I recently read the new book, Desire & Ice: Searching for Perspective Atop Denali, written by local (to me) author David Brill. The book is the story of Brill - a self-described ordinary, forty-something Dad - and his quest to climb to the summit of North America's highest mountain. In 2001, he did just that as part of a guided expedition.

I never "got" mountain climbing fever before reading this book. Brill's account of his month on Denali (Mt. McKinley) is riveting and inspiring. He never makes it sound easy, or even particularly fun, but you are left with a sense of what is gained when a "regular" person pushes himself past the limits of his own endurance. Reaching the summit is both literal and symbolic for the author, as he gains a renewed focus on what matters to him in life.

( I re-read this review and realized that it sounds sort of trite and doesn't do the book justice. It's an awesome tale. Read it for yourself.)