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Start giftingMy Old Man and the Mountain
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Learn moreIn 1963, the world followed the first American Mount Everest Expedition, and watched as "Big Jim" Whittaker became the first American to stand on top of the world. He returned home a hero.
My Old Man and the Mountain is Leif Whittaker's engaging and humorous story of what it was like to "grow up Whittaker"—the youngest son of Jim Whittaker and Dianne Roberts, in an extended family of accomplished climbers. He shares glimpses of his upbringing and how the pressure to climb started early on. Listeners learn of his first adventures with family in the Olympic Mountains and on Mount Rainier; his close yet at times competitive relationship with his brother Joss; his battle with a serious back injury; and his efforts to stand apart from his father's legacy. With wry honesty he depicts being a recent college grad, still living in his parents' home and trying to find a purpose in life—digging ditches, building houses, selling t-shirts to tourists—until a chance encounter leads to the opportunity to climb Everest, just like his father did.
Leif Whittaker has climbed many of the world's tallest peaks. His writing and photography have appeared in Powder, the Ski Journal, and Backcountry. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, and is a seasonal USFS climbing ranger on Mount Baker. Leif is the son of Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest.
Eric Michael Summerer is a voice actor and producer who has narrated numerous audiobooks as well as countless instructional recordings and video games. He earned an Audie Award nomination for Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and won an AudioFile Earphones Award for Burning Chrome by William Gibson. Eric also cohosts the popular board-game podcast The Dice Tower.