Barry Blanchard is a Canadian alpinist who in the 80's and 90's established highly technical routes in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya. Throughout his childhood, he faced challenges of poverty and growing up "a dark-skinned, brown-eyed, half-breed kid" in a predominantly white, affluent area. His transformation from a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world is chronicled in his most recent book The Calling: A Life Rocked by the Mountains.
When I was young, even though I would say that I wasn't religious, when push came to shove and I was getting shoved really hard in the mountains, I would of course pray to God and make promises to God that I would never come back up here. I quit doing that 'cause I knew he wasn't listening anymore and I was just saying a bunch of BS!
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The Calling:A Life Rocked by the Mountains
Memoir of a poor kid saved from juvenile delinquency by the mystery and challenge of the Canadian Rockies. A portrait of the power of mountains to lift us physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
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