Two for the Summit: My Daughter, the Mountains, and Me

by Geoffrey Norman

In an inspirational celebration of mountaineering and fatherhood, a journalist describes his and his teenage daughter's expeditions to climb to the summit of Grand Teton and later to the peak of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Andes, describing the teamwork, trust, and mutual respect required to accomplish their goal. Reprint.

Genres: Adventure, Mountaineering, Nonfiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Geoffrey Norman is an American writer and editor based in Vermont.

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book because of the adventure of climbing the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia and reaching the summit in the Grand Tetons and a few other noteworthy mountain adventures. Little did I know that the compelling story was that this author did it with his teenage daughter. The story is about the attack on these mountains, but also of the training involved, the conditioning and the preparation that they both endured. One of the best parts of the book, however, was Geoffey Norman's ability to verbalize his love and respect that he had not only for his daughter, but also for his family. A touching story and adventure.

[Jaycee Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming book about how a fathers relationship with his daughter changes overtime. It is a beautiful account of how they used climbing to bond.

The writing style wasn’t my favorite but the nostalgia of climbing in Colorado with my dad made this book hit home.

Thank you for writing a book to help explain the complexity of a developing parent child relationship.

[Lars Ilya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dream to have with my dauchter.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story, less about climbing than about the relationship between a father and daughter. In my opinion it was well written and very engaging. It also had some quite funny bits detailing their adventures in climbing classes and a trip to Aconcagua.


My own father is very like the man in the book, wanting to teach his daughter about the outdoor world through activities like hiking and backpacking. My dad was never into the climbing thing, but from an early age, had both my brother and I hiking and camping out. I think the reason why this book was so great for me, as I could relate to the relationship they had.


Overall a great book and would recommend to anyone that likes those Jon Krakauer type stories, although a bit more uplifting.

[Sean Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two for the Summit is a charming little piece focused on an evolving relationship between father and daughter with a splendid emphasis on the solidarity that only mountaineering can instill. A columnist for Outdoor magazine, National Geographic, and other publications, Norman writes in a conversational tone that really brings the reader into the subject and the events at hand. He is also a relative novice to climbing and mountaineering, which creates for a soft and personal touch that you are unlikely to find in memoirs from professional and well-decorated climbing greats. The family dynamic is consistently at play here and adds a beautiful overtone to an already interesting and well-written adventure memoir.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less about climbing and more about being a father of a daughter. I was going to say that you will find better descriptions about mountaineering elsewhere, but maybe not. Most mountains I've climbed have been 90% putting one foot in front of another, 1% adrenaline, and maybe 9% beauty. And maybe he catches that as he shares the climb with his daughter. Think about it, how many days do you get to share 9% beauty with any one you love.

[Barbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. I got it from a book club/chain letter from someone I don't know, so I was not expecting much. But this was great. Not sappy at all, which I appreciated, as the relationship between father and daughter is a touchy subject right now with me. It referred to the events in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" as well, which made me feel like I had a fair amount of background info. Now I want to go mountain climbing!

[Terrol Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Norman seems to be looking for a story to tell and not really finding it. I had high hopes for this book, as I love hiking with my own children. Perhaps those hopes created unrealistic expectations. Also I was listening to a Michael Pollan book at the same time, which made this one's writing seem colorless by comparison.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazingly honest account of the journey between a dad, his daughter, and climbing. Beautiful imagery and brave recollection of their adventure.

[Allison Pfefferkorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope to do this with my daughters, Well maybe not exactly.