What do you think?
Rate this book
Found Lib/E: A Life in Mountain Rescue
Mountain search-and-rescue volunteer Bree Loewen's to-do list isn't quite the same as most people's. On any given day, it might ● Go grocery shopping ● Bake pie seen on Pinterest ● Figure out what to do with my life ● Rescue climbers caught in avalanche on Chair Peak ● Pick up Vivi at Mom's A former Mount Rainier climbing ranger and trained leader in mountain search-and-rescue, Bree shares the drama and the camaraderie of this work, as well as the challenges of trying to fit her other roles as wife and mother into what is still largely a masculine environment. In a fearless voice--disarming yet laced with dark humor--Bree guides us through intense recoveries, vivid wilderness landscapes, and the warmth she discovers in motherhood, community, and purpose.
Audio CD
First published March 27, 2017
59 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
August 11, 2017
I found myself feeling sad that this woman doesn't have anyone in her life that will tell her it is okay to be a stay at home mom. She, like so many women, seems caught in a world that says, no matter what you are doing with your time (apparently including saving hundreds of lives), you are only as valuable as the paycheck you bring home. I know everyone is different and that different women find value in doing different things, but it made me thankful for a husband and a community that encourage me in my value as a stay-at-home mom.
June 16, 2022
Zu viele Bücher über Berge und Bergrettung werden von eitlen Angebern geschrieben. Hier ist es umgekehrt, die Autorin ist voller Selbstzweifel. Davon abgesehen eins der interessantesten Outdoor-Bücher, die ich kenne, ich mochte alles daran, Stil, Inhalt, Haltung, und habe nur während der Lektüre mehrmals (erfolglos) gegoogelt, um rauszufinden, ob sie sich seitdem von ihrem Mann getrennt hat, was mir dringend nötig erscheint. Er kommt alle zwanzig Seiten mal in einem Halbsatz vor und alles, was man über ihn erfährt, ist extrem unsympathisch. Sogar die Danksagungen machen mich noch wütend. Sie dankt ihm "for putting up with yet another one of my projects. I know you didn't want me to write another book, but you suffered through it anyway because you knew I really wanted it. Thanks. I promise I'll get a real, paying job soon." Ich tröste mich mit dem Gedanken, dass einer guten Autorin (und ihrem Lektorat) so was nicht versehentlich passiert und der Mann absichtlich so schlecht wegkommt. Das wäre dann wiederum ein bisschen unsympathisch von der Autorin, aber insgesamt weniger ärgerlich als diese schuldbewusste "ich weiß es ja, ich bin nicht gut genug"-Haltung.
April 28, 2020
Bree Loewen coordinated a rescue on Mount Thompson in 2017. After a day of efforts, a team from Seattle Mountain Rescue plucked two exhausted climbers off a snow ledge where they’d been stranded for almost 20 hours. I was one of those climbers.
I spoke to Bree on the phone throughout the rescue. I still remember her reassuring tone and the warmth in her voice. When I’d realized she’d written a book I couldn’t wait to read it.
The book is excellent and definitely lived up to my expectations.
In it, Bree uses well-crafted, beautiful prose to describe the vagaries of balancing total devotion to her rescue unit and the rest of her life.
A top notch read on rescue in the North Cascades, with an intriguing personal journey.
I spoke to Bree on the phone throughout the rescue. I still remember her reassuring tone and the warmth in her voice. When I’d realized she’d written a book I couldn’t wait to read it.
The book is excellent and definitely lived up to my expectations.
In it, Bree uses well-crafted, beautiful prose to describe the vagaries of balancing total devotion to her rescue unit and the rest of her life.
A top notch read on rescue in the North Cascades, with an intriguing personal journey.
June 25, 2017
Book received from Goodreads Giveaways.
I loved this book and have no idea why to took me so long to finish. I found myself emphasizing with the author when she discussed having to search for a friend's SO and hoping to find them alive. As someone who would never hike those areas, or even hike due to health issues, I had no idea how quickly an easy hike could turn deadly. I was a bit bored by her discussing her everyday non-rescue life but could see how it was a part of her volunteering as a someone who does rescues.
