Mischief In Greenland: Only A Man In The Devil Of A Hurry Would Wish
To Fly To His Mountains

Product Description

` Only a man in the devil of a hurry would wish to fly to his mountains, forgoing the lingering pleasure & mounting excitement of a slow, arduous approach under his own exertions.` H.W. ` Bill` Tilman`s mountain travel philosophy, rooted in Africa & the Himalaya & further developed in his early sailing adventures in the southern hemisphere, was honed to perfection with his discovery of Greenland as the perfect sailing destination. His Arctic voyages in the pilot cutter Mischief proved no less challenging than his earlier southern voyages. The shorter elapsed time made it rather easier to find a crew but the absence of warm tropical passages meant that similar levels of hardship were simply compressed into a shorter timescale. First published fifty years before political correctness became an accepted rule, Mischief in Greenland is a treasure trove of Tilman`s observational wit. In this account of his first two West Greenland voyages, he pulls no punches with regard to the occasional failings, leaving the reader to seek out & discover the numerous achievements of these voyages. The highlight of the second voyage was the identification, surveying & successful first ascent of Mount Raleigh, first observed on the eastern coast of Baffin Island by the Elizabethan explorer John Davis in 1585. For the many sailors & climbers who have since followed his lead & ventured north into those waters, Tilman provides much practical advice, whether from his own observations or those of Davis & the inimitable Captain Lecky. Tilman`s typical gift of understatement belies his position as one of the greatest explorers & adventurers of the twentieth century.