This book attracted my attention because I had read of the incident in Accidents in North American Mountaineering which included a picture of a mass of melted metal that had been climbing gear carried by the victims of the lightening strike.

The author covers many technical details, especially about the use of helicopters in high altitude rescues. The writing is interesting, though not gripping. This is a book that tells you the how of things very well, but doesn't always pull you in to the incident from an emotional perspective.

There were some useful pictures, but they were not integrated into the text, which always annoys me as printing technology can easily put black and white photos in with text and pictures can really make a difference in books of this type. I also wished there were more pictures, particularly of the environment in which the rescue took place and of the climb route.

Overall, worth reading and worth owning if climbing, epics, rescues, disasters or lightening are your thing. ( )

This book was amazing. The way Woodlief incorporated the history of Grand Teton National Park, the ranger's careers, and story of the amazing rescue made the book exhilarating from start to finish. The story of the rescue of five injured climbers read like an action movie, but still respected the lives of the victims lost and injured. I have great admiration for the Jenny Lake rescuers and will never think about park rangers the same. For anyone interested in the outdoors or survival stories, this is one of the best I've read. ( )