Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent, by Alex Harris.

Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent, by Alex Harris. Struik Publishers. Cape Town, South Africa 2004. ISBN 9781868728718 / ISBN 978-1-86-872871-8

Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent, by Alex Harris. Struik Publishers. Cape Town, South Africa 2004. ISBN 9781868728718 / ISBN 978-1-86-872871-8

Glittering Peak: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, the first chapter from Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent, by Alex Harris.

Glittering Peak:

I can't remember exactly when I first thought about climbing Kilimanjaro. I know it was some time in that first year after school when no-one really knew what they wanted to do with their lives. Most of my friends had gone to university and said they were certain about their chosen careers. But I didn't believe them. If they were only half as confused as I was, then they didn't have a clue. I was bobbing around like a fish in a tank waiting to be fed. So it could have been one of any number of things that inspired me - a picture or even a television programme - I can't really say. But I remember that climbing Kilimanjaro was something I really wanted to do. Deep down inside me this thing was growing out of control. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I just had to climb Africa's highest mountain. But I knew diddly squat about climbing mountains. I had only recently joined the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA). I knew what a rope was and could just manage to pronounce 'karabiner'. Knowledge about exactly how all these pieces of equipment worked together would come with time. For now it didn't matter. My mind was made up. I was going to climb Kilimanjaro and that was that. So, how does a young guy fresh out of school go about climbing one of the world's largest free-standing volcanoes? Well, when you're young and ignorant you tend not to think about things that really are quite important. What I did realize was that this was something I shouldn't do alone. Robin Walshaw was one of those guys who seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. He had a couple of months to muck around before he committed four years of his life to discovering everything a person might want to know about computers. He was bright but definitely not a geek and you could still bend his arm to do something fun, adventurous or crazy. 'What did you say?' Robin asked incredulously. 'Kilimanjaro,' I replied. 'You mean that great big volcano in Kenya?' 'Well actually it's in Tanzania but yeah, that's the one.' 'You're nuts.' We were pushing our bicycles along a busy street just after sunset. I can't remember exactly what it was, but we had just finished doing something harebrained that had left one of our bikes immobile. This happened a lot of the time, leaving both of us moping along and one of us in pain. And it was always my fault, or so Robin had everyone believe. Robin was a stubborn bloke filled with that fiery English patriotism that can be so frustrating to others. He was born in Yorkshire and his family had moved to South Africa when he was still a child. Deep down he loved Africa but he couldn't help letting you know just how great the British Empire was. On occasion, his large head would fill up with that fiery Anglo blood and glow royally. There were times when I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of the Union Jack emblazoned on his forehead and I would want to bop him one. But generally, we got on very well. Robin looked at me for the first time along this section of the road. 'What do we know about climbing anyway?' he asked. [...]

This is an excerpt from Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent, by Alex Harris.

Title: Rocks and hard Places
Subtitle: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent
Author: Alex Harris
Publisher: Struik Publishers
Cape Town, South Africa 2004
ISBN 9781868728718 / ISBN 978-1-86-872871-8
Hardcover, dustjacket, 23 x 23 cm, 238 pages, throughout colour photos

Harris, Alex im Namibiana-Buchangebot

Rocks and hard Places. A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent

Rocks and hard Places. A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent

Rocks and hard Places: A South African's journey to the highest mountain on every continent.

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