Ranulph Fiennes has traveled to the most dangerous and inaccessible places on earth. In the process he nearly died on several occasions, lost nearly half his fingers to frostbite, and raised millions for charity. He discovered the lost city of Ubar in Oman and attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the South Pole. He was the first man to reach both poles by surface travel and the first to cross the Antarctic Continent unsupported. In 1993, Her Majesty the Queen awarded him the Order of the British Empire for "human endeavor and charitable services." An elite soldier, an athlete, a mountaineer, and a renowned explorer, Fiennes describes here in his own words his incredible journey through life.
Humbling Awesome is a sadly overused word these days, but I genuinely think it is the most fitting word to describe the man that is Ranulph Fiennes.
The life of Sir Ranulph Fiennes is the stuff of legends. Special Forces, mercenary, author, in consideration for the part of James Bond after Connery, arctic explorer, in fact "Worlds greatest living explorer" as judged by Guiness Book of World Records, ran 7 marathons in seven continents in seven days only half a year after bypass surgery. Not many people can, even with a bit of poetic liberty in their description, match the resume of Sir Fiennes.
In this gripping, well written, fantastic book, Sir Fiennes describes some 40 years of adventures and expeditions, including a stint in the service of the sultan of Oman, blowing up 20th century fox property, circumnavigation around the globe along the Greenwich meridian, amputating four fingers on his left hand in his garden shed, each and every single one of these stories in itself worthy of a book on its own.
There are many, many autobiografies on the market today. Most of them are from celebrities with less than extraordinary lives offering a bit of entertainment, but here we have a genuine, awe-inspiring, effulgent adventurer who has done it all telling his story. We learn of the physical stamina and the strength of will it takes to be an arctic explorer, of the sacrifices and bounties connected with that particular endeavor, and of the wonderful and dangerous place our earth can be.
In spite of his amazing track record, he is modest and down to earth. He doesn't claim to be the 'toughest man alive', but tells his story in a casual, humouristic, and self-deprecating manner. This book is not only the story of a man beyond the normal limits of physical and mental endurance, nor is it just a jolly good read, it is inspiring in the truest sence of the word. He even gives you advice on how to get going with your own arctic expedition.
One can not but feel strangely inadequate and humble, yet at the same time elated and inspired after reading this volume. It is in another sadly overused word, brilliant.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
