Just For The Love Of It

Description

Published by Free To Decide, London, 2004 (Reprint of 1999 1st UK Edition), D/w, Fine.   Signed/dedicated by the author on front endpaper “To Tamara with best wishes Cathy O’Dowd”.  In May 1999, Cathy O’Dowd from South Africa became the first woman to climb Everest from both the South (the original Hillary route, which she climbed in 1996) and the North (the Mallory line, first attempted by her in 1998 and finally succeeding in 1999).  This is her account of both climbs, the first during the tragic 1996 season when one of their South African team members, Bruce Herrod, was one of the 11 climbers who lost their lives, the 1998 attempt where Cathy tried to help a dying American climber, and the successful 1999 Expedition. Cathy concludes on the question of ‘Why climb Everest’ with her response of ‘Just for the love of it’.