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Post by KeithM on Jul 4, 2017 7:59:40 GMT -8
Michael Wallis just released and exhaustively researched book on the Donner Party. It's an amazing and fairly quick read. Actual story is around 350 pages with about 100 pages of citations and appendices. If Jocko really likes to delve into man when he's pushed to the very brink of survival, this is it. Plenty of honorable men and women risking their lives, making bad and good decisions under pressure, and then a few shameful people who break under pressure. I'd love to relive the book and listen to Jocko and Echo break it down.
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Post by KeithM on Jul 5, 2017 11:31:18 GMT -8
Title is "The Best Land Under Heaven".
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Post by mynewunit on Jul 6, 2017 5:48:45 GMT -8
I am fairly familiar with this story. While it is interesting, I wouldn't say it is something I want to "relive". It is also worth noting that Donner Pass claimed another victim on a similar event.
Aside from breaking an axle being bad, I don't know what we should learn from this.
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Post by Mack on Jul 18, 2017 5:13:27 GMT -8
Aside from breaking an axle being bad, I don't know what we should learn from this. You may know it all... that's fine. Many other people may not know how one of the men (Stanton) made it over the pass and hiked back into Donner Lake to save people whom he could have easily abandoned, only to end up dying in his quest to lead the group out. Other people may not know how the Reed father's ego led the a group of 80-90 people into taking a misguided route. After being banished from the unit, he made it over the pass and served in the Mexican-American war in exchange for horses and supplies to rescue them. There are plenty of first person accounts of what they went through in addition to historical documents and accounts in the book. |
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Post by mynewunit on Jul 18, 2017 5:54:28 GMT -8
Okay. I should take a look at this book. If the intent is how a short cut can cost you everything, then that is good topic. No doubt that the leader of the Donner party was a poor planner, traveling too slow, and poorly prepared. Lots of lessons there. Also, following those who survived is interesting. The strange morbid Lincoln Highway part, I can live with out hearing again.
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