A true story of adventure, survival, training and hiking over 300 kilometers and reaching The snow caps of Mt Kilimanjaro. It has been said that without the instinct for adventure in human beings, any civilization, however enlightened, any state, however well ordered, must wilt and wither. The building of nations demands that the spirit of adventure be fostered and developed.
“An extraordinary life.”—The New York Times Book Review “A fitting homage to one of the great outdoor extremists.”—Kirkus Reviews Legendary climber Scott Fischer found in Mount Everest a perfect landscape for his fearless spirit. Scaling the world’s highest peak tested his skills, his courage, and his endurance. His legendary final expedition—and its tragic outcome—are portrayed in Everest, the 3-D movie adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Scott Fischer. Robert Birkby, one of Scott’s close friends, captures in this intimate and stirring portrait who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to climb to the top of the world—before he left it altogether. “A personal, uncritical biography that rounds out the portrait of Fischer sketched in Krakauer’s best-seller Into Thin Air.”—The New York Times Book Review “A much fuller picture of a climber widely critiqued in the high-profile coverage after the Everest tragedy.”—Seattle Post Intelligencer “A vivid portrait of a superb athlete whose love of mountain climbing drove everything he did.”—Ed Viesturs, author of No Shortcuts to the Top “Birkby succeeds in illuminating the power mountains can exert over the human soul.—Publishers Weekly Updated with a New Introduction and Epilogue Plus new photos exclusive to the digital edition!
The slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro offer a fertile land, a cool climate, and an abundance of water that over many years wars were fought in attempts to conquer and settle. The people living on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro are the Chagga. Historically, there were many alliances that led to security, but also there were betrayals that led to division into small kingdoms ruled by chiefs locally known as mangi. At the end of the wars, the slopes were divided into three major areas named Rombo, Vunjo, and Hai, each ruled by a number of mangi. The seniority of each mangi was measured by his wealth. The population increased rapidly as peace was established. The people on the slopes of the mountain live very closely, packed with water and road facilities comparable to a large metropolitan city, but only with trees and foliage, not concrete. First, Hai was highly populated, followed by Vunjo, but Rombo was sparsely populated as it was the leeward side of the mountain. Before the time of Touwa schooldays, the Nanjara village, which is in Rombo, was a prime area for land ownership such that Europeans were in pursuit to grab some of that land. It was in that state of competition that the local mangi sent vanguards like Touwa's grandfather and many others to occupy the land to prevent European settlement. That was how the Nanjara village came to existence. The Chagga people have basically one culture, one language with area-based differences of accents, and Nanjara village life could reflect life for all Chagga people.
"If you start slowly from the beginning, there is only one direction you can go—up.” Michael Shirima is an exceptional figure whose perseverance and stalwart principles of faith, family, and friends contributed to his astounding and inspirational career navigating the inherent challenges and obstacles of the air transport industry in Africa. In this candid and riveting memoir, we discover the thrilling journey of an aircraft performance engineer turned serial entrepreneur who, after resigning from an executive position in a national airline, began his private career trading coffee and other commodities culminating in his founding of Precision Air—Tanzania’s largest privately-owned and premier airline—in 1993. But more than just a catalog of his mistakes and successes, this is also the story of a son guided by the wisdom of his father, the story of a devoted husband, and the story of a loving father to his own children as well as to those at the orphanage he founded at the base of Kilimanjaro. Richly observed and suffused with humility and ingenuity, On My Father’s Wings equips us with important life lessons—on the value of taking risks; being kind to everyone no matter what age, race, status, or gender they are; and to never lose sight of what’s most important in life—from one of the most influential figures in the aviation industry, to remind us why we fly.
This is the first book to describe in detail the principles of Outward Bound, told through the stories of former instructors and graduates who show how to apply them to create healthier, more effective teams, organizations, and communities. For nearly six decades Outward Bound USA's education programs have shaped the lives of tens of thousands of participants. Strangers are put in an unfamiliar and unpredictable setting, where to succeed they must develop a sense of teamwork, resilience, self-confidence, and a focus on the greater good. But, Mark Brown asks, isn't the modern world just as unpredictable and challenging as any mountain or desert? He shows how the same principles that bind people together in the natural world work just as well in cities, companies, and communities. This book explores the concept of Expeditionary Leadership through the stories of people such as third-generation business steward Laura Kohler, the Home Depot cofounder Arthur Blank, and former United States Senator Mark Udall, whose lives were touched by Outward Bound and who then went on to make a positive difference in the world. They show how each of us can, in our own way, use the Outward Bound philosophy to bravely face the wild unknowns in our daily lives. From training the first Peace Corps volunteers to partnering with thousands of educational institutions and corporations, Outward Bound has helped build the self-confidence and character of participants who have gone on to live richer, more fulfilling, and successful lives. Outward Bound internationally operates in thirty-three countries and impacts nearly a quarter of a million people annually.
