Climbing the Sierras in their footsteps

After a visit to Powell’s Books on Monday, Nov. 2, Daniel Arnold, the author of Early Days in the Range of Light: Encounters with Legendary Mountaineers, will be stopping by Annie Bloom’s Books. The author will be discussing his new book based on his own experiences and the experiences of climbers before him in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

In this unique piece of adventure writing, Arnold shares the story of his brave journey trekking through the same trails and climbing the same snow-covered mountains as early mountaineers.

Arnold’s expedition, which lasted three years and included 15 summits in California’s largest mountain range, is an account of the author’s attempt to relive the experiences of climbers before him, even if that meant abandoning modern climbing equipment and safety gear. To keep his journey as similar as possible, the author/climber tried to set his journey’s conditions to be the same as the mountaineers before him.

The book is a combination of Arnold’s own triumphs and tribulations, and the stories and history from other climbers who laid down the groundwork for the trails we know today.

The author’s journey was influenced by his ability to channel his exploring forefathers who climbed the same summits from 1864 to 1931. Their stories, which have only been told in bits and pieces, were brought together to create this nonfiction piece that brings their experiences back to life to create a historical and astounding account of climbing in the region.

John Muir, whose John Muir Trail is one of the most popular in the United States, was an important environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club. Arnold literally followed Muir and others’ footsteps while climbing in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, and figuratively in his writing. The log of his trip connects the past with the present through a biographical tale of nature, adventure and a human need to conquer. Arnold brings back to life the experiences of the climbers before him.