I loved this book and have no idea why to took me so long to finish. I found myself emphasizing with the author when she discussed having to search for a friend's SO and hoping to find them alive. As someone who would never hike those areas, or even hike due to health issues, I had no idea how quickly an easy hike could turn deadly. I was a bit bored by her discussing her everyday non-rescue life but could see how it was a part of her volunteering as a someone who does rescues.
March 17, 2020
I'm from Seattle and was in Namche Bazaar in Nepal when I recognized this book on the shelf in the guesthouse.
I had a full day there to acclimatize, so I read the book and took this picture during the day hike with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam in the background: https://flic.kr/p/2iF29MK
I left the book in the guesthouse, so by now probably dozens of travelers from all around the world have read it.
I had a full day there to acclimatize, so I read the book and took this picture during the day hike with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam in the background: https://flic.kr/p/2iF29MK
I left the book in the guesthouse, so by now probably dozens of travelers from all around the world have read it.
November 10, 2025
SO GOOD! I love this for the climbing and search and rescue content, but equally so for the mothering, marriage, and friendship ponderings. So damn good.
Source: purchased Kindle edition
Source: purchased Kindle edition
December 30, 2020
This was a Christmas book for me—something to read while wandering in the woods because hey, it's a pandemic, and my family is approximately 6,500 kilometers away, so what else was I going to do?
Loewen and her husband are both volunteer rescuers: a text message comes through, the phone rings, one of them (or both) gathers up gear and heads out into the wilderness in rain or shine or blizzard. A rescue—or a body recovery—might take a few hours, or it might take a few days, and there might be enough people on hand, or it might take many stressful phone calls to get enough people on board, because every volunteer gets all the texts, but they can't all be at every rescue.
There ends up being a constant push-pull between Loewen's identity as a volunteer and pressure to find paid work: part of her feeling that the work is worth more because it's unpaid, and everyone involved is doing it for a love of the work and a desire to help, but part of her feeling inferior compared to professionals (that is...people doing similar work, but for pay). It's startling to me, honestly, that it is volunteer work: at times they're doing things that the professionals can't or won't (including, you know, rescuing an off-duty firefighter up a cliff in a blizzard). Or things like recovering bodies: how fascinating, that this is something that volunteer crews are responsible for. Make no mistake: 'volunteer' does not mean 'untrained'. Loewen mentions certifications (medical, avalanche, swiftwater, technical rigging) that need routine updating, plus legal stuff so she can help with crime scenes and the like, to say nothing of the basic (and by basic I mean tremendous) physical fitness needed to be able to run up mountains and spend four and a half hours(!) hauling someone up a cliff with ropes in freezing, wet wind and carry piles and piles of gear through the wild (and carry people through the wild). Stressful and compelling.
It was a good Christmas book. Might have to see about Pickets and Dead Men being a birthday book, assuming we're still mid-pandemic then...
Loewen and her husband are both volunteer rescuers: a text message comes through, the phone rings, one of them (or both) gathers up gear and heads out into the wilderness in rain or shine or blizzard. A rescue—or a body recovery—might take a few hours, or it might take a few days, and there might be enough people on hand, or it might take many stressful phone calls to get enough people on board, because every volunteer gets all the texts, but they can't all be at every rescue.
There ends up being a constant push-pull between Loewen's identity as a volunteer and pressure to find paid work: part of her feeling that the work is worth more because it's unpaid, and everyone involved is doing it for a love of the work and a desire to help, but part of her feeling inferior compared to professionals (that is...people doing similar work, but for pay). It's startling to me, honestly, that it is volunteer work: at times they're doing things that the professionals can't or won't (including, you know, rescuing an off-duty firefighter up a cliff in a blizzard). Or things like recovering bodies: how fascinating, that this is something that volunteer crews are responsible for. Make no mistake: 'volunteer' does not mean 'untrained'. Loewen mentions certifications (medical, avalanche, swiftwater, technical rigging) that need routine updating, plus legal stuff so she can help with crime scenes and the like, to say nothing of the basic (and by basic I mean tremendous) physical fitness needed to be able to run up mountains and spend four and a half hours(!) hauling someone up a cliff with ropes in freezing, wet wind and carry piles and piles of gear through the wild (and carry people through the wild). Stressful and compelling.
