Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life

There are just a dozen or two books that I've read and treasured, not only for their excellence, but also because they're like no other. This is one of those rare reading experiences. Blum is a female mountain climber writing about her successes and failures, her highs and lows. You don't have to be a crusader for women's rights, nor do you need to know or care the first thing about mountaineering to be entranced by this magical book.Blum has an amazing story to tell, and she tells it like Scheherezade--every episode leaving the reader impatient for the next chapter. In the end the book is about the triumph of the human spirit, and you don't need to be a climber to appreciate it. Buy it and open it--Blum will do the rest.

Wow. I am not yet finished...but can't put it down either...its a powerful book, reads like fiction, and makes you think. Although written 10 years ago and the events take places in the 70s and 80s...Arlenes fight for women in the world of hiking is not unlike many fights for equality of women taking place right now. Her story is interspersed with her childhood and weaves together a story of how and why her life is as it is. I met Arlene briefly, before knowing about her...and reading her book. She is one brave and extremely intelligent and accomplished woman. Brava.

This is still one of the top selling books about outdoor adventure for a reason. Arlene Blum is as multifaceted as her book about her life as a groundbreaking Scientific researcher and mountaineer.

I loved this book. Arlene Blum has lived a full, adventurous, and fascinating life. The book ties together her Jewish childhood experiences with her academic and climbing accomplishments. And although I take a completely different stance from her approach to raising a family - she and her lover deliberately chose to try to conceive while never intending to marry and then Arlene raised her daughter basically on her own (the father has contact but lives in distant Australia) - Her writing enables me to understand the reasons for the choices she made. Arlene is able to take an honest look at her approach to the many obstacles she faced in her life. It is her ability to overcome that inspires.

Arlene Blum tackled high-altitude mountaineering when women weren't doing such things. In her frustration at dealing with the male establishment and being pushed out of climbs simply because she was a woman she forged ahead and led all-woman first ascents of Denali, Annapurna and Bhrigupath. This memoir is absolutely wonderful. Ms. Blum includes background from her difficult childhood and her work in the scientific community at Berkeley, California. By the end of the book you feel as if you've experienced her life right along with her, and it's quite a life, filled with adventure, tragedy, and an overwhelming happiness while in the mountains. What's really remarkable is that she's with us today to share her story. We're all richer for it.

i love arlene blum. first of all, she's a great story teller. i read many women's climbing books and some are lacking in the writing style department. arlene is a great writer and she engages the reader. i think i finished this book in a day and a half because i couldn't put it down. arlene is also such an inspiration, not just in her climbing accomplishments but in her academic struggles as well. as a female phd student in a male-dominated field, i found arlene so inspiring. i recommend this book to all of my phd friends in addition to my mountain climbing friends. can't recommend this book enough. read it!

I could not put this book down. A friend loaned me her copy and the one I ordered I have sent it on to my sister and her daughter. The author's drive and personality are awesome. I am hoping it will motivate my niece in her quest. I am half afraid she may decide to become a mountaineer like Arlene Blum. But the example of the drive and passion Arlene Blum possessed, the things that seem overly hard or impossible can be achieved with sometimes extraordinary effort. What you really care about can be achieved. It is really a great and motivating book.

Arlenes 's story is worth reading. I didn't like this one quite as much as her book on Annapurna, because while I found it aspirational, I found myself reflected in her frequently and it made me sad that she was never able to romantically connect with anyone. There are also places where it drags a bit. I love the pictures that are included throughout the book. Arlene blum is a strong, emotionally intelligent woman and the outdoor community today needs more people like her.