A long form essay featured in Amazon’s Kindle Singles program.

Why should a mountain, by its very existence, challenge the ego of certain ambitious men? Why should the author find validation in mountaineering— a highly contrived, often unpleasant, frequently fatal pursuit? Does climbing build character, or degrade it? The author treads the narrow path between the lure of the peaks and the duties of a father and husband as he prepares for a consequential ascent of Mount Rainier’s Liberty Ridge.

Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter.

Cover illustration by Kristen Radtke