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Cover image for The impossible first : from fire to ice--crossing Antarctica alone
Format:
Book
Title:
The impossible first : from fire to ice--crossing Antarctica alone
ISBN:
9781982133115
Edition:
First Scribner hardcover edition.
Publication:
New York : Scribner, 2020.
Physical Description:
xi, 279 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations, map ; 24 cm
Contents:
The captain -- Frozen tears -- You are strong, you are capable -- The suggestion -- Commit to the break -- More hospital -- All in, all gone -- Ghost town -- Getting home -- The whiteboard -- The ripple effect -- Farthest south -- An inch from failure -- Put your boots back on -- Infinite love.
Summary:
Colin O'Brady's awe-inspiring memoir spans his triumphant recovery from a tragic accident to his gripping 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica. Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone, without support and completely human powered. Yet, Colin O'Brady was determined to do just that, even if, ten years earlier, there was doubt that he'd ever walk again normally. From the depths of a tragic accident, he fought his way back. In a quest to unlock his potential and discover what was possible, he went on to set three mountaineering world records before turning to this historic Antarctic challenge. O'Brady's pursuit of a goal that had eluded many others was made even more intense by a head-to-head battle that emerged with British polar explorer Captain Louis Rudd--also striving to be "the first." Enduring Antarctica's sub-zero temperatures and pulling a sled that initially weighed 375 pounds--in complete isolation and through a succession of whiteouts, storms, and a series of near disasters--O'Brady persevered. Alone with his thoughts for nearly two months in the vastness of the frozen continent--gripped by fear and doubt--he reflected on his past, seeking courage and inspiration in the relationships and experiences that had shaped his life. Honest, deeply moving, filled with moments of vulnerability--and set against the backdrop of some of the most extreme environments on earth, from Mt. Everest to Antarctica--The Impossible First reveals how anyone can reject limits, overcome immense obstacles, and discover what matters most.
Holds: