Jeff takes the reader on powerfully engaging adventures to some of the most uncertain and challenging landscapes on the planet. From guiding a blind man to the summit of Mt Everest to leading a trauma team on the front lines of the war in Mosul, Jeff has lived an extraordinary life wrought with chaotic moments and complex environments. In Climbing Through Storms, he shares dozens of real life stories in a colorful and engaging style while distilling out the learning opportunities that are useful for all of us, professionally and personally as we navigate our own Volitile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous lives.

Cat Taylor is furious when her cousin steals her father’s ashes to scatter on the mountain—but when they get caught in a blizzard, can the two work together to survive? Cat Taylor’s father and uncle, a famous search-and-rescue team, died on Storm Mountain two years ago, and Cat and her mother still can’t seem to move on. When her mom goes away on business for the weekend, Cat thinks she has the house to herself—until her cousin Ty suddenly shows up at her door, claiming his dad visited him in a dream and told him to scatter the two brothers’ ashes at the mountain’s summit. Cat refuses; how can Ty ask her to let go of her dad? But when she wakes up the next morning, Cat discovers that Ty has gone to Storm Mountain—and he took her father’s ashes with him. Determined to stop Ty before he does something crazy, Cat races up the mountain after him. But when a huge snowstorm rolls in and traps them, Cat and Ty realize they could be in more danger than they ever imagined.

The nature writings of pioneering environmentalist and Sierra Club founder John Muir are like no other. In this essay from 1894, Muir describes the grandeur of the winds at play in the forests, with stunning and musical detail about the trees of the Sierra and their individual reaction to the wind. Muir's story of climbing a 100-foot Douglas Spruce to experience the sway and swirl of a storm for himself is unforgettable. This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

Joe Simpson recounts his experiences as a mountain climber in the Himalayas, offering his insights into the perplexing nature of aggression and violence -- in himself, others, and society.