Dierdre Wolownick Honnold - The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story

Jumaring on El Capitan, September 2017 (Photo by Karissa Frye)

THE SHARP END OF LIFE

A Mothers Story

Dierdre Wolownick

MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS is dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

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Copyright 2019 by Dierdre Wolownick

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Printed in the United States of America

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

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Copyeditor: Laura Lancaster

Design and layout: Melissa McFeeters

Cover photograph: Dierdre Wolownick gearing up to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite National Park (Photo by Karissa Frye, www.karissafryemultimedia.com)

All photos Wolownick family collection unless credited otherwise.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wolownick, Dierdre, author.

Title: The sharp end of life : a mothers story / by Dierdre Wolownick.

Description: Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books, [2019].

Identifiers: LCCN 2018044364 (print) | LCCN 2018056954 (ebook) | ISBN 9781680512434 (ebook) | ISBN 9781680512427 | ISBN 9781680512427(hardcover) | ISBN 9781680512434(ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Wolownick, Dierdre. | Women mountaineersUnited StatesBiography. | MountaineersUnited StatesBiography. | Women runnersUnited StatesBiography. | Marathon runningUnited StatesBiography. | MusiciansUnited StatesBiography. | Honnold, Alex.

Classification: LCC GV199.92 (ebook) | LCC GV199.92 .W65 2019 (print) | DDC 796.522092 [B] dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018044364

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Printed on recycled paper

ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68051-242-7

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-68051-243-4

For Charlie, who made my life better in so many ways, and who gave me the greatest gift of all.

And for Stasia and Alex, with all my love, gratitude, and admirationfor being my guides through this adventure of life and life of adventure; for bringing balance, amazement, and so much love to my life; and for always encouraging me to be more than I thought possible.

Authors Note:

This is my story and my perspective on the events of my life. While I have made every effort to provide an accurate account of the people, places, and events included in these pages, I have relied on my personal memories and journals.

Any errors or misrepresentations are unintentional.

AN OCEAN OF ROCK. Thats what my son calls this monster wall of smooth granite that stretches toward the sky for three thousand feet, so high I cant see the top from the base of the route were about to climb. I lean back so far my neck creaks.