{"id":782,"date":"2016-04-04T11:44:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T17:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sintellectual.org\/hstr467\/?p=782"},"modified":"2016-04-04T11:44:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-04T17:44:54","slug":"week-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sintellectual.org\/hstr467\/2016\/04\/04\/week-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week we revisit the French expedition of Annapurna and reevaluate the classic mountaineering work of Herzog. Roberts investigates outside sources and even talks to Herzog himself to assess the situation. What is enlightened is really what we as a class uncovered on our initial read of Annapurna <\/em>\u2013 Herzog is an ego maniac. I think that is egotism comes ever more striding into the light in True Summit<\/em>; especially the part where it is revealed that Herzog does not receive royalties for Annapurna, he of course knew this with the contract. All of this means that he literally prevented the others from writing not to make his book successful and to garner some income but solely for the fame.<\/p>\n

What else particularly struck me was the more disgusting aftermath of mountaineering expeditions. Roberts goes into painfully vivid detail of the post adventure wounds. We have all read that mountaineers go up the mountain, get frostbite, and loose various body parts; blessedly that was the extent of what we have gleaned, Roberts on the other hand takes away our resplendent state of ignorance. From describing the oozing of Herzog\u2019s wounds, to the dead tissue manner, and especially when Herzog\u2019s legs are unwrapped and the maggots that were there have gotten as large as pencils and \u201cjump\u201d off \u2013 that image will be engraved into my brain until the day I die or sustain a serious head injury. However it is very relevant. So much of mountaineering literature is focused on the preparations and the \u201csiege\u201d or \u201cconquest\u201d of the climb. Not very much is geared toward the aftereffects however serious or small they may be. Maybe it should be explored in less vivid detail, but I think that it is important. What happens when the conquering hero returns home? What is the extent of the aftermath of a mountaineering tragedy outside of the fatalities?<\/p>\n

I believe that the background Roberts did for this was extensive, he even got to speak to Herzog himself. What I expected however was a much more radically different story then the one that Roberts presents. I thought from the title and reading the back cover there would be much bolder claims made about the climb. Roberts seemed almost conservative in his critique. Personally there is a lot of doubt in my mind as to whether or not Herzog really made it to the top of Annapurna. He had never climbed in the Himalaya before, there had been no pervious scouting done to find a route up the mountain (it took them weeks to find it in the first place), and Annapurna is supposed to be one if not the most technically difficult of the eight thousand meter peaks. There is a lot that I do not buy about the Annapurna account \u2013 there is definitely reasonable doubt. I expected Roberts to address this doubt, and he did but not until the last twenty pages of the book \u2013 almost as an afterthought.<\/p>\n

Roberts focus was more geared towards the discontent and different views of the various team members and some of the more minor discrepancies of Herzog. While I think that these are important points they are no where strong enough. Though I do not think I blame Roberts. Herzog was a major character in the climbing community and to challenge Herzog head on Roberts would have to have an immaculate and golden reputation and would probably have to climb Herzog\u2019s route himself to really hammer it home (or at the least have climbed Annapurna). Really what the overall impression of True Summit is that the other climbers were underrated and Herzog was an ego maniac \u2013 of course that is an impression that can be gathered solely from Herzog\u2019s work itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week we revisit the French expedition of Annapurna and reevaluate the classic mountaineering work of Herzog. Roberts investigates outside sources and even talks to Herzog himself to assess the situation. What is enlightened is really what we as a class uncovered on our initial read of Annapurna \u2013 Herzog is an ego maniac. I…<\/p>\n

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