Roaring Mountain

by Shirley Gray

When my son, Gary Gray, was killed by an avalanche while climbing Mount Shuksan in the North Cascades, he was buried under tons of ice and snow. I was told his body might never be recovered and that perhaps I should consider him now a part of the mountain. It was the beginning of a journey unlike any I had taken before. For the next few years I traveled through devastating grief and tortuous self-doubt while unsuccessfully searching for reasons why my son’s life was taken by the very planet he was trying to save. Was it his destiny, kismet, or fate? Or was it just plain old bad luck? I had to try to find out.
After three years of being in limbo and soul-searching, and just when I thought he would remain in his icy sarcophagus forever, the mountain was ready to give him up. His body was recovered under extraordinary, miraculous circumstances and the stunning sequence of events surrounding the incredible recovery was to change forever the way I think and believe. My slightly skeptical nature could not help but grow into spiritual enlightenment after experiencing such miracles first hand.
Gary was a lover of nature and he loved the wilderness with all his heart. He was an adventurer who experienced life to the full and a mountain climber who was passionate about environment al issues. But the book is not so much about the man, but about the inexplicable events that surrounded his death and recovery. It’s about passion and miracles and love everlasting. And it’s typical of him that he used to sign all his cards and letters, Love & Life, Gary.
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Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting but rather the mother’s journey after her son’s accidental death.

[Dom]

Written by my auntie, shame as I really wish I could have met him.

[Reen Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Shirley at a writers luncheon in Tucson, Arizona. She sat beside me and made me feel welcome. We exchanged books and autographed our book for each other. This is a deeply personal and emotional story that the reader feels they are going through with the family. I had trouble keeping up with the names of everyone involved, which adds to the emotional roller coaster this book is. A tragic loss, the reader feels that they are getting to know Gary through his mother's writings. I enjoyed reading about the visions described and the incredible coincidences. I felt a sense of peace at the end for this family. I would recommend this book and also recommend you have a box of Kleenex at hand while you read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tragedy of her son's death in a hiking accident set Shirley Gray on a path of discovery, not only of Gary's body three years after the accident, but also one of incomprehensible events that border on the supernatural. Ms. Gray brings Gary back to life through anecdotes, photographs and a loving mother's description of her adventurous son. To get only the premise about the death of a child does not do this book justice. It is told without pity, but rather with awe at what the universe has in store for all of us.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of healing following a tragic death on the mountain. I will never look at Mt. Shuksan quite the same again.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story

[Laura Trachtenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I did not know what to expect with this book. It is not a typical mountaineering book. It is more of a remembrance of Gary, and it is well written and very engaging.

[Therese]

$0.0

[Alison]

kindle (memoir)