I really enjoy running into John Krakauer.

I don't have many celeb encounters. In fact, one of my guilty pleasures is reading In Touch magazine (for the Sudoku, of course, as US doesn't have the games) and watching horrible reality TV (think The Hills). So, as you can imagine, when I do happen to stumble upon someone that I consider to be a celebrity, I usually don't have the most profound things to say.

My first run-in with Mr. Krakauer was at Brandon and Kate's wedding last summer. I have to admit that once I noticed him, I would randomly check in on what he was doing from across the room - while we were having dinner, listening to speeches, dancing, etc. I wasn't stalking him, I was just waiting for the right time to approach him and tell him how much I enjoyed Into Thin Air.

Sure - like that was going to be something original he had never heard before.

I came to the conclusion that I would be just another annoying fan, but decided to say something anyway, as I probably would never have the chance to speak with him again. I sheepishly walked up to him (for those of you that know me, you can attest that I'm anything but sheepish, but I swear, I was being quite shy) and introduced myself. Much to my surprise, he patiently listened to me rant about how I'll never know Everest first hand and that I appreciate he wrote about his experience. He responded with an extremely sincere thank you; he was warm, friendly, approachable and was the opposite of what I expected. I guess I expected someone who would act bored with my comments, or brush me off. Krakauer does live in Boulder and there are a lot of mountaineers/climbers/adventurers who live here, but he still acted as if it was the first time someone told him their opinion of his book.

My second encounter with Krakauer was at Brandon and Kate's house this past weekend. Kate just finished taking the boards for med school (congratulations!), and was celebrating that, as well as her birthday. Her parents were in town (that is the connection with Krakauer), and much to my surprise, he was there on Saturday night for her little soirée. This time, we were having dinner and hanging out in a very intimate setting with many opportunities for me to say something completely unoriginal to him. Of course, I jumped at the chance and once again, he was very friendly and seemed as if he appreciated and cared about what I had to say.

By this meeting, I had watched Into The Wild and immediately bought the book afterwards. I love the book, and read it in a day. I told him that I thought the movie was great and came out really well (I had read about the family's apprehension for the past 10 years, about Sean Penn wanting to make it perfect, and about Krakauer's hard work interviewing whomever he could that crossed paths with Chris McCandless). We talked briefly; I told him that I enjoyed the chapters he included of his time in Alaska (I really wanted to say something about him lighting his tent on fire because he was smoking, but held back) and he responded with the fact that many people have told him that is their least favorite part of the book. I found that to be a surprise, but then laughed, letting him know I had heard that from some people.

Again, Krakauer wasn't arrogant (I didn't really expect him to be this time, but he's pretty famous, and I guess I just assume it comes with the territory) and was seemingly eager to talk. Later in the evening, he was discussing his new project, a book on Pat Tillman, with the group, how it is much more interesting than he had imagined, and how it has been extremely intense, hard work. He spent 4 months in Afghanistan and has been collaborating with Pat Tillman's mom (who also wrote a book, which is out this week).

Under the Banner of Heaven is next in my que (no, I'm still not finished reading Kitchen Confidential), so hopefully, by the next time I see him, I'll have something to say about that one, as well (actually, I hope I can conjure up some more interesting conversation for him). I did tell him that when I was in the Border's on the 29th Street Mall, the man who helped me reach (they were on the top shelf - way too high for someone who is 5'1) Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven told me that the latter was by far his best work. Krakauer said on Saturday night, "it's the weirdest, for sure." I can't wait!

In case you haven't read anything by him yet, I suggest at least the two I've read, and from what I've heard, the third, as well. Here are links and reviews of the books:

• Into thin Air
• Into the Wild
• Under the Banner of Heaven
  

Tags: boulder, john krakauer, into thin air, into the wild, under the banner of heaven, book reviews