WITH BYRD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD-BOOK REVIEW

When Norman Vaughan passed away just a few days past his 100th Birthday it made the news and not just beause of his Centurion milestone. Mr Vaughan was the last surviving member of Admiral Byrd's South Pole expedition of 1928-1930. Admiral Byrd named a mountain in his honor and in 1994, just 3 days shy of his 89th birthday this gentleman climbed it! He was planning another climb, to celebrate his 100th birthday when he was taken ill and passed away.


This book and his autobiography, "My Life Of Adventure", are 2 wonderful books!! "With Byrd At The Bottom Of The World" opens in 1927 with a meeting between a young Norman Vaughan and Admiral Byrd. Norman was knowledgeable in the handling of dogs and was hired on in that capacity for the 1928-1930 expedition. This book tells not only of their exploration of the South Pole but the relationship that exisits between dog and man. He writes in particular of one of the dogs growing lame and the lengths that someone will go to in order to save him.
This is from Mr. Vaughan's website:

Antarctica, the vast frozen continent, eerily lit by a sun that never sets in the summer, plunged into months of darkness in the winter ... for Richard E. Byrd, exploring the land that had already taken the lives of many great adventurers was a challenge he could not resist.

His 1928-1930 expedition was history in the making, and Norman Vaughan was there to see it happen. Brought on to handle the expedition's sled dogs, the young Vaughan was in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Admiral Byrd and his men attracted worldwide attention with their accomplishments: the building of Little America, the first settlement on Antarctica; the discovery of Marie Byrd Land; an important of Antarctic geography and geology; and the historic first flight over the South Pole.

For Vaughan, it all began one day in September 1927 with a newspaper headline that read, "Byrd to the South Pole." Vaughan persuaded Byrd to let him join the expedition by agreeing to work without pay to get Byrd's dogs ready for the trip to Antarctica. He spent a year training dogs, building cages and sleds, and assembling gear for a year on the ice.

The voyage to Antarctica was itself an adventure. Vaughan worked with the coal-shoveling gang in the hold of the ship, spent thirty-six straight hours in the crow's nest spotting icebergs, and had to solve a crisis with the dog food supply.

The expedition's arrival at the Ross Ice Barrier heralded a new set of challenges. Vaughan and the other drivers spent three full months carrying 650 tons of construction materials and supplies from the ships to Little America, nine miles inland.

Once settled in Little America, Vaughan and the others expected to peacefully wait out the months of the long night. It was not to be, however. Another dog driver, jealous of Vaughan's popularity, was plotting his murder! The tension brought on by the endless hours of darkness led to conflicts among the men, and it was all Byrd could do to keep order.

When the sun returned, Vaughan set out with the geological party to explore land on which no man had ever before set foot. The hundreds of miles of hard traveling took a toll on the dogs, and Vaughan was forced to make hard choices.

Bad weather threatened to keep the expedition in Antarctica another year, but their luck held, and as the freezing ice closed in behind them, their ship began the long voyage home.

Safely back in the United States, Vaughan had trouble adjusting to normal life. When Byrd offered him an opportunity to join the second Antarctic expedition, Vaughan jumped at the chance. But Byrd was continually changing the plans and focus of the expedition, largely because of his unwillingness to share the limelight. In growing disillusionment, Vaughan resigned from the expedition. Nevertheless, Vaughan and Byrd remained friends in the years that followed.

In With Byrd at the Bottom of the World, Vaughan vividly recounts this amazing series of adventures. From the sublime to the ridiculous, nothing is left out. The historic moments, the practical jokes, the jealousies and the affection among compatriots, the dangers of a frozen and inhospitable continent, plus Vaughan's insights into Byrd's personality and place in history - all are related with warmth and sincerity.


This gentleman lived more in his 100 years than anyone can even grasp or imagine. This book captivated me right from the start. Norman's motto for life:
Dream big and dare to fail!"

Good words to live by!

"DEATH IN THE GRIZZLY MAZE" BOOK REVIEW

I first became aware of Timothy Treadwell by reading a short story on him in Reader's Digest, after his death. His death was horrific, one akin to being attacked by a shark only his was to be eaten by bears, along with his girlfriend. Apparently he had acquired some fame with his features on Animal Planet's, "Grizzly Man Diaries" as well as guest spots periodically on a National level. He had gained quite a following among Conservation extremists but he also received a lot of criticism from reputable Conservationsists for his unorthodoxed behaviors.



I purchased this book when we were in Glacier National Park on our 2005 Summer visit. It was a very good read, holding my interest the entire time. Subsequently, Werner Herzog made a movie about Treadwell titled, "Grizzly Man". For the first time, I saw the extraordinary film footage that Treadwell had recorded of the Brown Bears that he loved and adored and ultimately lost his life to. Regardless of how exquisite the footage is of rare and never before seen behaviors, the guy completely crossed the line in my opinion!

I believe from information that the author gives, Treadwell had some real mental issues. As a child he showed the classic symptoms of ADHD and Dyslexia. As an adult he delved into depression, alcohol and drugs. To his credit, discovering his passion for the Grizzlies was the way he overcame those dependencies. Sadly, the adreneline rush he got from his bear encounters replaced it. I wonder if as an adult, he would've been diagnosed as Bi-Polar? Undiagnosed and untreated (this Bi-Polar theory of mine) would've driven him to outrageous and unacceptable behavior that goes beyond common sense.

A very informative and well-done book!


From the back cover:
"On the afternoon of Sunday, October 5, 2003, in Alaska's Katmai National Park, one or more brown bears killed and ate Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard. The next day, park rangers investigating the site shot and killed two bears that threatened them; it was later determined that one of the bears had human flesh and clothing in its stomach.
This chilling story immediately captured worldwide media attention, not only because of the horrific manner of Timothy and Amie's deaths, but also because Timothy was a well-known wildlife celebrity. His films of close-up encounters with grizzly bears – he spent more than a dozen summers living with and videotaping giant bears in the Alaskan bush – were the subject of television talk shows, movies, and books.
But his work was not without controversy, and some bear experts felt that Treadwell's fatal encounter was a tragedy waiting to happen – the result of the unorthodox tactics he used in his life among the bears.
Death in the Grizzly Maze is the compelling account of Treadwell's intense life and dramatic death. Author Mike Lapinski chronicles Treadwell's rise from self-described alcoholic loser to popular grizzly-bear advocate. Lapinski explores how a waiter from Malibu, California, with no background in biology or wildlife science, came to be considered a bear expert. And he reveals the high cost of the current craze for wildlife celebrities – and what it means for the future of wildlife conservation."

"THE LAST SEASON" BOOK REVIEW

Dave receives BACKPACKER magazine and in 2006 he read this article.

It lead to him purchasing

"THE LAST SEASON"

by author Eric Blehm. This book is the story of National Park Backcountry Ranger, Randy Morgenson who went missing in the Sierra Nevada mountains that he loved so dearly.



From Eric Blehm's website:
"THE LAST SEASON TELLS THE INSPIRING, POIGNANT TRUE STORY OF THE LIFE AND MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF JAMES RANDALL MORGENSON WHO, over the course of 28 summers spent in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, became arguably the most celebrated ranger in the National Park Service's most adventurous unit. For the solitary, introspective Morgenson, the job was a calling, and he became fiercely devoted to protecting the wilderness he loved from the backcountry visitors, and those visitors from the wilderness. But the intense isolation and a series of personal setbacks took their toll, and when Morgenson vanished without a trace, many suspected suicide or foul play".

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in biographies, nature and/or mysteries. This book has led to an aquaintanceship with Mr. Blehm and we are currently reading his newest book,
'The One Thing Worth Dying For".