"The best rescue book by far that I've ever read." – author Jules Harrell in the Mountain Rescue Association’s quarterly publication, the Meridian.“I lifted the child from the river and into my arms, cradling her limp body against my chest. She felt small and light and she was not breathing, but I couldn't do anything about that perched precariously midstream. I spun my legs sideways and the current swept us back into the river. My feet touched bottom and I took several steps toward shore, then swam when the current knocked me down.”Entropy is a law of nature, the one predicting that “things fall apart.” Spend enough time outdoors and it will eventually happen to you. When it does, who will pick up the pieces? Who will glue them back together? Professional SAR volunteers leave work, home, and their cozy beds to rescue people on the worst day of their lives. They buy their own gear, pay their own gas, and ask nothing more than to make a contribution to the lives of strangers who they’ll probably never meet again.These detailed first-hand stories, intimately told by 12-year SAR veteran and university writing instructor Shaun Roundy, capture the essence of how it feels to be in the middle of a rescue with one of the world’s best and busiest volunteer teams - from both the victims' and rescuers' perspectives.Included are rescues that captured the national spotlight such as the Thanksgiving Nutty Putty Cave incident, the Aspen Grove Christmas avalanche, Elizabeth Smart, and more. 150 action-packed photos complete your sneak peek into the world of mountain, river, lake, cave and urban rescue.
In Shaun Roundy's 12 years as a professional search and rescue volunteer, he has served as Public Information Officer, Webmaster, Board of Directors Secretary and Vice President, Mountain Rescue Team Sergeant, Mountain Rescue Association Intermountain Region Secretary and Chair, and MRA Education Committee Training Resource Database Task Force Chair. But above all these positions, Shaun values being a simple team member on the mountain, in the midst of the action, where his efforts matter most.
As a key member of the Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue team, Shaun has logged hundreds of missions ranging from nearly 12,000' mountains to rivers, lakes, cliffs, caves, and more, along with urban searches. Drawing from this wealth of experience, the stories contained in this volume are among the most memorable for many reasons. Along with his rescue credentials, his professional pursuits further qualify him to write 75 Search and Rescue Stories. As a university writing instructor, he has taught thousands of students how to make their words paint vivid, multi-layered pictures and make readers' hearts beat a little faster.
