The Boldest Dream

When a hodge-podge group of climbing buddies get together every few years to go and climb somewhere exotic, none of them thought that they would ever have a chance to reach the ultimate summit. The Boldest Dream is the story of the American Bicentennial Everest Expedition, which consisted of twelve weekend warriors who banded together through thick and thin to put a pair of climbers on top of Mount Everest. Told by Rick Ridgeway, one of the last members selected for the team, it shows the multitude of complexities that are required to bring about a successful Himalayan summit. Though the trip was plagued by constant group tension and the overwhelming logistical barriers the book ends with a successful twist that brings a tear to the eye.

With a single phone call one morning, the lives of twelve weekend warriors would be changed forever. Just the same as many other books that tell the story of Himalayan expeditions, this one starts out slowly with the details of planning. The twist to this story though, adds a bit of uncertainty that the whole excursion will even get off the ground. It takes many months to put the team together and with a slight twist of fate the name of the Expedition gets them ahead of another team for the permit to climb Everest. It is these events that set the mood for the rest of the book, with many passages from the diaries of the climbers describing their pessimism of having a successful climb. All the while, with a looming prospect of everyone ending up severely in dept if success is not achieved.

Almost from the get go, it seemed that the prospect of climbing to the top of the world would be too much for the team. As the months of planning roll by, a few more members are added the cement the strength they were going to need to get to the top. Finally, with a total of twelve climbers from all around America ready and permit in hand, they set off on the trek into base-camp. Though there are many meetings with the group as a whole, there still remained many internal conflicts that threaten to tear the group apart. At one point, a shouting Match erupts as two members of the expeditions argue about the abilities of one another.

In the end, everyone pulls together when the summit team is thought to be in trouble as they descend from a successful Ascent. In those moments, all differences are set aside so that they can ensure that the expedition does not go down as another deadly record of the mountain's fury. Though Ridgeway is somewhat of an outsider climbing with a close group of friends, he is still able to give perspective to the events and brings closure to many of the problems that seemed to plague the trip.