It was a good Christmas book. Might have to see about Pickets and Dead Men being a birthday book, assuming we're still mid-pandemic then...
June 4, 2018
Jamie brought this home from the library, and it happens that the author was a parent education student of mine a few years back. I didn't know that she had written a second book. Started tonight!
September 10, 2017
This one falls into the series of articles that became a book category. Normally, this doesn't bother me but I found to much repetition in the chapters/articles.
Loewe is a stay at home mom who doesn't stay at home much, because she is trying to find a career that involves helping people. This involves volunteering as a firefighter, hospice, and her Seattle Mountain Rescue activities. She also attended school to become a paramedic and then a nurse.
Frankly she does to much and spreads herself to thin. Her tone gets bitter when describing her interactions with firefighters while trying to land a job as one herself.
The best parts of the book are about her family and her struggle for her to find a career that she enjoys and gives her the respect she seeks. Her husband doesn't seem to be much help here. I wanted to learn more about this part of her life.
Hopefully, the writing thing works out for her and she broadens the scope of her work to include this in future books.
Loewe is a stay at home mom who doesn't stay at home much, because she is trying to find a career that involves helping people. This involves volunteering as a firefighter, hospice, and her Seattle Mountain Rescue activities. She also attended school to become a paramedic and then a nurse.
Frankly she does to much and spreads herself to thin. Her tone gets bitter when describing her interactions with firefighters while trying to land a job as one herself.
The best parts of the book are about her family and her struggle for her to find a career that she enjoys and gives her the respect she seeks. Her husband doesn't seem to be much help here. I wanted to learn more about this part of her life.
Hopefully, the writing thing works out for her and she broadens the scope of her work to include this in future books.
July 19, 2017
Great book. Loved the way the author wove philosophical questions like what it means to have a meaningful life in with adventure tales.
July 30, 2017
This is a great read if you want to know more about volunteer search and rescue or if you do a lot of hiking around the Seattle area.
May 11, 2021
This has become my favorite book. It’s made me cry, question the way I look at the world, and given me so much comfort and hope. 100% would read again and will be keeping in my permanent collection!
November 26, 2024
I had a hard time connecting to the author's stories and perspective. She's a stay at home mother, presumably to raise their young child while her husband maintained his fire fighting job, and when faced with having to return to the workforce - instead focusses intensely on volunteer mountain rescue and ends up quitting or being fired from multiple career attempts. The mountain rescue stories were neat, but overshadowed by how selfish and irresponsible she sounded by describing how the night before her finals or large assignments, she would last minute drop her young daughter off at her mother's to go out on a rescue call in the mountains. Clearly she was a capable person, so it felt like hearing endless excuses for why each career attempt didn't work out so she could continue to prioritize the thrilling volunteer work she preferred.
dnf
October 20, 2025DNF’ing w no malice on my heart, this just was not a compelling read for me 😭 writing mountain rescue and challenges-of-being-an-adult-woman-partner-mom are v particular skills, which are different from actual rescue skills; to me it just didn’t translate well
January 7, 2019
As an avid hiker and backpacker in the PNW, the mountains are a second home. Yet lurking in the back of my mind is the knowledge they are as deadly and unforgiving as they are beautiful. What, I wonder, are the stories of the men and women who brave the blizzards and the pouring rain and the jagged cliffs to bring us home?
This book pulls back the curtain on a tiny fraction of these stories. Bree's tales are harrowing and personal and very, very real. The job of a SAR volunteer is physically, mentally, and socially demanding, yet still they answer the calls. I'm amazed at the sacrifices these volunteers make--without any compensation.
The chapter about suicide hit particularly hard. I've battled depression for years, and contemplated ending my life countless times, and it's such a dark and lonely path. But Bree treated the subject with such dignity, such love. It brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you, Bree, for all that you did, and thank you to the countless others who do the same. It makes my world a little brighter to know you are out there.
The only downsides to this book were the stories became somewhat repetitive by the end, and the author's husband seemed like an utter clod. Maybe their relationship just didn't translate well to the page, but I was not impressed by him.
