, The Wildest Dream delves into Malloryıs heartfelt relationship with his wife and the tragic inner struggle between his dream of climbing Everest and living with his family, a burden felt by adventurers in any age.
Taken together, the two books flesh out a sense of longing and wonder for the mysteries of nature and the human soul that, despite the advances of time, still resonates with the reader.
Douglas Schnitzspahn
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Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine
