Early Days in the Range of Light - by Daniel Arnold (Paperback)

About the Book

It's 1873. Modern climbing gear and Gore-Tex shells are a century away, but the high mountains still demand your attention. Imagine the stone in your hands and thousands of feet of open air below you, with only a wool jacket to weather a storm and no rope to catch a fall.
Daniel Arnold did more than imagine--he spent four years retracing the precarious steps of his climbing forefathers and lived to tell their tales here. From 1864 to 1931, the Sierra Nevada witnessed some of the most audacious climbing of all time. In the spirit of his predecessors, Arnold carried only rudimentary equipment--no ropes, no harness, no specialized climbing shoes.
In an artful blend of history, biography, nature, and adventure writing, Arnold brings to life both the journeys and the stunning terrain. In the process he uncovers the motivations that drove an extraordinary group of individuals to risk so much for the summits of our most fabled landscapes.

Book Synopsis

"A splendid chronicle of early climbing in the Sierra Nevada." --Royal Robbins

It's 1873. Gore-Tex shells and aluminum climbing gear are a century away, but the high mountains still call to those with a spirit of adventure. Imagine the stone in your hands and thousands of feet of open air below you, with only a wool jacket to weather a storm and no rope to catch a fall.

Daniel Arnold did more than imagine--he spent three years retracing the steps of his climbing forefathers, and in Early Days in the Range of Light, he tells their riveting stories. From 1864 to 1931, the Sierra Nevada witnessed some of the most audacious climbing of all time. In the spirit of his predecessors, Arnold carried only rudimentary equipment: no ropes, no harness, no specialized climbing shoes. Sometimes he left his backpack and sleeping bag behind as well, and, like John Muir, traveled for days with only a few pounds of food rolled into a sack slung over his shoulder. In an artful blend of history, biography, nature, and adventure writing, Arnold brings to life the journeys and the terrain traveled. In the process he uncovers the motivations that drove an extraordinary group of individuals to risk so much for airy summits and close contact with bare stone and snow.

"Ever wish you could travel back to climbing's early days and follow the earliest first-ascent visionaries? This fantasy comes to life . . . in this elegant narrative." --Climbing Magazine

Review Quotes

"Dan has done something unique in climbing histories--he went back in time--first, by ferreting out and suffusing himself with ancient lore, then by forgoing modern equipment, and finally by retracing the finger-and-footholds used by the first climbers. His approach, as wackily original as the colorful characters he introduces, worked. This 'book' is really a Technicolor time machine to the earliest explorations of American high peaks." --Peter Croft

About the Author

At fifteen, Daniel Arnold began climbing the Pacific Rim volcanoes and local basalt crags of his native Portland and went on to climb throughout North and South America. He lives in southern California, and Early Days in the Range of Light is his first book.