This book pulls back the curtain on a tiny fraction of these stories. Bree's tales are harrowing and personal and very, very real. The job of a SAR volunteer is physically, mentally, and socially demanding, yet still they answer the calls. I'm amazed at the sacrifices these volunteers make--without any compensation.
The chapter about suicide hit particularly hard. I've battled depression for years, and contemplated ending my life countless times, and it's such a dark and lonely path. But Bree treated the subject with such dignity, such love. It brought tears to my eyes.
This isn't rescuing anyone. I'm here volunteering to help this woman with the decision she's made. Not try to fix anything, just be here. [...] This is a job for a human, not a hero, a human who has nothing else to do today but this. And I think it's a good thing that I can be here, that there are so many people like me who are here today.
I tell her that the falls are an ancient burial ground for the Snoqualmie Tribe, who believe that the mist rising from the base serves to connect heaven and earth.
Thank you, Bree, for all that you did, and thank you to the countless others who do the same. It makes my world a little brighter to know you are out there.
The only downsides to this book were the stories became somewhat repetitive by the end, and the author's husband seemed like an utter clod. Maybe their relationship just didn't translate well to the page, but I was not impressed by him.
September 7, 2021
First of all, this is not a book about all the rescues she's done. Some reviews mentioned that the stories lacked detail, but I feel like you're not listening to the story. This is a book about the volunteers and their lives when they get called to go rescue someone sometimes daily or even do several rescues in a single day. This book describes what the rest of us have no clue of. These guys have families, jobs, places to be and things to do, but most of them, especially Bree will drop everything in a heartbeat to come help you off the mountain when they get the call. The sacrifice so much and for no reward, except knowing that they either saved a life or brought closure to the deceased loved ones.
One thing I couldn't get over though was Bree's husband who also volunteers for mountain rescue. He seems very controlling and not very supportive of her time with their daughter, demanding that she find a paying job, and when she is unsuccessful in her journey to become a firefighter, he would hint at her not working hard enough. When they would hike together he would be hiking a lot faster to a point that they would both be solo hiking. I don't know if it was intentional but she really doesn't give a nice impression of her hubby, but I think Bree rocks! These guys risk much more on a regular basis than most of us ever would.
One thing I couldn't get over though was Bree's husband who also volunteers for mountain rescue. He seems very controlling and not very supportive of her time with their daughter, demanding that she find a paying job, and when she is unsuccessful in her journey to become a firefighter, he would hint at her not working hard enough. When they would hike together he would be hiking a lot faster to a point that they would both be solo hiking. I don't know if it was intentional but she really doesn't give a nice impression of her hubby, but I think Bree rocks! These guys risk much more on a regular basis than most of us ever would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2018
2.5* The stories never coalesced into something greater for me, and the writing was sometimes a little prosaic and devolved into page-long-asides to introduce people, who somehow never became a real cast. Although for the author, SAR is about the relationships, this book is chiefly her trying to make peace with the thing she cares for most being a position that is both unpaid and disrespected since it is volunteer, and her balancing act between being a stay-at-home mom and doing SAR what sounds like full-time. Overall the book felt more sad than positive to me, even though the author clearly finds a lot of value in her relationships through SAR, because so many of the stories are sad ones.
I'm guessing their relationship just comes across poorly on paper, but based on the book I wouldn't be surprised if the author broke up with her husband. It's also sad to read about the bro atmosphere and disrespect people have for her as a mother and as a woman doing first responder work, where even people who seemingly respect her as a rescuer trash on her for not having a "real" job. I found it a little stressful to read through her guilt but also willingness to take advantage of the grandparents to watch her kid without notice for days at a time.
I'm guessing their relationship just comes across poorly on paper, but based on the book I wouldn't be surprised if the author broke up with her husband. It's also sad to read about the bro atmosphere and disrespect people have for her as a mother and as a woman doing first responder work, where even people who seemingly respect her as a rescuer trash on her for not having a "real" job. I found it a little stressful to read through her guilt but also willingness to take advantage of the grandparents to watch her kid without notice for days at a time.
