The Kid Who Climbed Everest

Those readers who follow Just South of North on a regular basis will have noticed by now that we here at the blog think that Bear Grylls is pretty much the coolest dude ever.

Some people have even labeled us as having a "man crush" on him. No, that doesn't mean we are in love with Bear, that means we admire him.

According to Urban Dictionary, the definition of a man crush is: When a straight man has a "crush" on another man, not sexual but kind of idolizing him

Yes, it does appear that JustSoN has a man crush on Bear.

But why? Well, the answer to that question is simple. The man is a badass.

I recently bought one of his books through Amazon.com (It just arrived today, so that's what made me think of this post) and I am very excited to start reading it.

The book is "The Kid Who Climbed Everest: The Incredible Story of a 23-Year-Old's Summit of Mt. Everest."

Here's the synopsis: "Everest," writes British climber Bear Grylls, "is no place to prove yourself. The likelihood of reaching the summit is so slim that you're inevitably setting yourself up to be disappointed."

But, Grylls continues, mountains are most definitely an arena where alpinists express their deepest drives, and he had more ambition than most. Badly injured in a parachuting accident in 1996, he resigned his army commission and cast about for a new career--a decision he succeeded in putting off by enlisting in a climbing expedition to the world's tallest mountain. Now, Grylls points out, the odds of a well-conditioned climber's making the summit of Everest are something like one in a hundred; for climbers under the age of 30, who lack the experience and conditioning that age brings, those odds slim down to 1 in 1,000. Twenty-three at the time, Grylls took his chances nonetheless, despite the "sinking feeling that I had just made a commitment that was going to drag me a little too far out of my comfort zone."

The book sounds awesome. And once I'm done with it, you better believe I'll write my personal review on JustSoN. Also, I'm going to order one of his survival books. Because I figure what better way to learn all the traits of survival, then from the guy who constantly beats the wild in Man Vs. Wild.

And I got some Bear Grylls pants recently for camping in. They are a special brand from a UK company, Craghoppers. I'll get the chance to use them for the first time next week when Jeff and I continue our training for Mount St. Helens and the Wonderland Trail. After that I'll let you know how they work.