Although I am still completely convinced that "I" am not a potential mountain climber, this book was a delightful description of one man's personal struggles with a rather huge goal. What might have seemed an odd subject for a book, climbing mountains became a description of all kinds of different people and their odd mixture of motivations for climbing mountains. Obmascik is a great story teller and he was able to relate the tales of all of the man-dates he had with fellow mountain climbers he convinced to go with him, a relative notice who became much better over time. ( )

A light and breezy travel book through the Colorado Rockies and its sub-culture of outdoor enthusiasts united by the desire to summit all 54 of the states 14,000 foot mountains. Obmascik attempts it over the course of one summer, driving from his home in Denver each Saturday morning a few hours to the hike and back that same night. Along the way he meets other people doing the same thing, from different walks of life, united by a common quest (and website: 14ers.com). Each short chapter recounts a climb and its follies, local Colorado historical flavor, a back-story about Obmascik's hiking partner for the day (his "man-dates"), and not a few nail biting close calls with lightning, wind and cliff.

It's hard to be critical of a book like this because it makes you feel good; it's well written, funny, self-deprecating, sympathetic and educational. Obmascik is a family man with a happy marriage of 17 years, three kids, overweight, middle aged, balding - this is not exploration or macho adrenaline adventure literature - it is not `Into Thin Air`, to the benefit of every middle-aged balding overweight father who wants to do something beyond the ordinary. As A.J Jacobs says "I thank him for climbing a bunch of tall mountains so I don't have to. I was with him for every oxygen-deprived step of the way (as I lounged on my sectional sofa)." If you enjoy travel books like `A Walk in the Woods` or `A Year in Provence` this is for you.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2008 cc-by-nd ( )