August 10, 2017
Bree amazes me. How she juggles her family, school, writing, nearly constant SMR missions, and dalliances in "professional" responder jobs is beyond my comprehension, not to mention finding the time to condition for her SMR role. I hope she continues writing, though, because I really enjoy having vicarious backcountry experiences with her.
I attended an author talk with her tonight at her hometown library and got to hear her read several passages from Found. Listening to and watching her animate her words added a patina of unguarded beauty and sincerity to what I'd only previously heard in my own voice, teasing my own meaning out of her stories. I got more of a sense of what matters to her, how she processes her life. In my pursuit of a good adventure tale, I had inadvertently raced past some of the gently profound and moving reflections she has about her experiences.
Something that will stay with me after reading Found is that people have died on *every single* WA trail I've ever hiked, including the little pedestrian ones like Rattlesnake Ledge (apparently it's a popular suicide location).
I attended an author talk with her tonight at her hometown library and got to hear her read several passages from Found. Listening to and watching her animate her words added a patina of unguarded beauty and sincerity to what I'd only previously heard in my own voice, teasing my own meaning out of her stories. I got more of a sense of what matters to her, how she processes her life. In my pursuit of a good adventure tale, I had inadvertently raced past some of the gently profound and moving reflections she has about her experiences.
Something that will stay with me after reading Found is that people have died on *every single* WA trail I've ever hiked, including the little pedestrian ones like Rattlesnake Ledge (apparently it's a popular suicide location).
January 16, 2019
I found this book by accident as I was looking for a different book, same title. Then I decided to read it since I live in the same area as the events in these little vignettes take place. The book is not well written but the stories told therein are truly interesting and heartrending. As a former stay-at-home mom, preschool teacher, business manager, nursing student, hospice nurse, and grandmother I can relate to many of the emotions the author expresses as she juggles her roles and deals with the conflicting emotions that drama AND trauma bring to the fore. At times I found myself telling her what my older and wiser self has come to understand which is that, while her volunteer work and her many job roles are to be commended, the role she plays as a stay-at-home mom is the most important work she will ever do in this lifetime. I hope she has discovered that now. Oh, and I just have to say it, her husband sounds like a real ass. She must have the patience of a saint to stick with him.
February 17, 2018
For Washingtonians, reading this book is like seeing places you've visited with new eyes. Incredible stories of rescues in the Cascades... and more than a few too-late-to-be rescues-- rather, "recoveries." Each story is treated with the dignity it deserved, but there's also enough humor to go around. All of these stories--and stories within stories-- are chock full of technical and physical feats in dire circumstances. Yet the author, who is also a badass mama, speaks of herself in such a self-deprecating way. I almost want to write her a letter to say how valuable all her work is, even if unpaid. All the physical, medical, and emotional labor-- few else could do that in this world. I would love to meet her (but never out of necessity!) This book also made me feel like a noob! the glossary is not even a page... should be a few pages! Maybe because the publisher is Mountaineers Books the editor didn't feel the need to make it noob-accessible. But I loved it anyway!
February 15, 2020
This book will probably appeal most to mountaineers and climbers. Also, to stay at home moms. Also to folks with anxiety disorders and/or those that feel like chronic failures...
How's that for a recommendation!? Seriously, this book is very interesting. I have some issues with the narrative approach the author uses, since it jumps around quite a bit - it's kind of lacking a narrative direction or cohesion or ...something? I'd probably just give it 2 or 3 stars for this. BUT, I absolutely loved the way the author bared herself so completely and honestly. And for this, it's worth 5 stars - so I settled for 4. The rescue vignettes are compelling and interesting. One final note. It's a shame, it's almost monstrous, that there are not pictures or maps or diagrams in the book. It would have made it even greater.
How's that for a recommendation!? Seriously, this book is very interesting. I have some issues with the narrative approach the author uses, since it jumps around quite a bit - it's kind of lacking a narrative direction or cohesion or ...something? I'd probably just give it 2 or 3 stars for this. BUT, I absolutely loved the way the author bared herself so completely and honestly. And for this, it's worth 5 stars - so I settled for 4. The rescue vignettes are compelling and interesting. One final note. It's a shame, it's almost monstrous, that there are not pictures or maps or diagrams in the book. It would have made it even greater.
