Soul of the Heights: Fifty Years Going to the Mountains

Fascinated by the challenge of the heights, Cooper became the first “climbing bum” in the Pacific Northwest, where he rapidly acquired a reputation as one of the most important all-around climbers of his generation. Through his personal experiences, keen observations, and dramatic photos, he provides rare insight into the world of mountaineering and rock climbing during the 1950s and early 1960s. In this book he brings to life the intensely competitive nature of the sport at a time when there were opportunities to carve a place in climbing history by becoming the first person to complete a new challenge.

Evoking the now-legendary early days of mountaineering, Cooper includes exclusive firsthand accounts by climbers of that era about many first ascents of routes that have since become top destinations for new generations of climbers. These historic ascents include routes in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State; the “Chief” and the Bugaboos in British Columbia, Canada; and El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California. All were achieved at a time when climbing standards were rising dramatically.

Cooper’s evolving quest to photograph the essence of the mountains he held in such awe resulted in a series of spectacular portraits of many of the best-known peaks of North America. These images provide the visual drama in his story as well as many historically interesting photographs of early climbs and of such noted mountain personalities as Norman Clyde, Warren Harding, and Galen Rowell.

Honorable Mention 2008 National Outdoor Book Award in the Design and Artistic Merit category.