Sch-Walking Up & Down

This book languished on my shelf for over a year until I'd had my fill of fiction for a while and turned to Smoke's book as a possible literary escape into the mountains. Ten pages in, I was hooked and the more of it that I read the more I wanted to know. Mr. Blanchard's tales of old-school climbing and mountaineering on Mt. Hood were enthralling. The book goes on to detail his walks, climbs and bicycle rides in the Sierra's, Alaska, India, Japan, and Nepal - among other places. It details his friendship with uber-mountaineer, Norman Clyde and his wanderings with so many notable mountaineers and climbers of the day. His writing style was humble, yet often very amusing, like it seems he himself was. His tale isn't told with the usual balls-out - `We almost freaking died!' inflection that seems to be the trap of many of today's travel/adventure writers. Instead of leaving me breathless, Walking Up and Down in this World left me with a smirking smile and a want to take a week off from work, strap on my crampons, and head up into the winter clouds and snows of the high Sierras. The book is a good read and I highly recommend it to anyone who climbs in the California Sierras, boulders in the Buttermilks, or just want to read about an extraordinary mountaineer and trekker.

Smoke's stories are as amusing and intriguing as his style is at once eloquent and personal. He seems to write, not to tell what he has done, but to recount familiar tales to the curious listener. His adventures in the mountains of California, Alaska, Nepal, and everywhere in between are not told in high-action style. Instead, he enjoys the telling of adventures past and current, inviting the reader to take a hand in the making of their own experiences.

this is quite an adventure for someone who has only hike locally in the Cascade Mountains. It is a great way to relax at the end of the day, after sitting at my desk in downtown Seattle all day. I even find my mind wandering-pretending that I am with Smoke on his advenures. Do yourself a favor and take a hike---with Smoke!