January 27, 2018
Awesome page turner about mountain rescue and life
I love the wilderness, but not in the way that Bree does. I love sitting on the edge of a mountain stream, which I’m sure she does too. But she also loves hauling a huge pack up a snowy peak in the dark during a snowstorm to rescue a stranded skier or maybe just recover the body. I was mesmerized by her tales of rescue balanced with tales of family life and the realities of having a volunteer gig much more challenging than most people’s paying gigs. I will read anything she chooses to write in the future! Maybe it will even be a book about being a Nurse.
I love the wilderness, but not in the way that Bree does. I love sitting on the edge of a mountain stream, which I’m sure she does too. But she also loves hauling a huge pack up a snowy peak in the dark during a snowstorm to rescue a stranded skier or maybe just recover the body. I was mesmerized by her tales of rescue balanced with tales of family life and the realities of having a volunteer gig much more challenging than most people’s paying gigs. I will read anything she chooses to write in the future! Maybe it will even be a book about being a Nurse.
January 29, 2022
I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It toes the line of balance between being a book about mountain rescue and of personal life, and I honestly would have wanted to see a little more personal insight, a little more vulnerability. The rescue stories are good, but on their own they’d just be a collection of short stories, and it’s the memoir that gives this book life, but I’d have liked more of that.
November 3, 2017
I loved this book so much. It means so much to me to know that there is such a caring human guarding the mountains that I love, escorting climbers back to their families. Loewen's voice is so authentic and her descriptions are so pure. Everyone who spends time in the mountains should read this book!
December 18, 2017
Huge respect for people in mountain rescue. Thanks Bree for sharing your stories.
December 13, 2022
This was so, so cool and absorbing. I wish it had been better edited, because it deserves that, but it barely mattered. These people are fucking metal.
October 8, 2023
Bree Loewen is a mountain rescue volunteer in the Pacific Northwest. She's not a doctor, although many of her co-rescuers are. She's not a grief counselor, though many of her callouts end in tragedy including people who she has known for years. She doesn't get the paycheck or benefits of a career first-responder. As she would humbly say, she's just a mom. And a wife. But as readers of her book quickly learn, her very specialized set of skills get routinely put to use in situations that threaten her safety so that others may live.
Bree's husband is an elite rescuer as well. Romantic as it may sound to share your greatest passion with the person you love the most, they actually try to avoid responding to the same incidents together. For if they were to both perish in the same climbing accident, their daughter would become an orphan. That is their reality.
Bree's daughter is often on her mind during rescues. In one instance, after having just recovered the body of a dear friend who died in an avalanche, Bree had to rush home to make snacks for an event at her daughter's preschool.
That's the type of person Bree is. A loving mother and someone who has a passion for saving lives. She does so while others doubt her abilities. Sometimes because she is a woman. Other times because she is a volunteer as opposed to a "professional". Her memoir details these struggles, and so many more. She reminds us that when someone calls 911, the first responders are people too. People have their own problems. People have bad days. The difference is, they put everything aside for the greater good. A quote from the author herself perhaps sums it up best:
"I like being in the mountains, because the mountains don't care...they don't care who you are. Injured people don't care either. This dying man, he didn't care that I was a volunteer. Or a woman. He probably didn't notice. All he needed was someone to be with him. And all I had was the time to do it. And that was enough."
Bree's husband is an elite rescuer as well. Romantic as it may sound to share your greatest passion with the person you love the most, they actually try to avoid responding to the same incidents together. For if they were to both perish in the same climbing accident, their daughter would become an orphan. That is their reality.
Bree's daughter is often on her mind during rescues. In one instance, after having just recovered the body of a dear friend who died in an avalanche, Bree had to rush home to make snacks for an event at her daughter's preschool.
