Through the Valley of the Shadow

On June 13, 1999, a rumble began high on a sheer cliff wall, like faraway thunder, at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. 100 tons of rock rained down on three young climbers. Peter, a college student from Colorado, turned to a long-ago climbing lesson taught to him by his father.

As a little boy first astride a mountain, he learned to always protect a partner at the end of the rope...to never let go. He was not anchored and could have easily slipped from his harness and run for cover, but he didn't. He maintained a proper belay to the end, saving the life of his friend on lead dangling 60 feet above him, while sacrificing his own life in the process.

Many called Peter a hero. He certainly had the traits. According to Sue Shellenbarger, in the Wall Street Journal in 2012, "Certain traits make it more likely that a person will make a split-second decision to take a heroic risk. People who like to take charge of situations, who respond sympathetically to others, and who have a strong sense of moral and social responsibility are more likely to intervene than people who lack those traits. They consciously try to keep fear from hampering their pursuit of goals, and they tend to block out the possibility of injury or material loss."

Through the Valley of the Shadow by Jim Terbush is the story of his son Peter's brief life...a hero who exemplified servant leadership. Jim tells of the servant leadership principles woven into the skills training at the yearly Terbush Memorial Outdoor Leadership Summit held in Peter's honor in Gunnison, CO.

This is also a story about a father's love for his son, about discovery, adventure, love of the outdoors, and a love of God. Jim reveals how he was and is sustained by faith during his struggle with grief for his son. His writing in turn, infuses us with the strength to confront the most profound challenges in our own lives.

©2014 Jim Terbush (P)2017 Brook Forest Voices LLC