Ten Years on the Rock Pile: A Collection of Stories, Some Hilarious, Some Tragic, about Life at the Summit of Mount Washington

by Lee Vincent, Guy Gosselin

Mount Washington, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. It is often cited—by its inhabitants, no less—as the home of the country’s worst weather, a claim supported by the mountain’s long-held record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth’s surface (231 mph on April 12, 1934). As a transmitter supervisor for WMTW-TV, Lee Vincent traveled regularly to the summit of Mount Washington. Soon enough his reports from the peak began appearing in a column in a local paper—and just as quickly captivated readers near and far. 


 

These columns—with their accounts of the everyday lives and unusual exploits of the individuals who chose, against all odds and most notions of common sense, to call Mount Washington home—are gathered in this book. As entertaining and engaging as they are informative, these reports from the summit form an invaluable record of life happily lived in extremity. Accompanied by remarkable photographs and candid snapshots, they also document the experience and insights—and after Vincent’s diagnosis with a virulent form of cancer, the valiant last days—of someone who had seen the mountaintop and reported back for the edification and delight of those lucky enough to read his columns and books.

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Eamonn McHugh-Roohr · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting artifact because it reads like a blog, except decades before blogs where properly invented. There are some fun articles and some poignant ones, but many are clearly 'oh no, my column is due, better hammer something out.' I didn't finish it to see if it gets better in the second half.

[Janet Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course as the wife of Lee Vincent I would have a prejudice rating. I lived this ride one Christmas time many years ago. It was the most terrifying and wondrous ride of my life.
Basically I think the entire book, which is history now as it was written in the 60's, is a creation of humorous, philosophical and off the way tales. During the end Lee was fighting cancer.