That's the type of person Bree is. A loving mother and someone who has a passion for saving lives. She does so while others doubt her abilities. Sometimes because she is a woman. Other times because she is a volunteer as opposed to a "professional". Her memoir details these struggles, and so many more. She reminds us that when someone calls 911, the first responders are people too. People have their own problems. People have bad days. The difference is, they put everything aside for the greater good. A quote from the author herself perhaps sums it up best:
"I like being in the mountains, because the mountains don't care...they don't care who you are. Injured people don't care either. This dying man, he didn't care that I was a volunteer. Or a woman. He probably didn't notice. All he needed was someone to be with him. And all I had was the time to do it. And that was enough."
July 18, 2017
“Found: A Life in Mountain Rescue” is an insightful memoir into the life of a dedicated search and rescue volunteer who unusually, also happens to be a mother and wife. It is a collection of short stories that can be read by chapter. But, the chapters also intertwine into Bree Loewen exploration of life’s balance and relevance with volunteer work and the camaraderie of her rescue community, which sometimes puts her at odds with needing paying work and her family’s needs. She takes us on that journey into gripping rescue tales and emotionally draining accidents, as well as her internal self-doubt, frustrations and “failures” to find a paying career. To be most critical, at times I thought, “Get a job” as many working mothers struggle with unfulfilling jobs to make ends meet. But most the time, I thought her extraordinary volunteer skills and dedication go thankless. Why do people rush out in horrible weather, at all hours and potentially put themselves in peril to rescue someone they don’t know? Bree Loewen honestly divulges her motivations and struggles that may touch anyone who wrestles with the broader search for identifying their life’s passion and value. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.
September 19, 2022
This book is more a stream of consciousness than a well planned book. I found the book and the stories extremely engaging. I really enjoyed the peek behind the curtains of the life of a volunteer search and rescuer. I learned that these volunteers are extremely dedicated, and they are also extremely skilled. I also learned that most rescues are called for a night and in horrible weather. That makes sense, but I just had not considered it before reading Found. Loewen is a woman who is extremely talented at mountaineering and mountain rescue. She does not set boundaries with her personal life and, although she doesn't explicitly say it, it is clear that her dedication to mountain rescue has strained most of her personal relations in her life. The strained relations include the ones with her mother, husband, and daughter. I feel bad for her in that respect. I will say that she is exactly the person that I want to lead a team to come find me if I am ever stuck in the mountains. She has so much compassion for the people she rescues and the bodies she retrieves. She is also extremely skilled and does not give up.
All in all, I can recommend this book to people interested in in SAR (Seach and Rescue).
All in all, I can recommend this book to people interested in in SAR (Seach and Rescue).
February 17, 2025
Read for Popsugar: A book you borrowed or was given to you as a gift
Art meetup friend loaned me this book about the Seattle Mountain Rescue group - a volunteer organization that leads search and rescue missions locally. It was super interesting to read about, though sometimes a tiny bit repetitive, and a bit jargony (a more outdoorsy, climby person might have a better experience with that). Reading about Bree's passion for the mission - going at all hours, staying as long as needed, wrangling up volunteers when it's inconvenient - really impressed me. The conditions and circumstances were so daunting in many cases. It's a little scary to think about these situations so close to home, and definitely makes me want to be more prepared when hiking!
I also empathize with her plight as a woman and feeling less-than because she's not contributing enough monetarily to her household and I want to tell her that her that she's doing so much good and it's okay to not be a part of that grind and judge her worth by the amount of money she's earning. I'm sure it's hard for her to be in what feels like many male-dominated areas and have to justify herself.
Art meetup friend loaned me this book about the Seattle Mountain Rescue group - a volunteer organization that leads search and rescue missions locally. It was super interesting to read about, though sometimes a tiny bit repetitive, and a bit jargony (a more outdoorsy, climby person might have a better experience with that). Reading about Bree's passion for the mission - going at all hours, staying as long as needed, wrangling up volunteers when it's inconvenient - really impressed me. The conditions and circumstances were so daunting in many cases. It's a little scary to think about these situations so close to home, and definitely makes me want to be more prepared when hiking!
I also empathize with her plight as a woman and feeling less-than because she's not contributing enough monetarily to her household and I want to tell her that her that she's doing so much good and it's okay to not be a part of that grind and judge her worth by the amount of money she's earning. I'm sure it's hard for her to be in what feels like many male-dominated areas and have to justify herself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews