Page 52 - 2020 AMA Summer

BOOKREVIEW
JUST ANOTHER MOUNTAIN
SARAH JANE DOUGLAS
Reviewed by John Patchett
Despite the title, this is not just another book about mountaineer- ing. It’s a frank account of lives
lived dangerously in many dimensions, with no punches pulled. One individual’s obsession with the highest hills of all leads to his death, which sets off a train of tragic events for his fiancee and her family. In due course the mountains provide redemption but only after struggles and temptations to follow an easier path.
Sarah Douglas displays a brutally frank style in parts and yet engages us with some heart-rending passages as she witnesses in close succession the deaths of those closest to her, her mother, grandmother and grandfather – “And I wondered how many times, and in how many ways, a person’s heart could break.” Cancer takes a steady toll and Sarah’s extensive fund raising to “smash it in the face,” along with her related blog writing, is a highly commendable reflection on her boundless energy, even when she too falls victim to the dreaded illness.
Sarah is the original self-taught mountaineer and some of her adventures include very close shaves with the hostile environment of the Highlands. Later trips to Kilimanjaro and Nepal
continue the motion of enthusiasm exceeding careful preparation. But despite the odd navigational error, occasional indulgent lapses and a crampon catastrophe along with a helicopter rescue, Sarah earns our respect as a cheery survivor who, amongst many other achieve- ments, completes the full round of the Munros. She is an accom- plished artist, a qualified teacher
of art and, with this book, a published author for the first time.
The account has particular relevance for Forces mountain-
eers of an earlier generation.
Here are some well-remem-
bered climbing personalities of
the 1970s and historic locations, such as Fort George, which was once the home of the Joint Services Mountain Training Centre Scotland. The 1975 Army Moun- taineering Association Nuptse Expedition, which included climbers from the Royal Navy and RAF, became the catalyst for this story, when four members died in two horrific accidents. They were all rememberedbyarecentexpeditionwhich rebuilt the base camp memorial, as was reported in ‘Army Mountaineering.’ Those of us who knew the indomitable Gerry Owens will find this account particularly moving, as well as harrowing in parts.
The Foreword comes from Sir Chris Bonington and there is a further
...don’t just take my word for it that this is a book you must buy!
endorsement from Stephen Venables. Thesegentlemenareprolificauthorsand mountaineers of the highest order. That both have also suffered and survived intense personal tragedies adds further weight to their support for this unique account which encompasses much more of life’s lessons than even the striking cover conveys.
Since publication in June 2019 this book as earned 55 reviews on Amazon, all 5 star ratings. In ‘The Great Outdoors 2019 Awards’ Sarah won the ‘Extra Mile Award.’ Her book came second in the literature category and she was also runner up in the ‘Personality of the Year’ section. So don’t just take my word for it that this is a book you must buy!
‘Just Another Mountain – A Memoir’ by Sarah Jane Douglas was published by Elliott and Thompson on 20 June 2019. Hardback now costs £11.99, paperback £8.99.
Gerry Owens after summiting Annapurna in 1970
Sarah with her son Marcus in 2019
52 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER