Mount Analogue was an intriguing and thought provoking read as well as captivating the imagination. The idea of the story has a connection with readers on multiple levels including, general aspects of mountaineering, the desire to explore and find the impossible and the spirituality in all of us.
The first line that really pulled me in was “The substance of my article was that in the mythic tradition, the Mountain is the connection between Earth and Sky.” This simple line really struck me because it reminded me of the myth of the Tower of Babel, the tower built to true and reach God and Heaven. This line shaped my understanding and perception of what the Mountain might mean to the explorers and what they may find if it really exists.
There are many stories across all cultures about man trying to find their way to heaven or the afterlife, however their religious views shaped their perception of what that might be. Man has been preoccupied and obsessed with finding a way to find our maker, ask unanswered questions and push the boundaries of where human kind is allowed.
Another line that really hit home with me and adds to my understanding on why humans have this drive to explore and to wonder was the line were Sogol states that he is “an empty carcass, a restless cadaver.” And the he is terrified of finding one day that “when you wake up, you’re dead.” I believe this simple thought is what is behind everyone who has ever made a bucket list, or anyone who has had the need, the drive to explore. It’s the thought that one day, most of us will wake up an old man or an elderly woman, we will realize that those last eighty years were empty, filled with nothing and that we will never get the time back that we wasted. I believe that this I what motivates many of us to push the boundaries, to explore, to live. No one wants to wake up dead.
What I also enjoyed in the book was how the team that Sogol assembled was made of all kinds of people. They had a multitude of different merits that qualified them for the expedition. Each individual brought something different to the table, as many were from different cultures and countries as well as their own interests besides mountaineering. This also posed the idea that mountaineering, exploring, draws all kinds of people from anywhere. It speaks to the human need to search. It also showed how different we all are, and this was summed up perfectly by the statement, “It really is silly, but, as we say, it takes all kinds to make a world.”
Overall I really enjoyed this book and what I gained from reading it. It was about than just about mountaineering, it was about spirituality, human nature and our unquenchable thirst to explore.