Chasing Shangri-La

"A vivid day-by-day account of a trek in the Everest region of Nepal.. brutally honest.. makes you realize what is truly important in life. An all-out emotional tribute to the son I lost.. and a father's love song to his own son. I was one hundred percent confident the Livestrong wristband I gave to Gary would be left on the summit of Kala Patar. We made it, Jon."

- Tim Loden, long-time friend and business partner

"Profound, amazing. I was so moved by this journal. Sitting here drinking my morning coffee, thinking what a miniscule part of the world I am, that I have not experienced even a molecule of what life offers us. At the end, I sat there just crying. I could not stop."

- Kathy Lebous, cancer survivor

"Having climbed two 19,400-foot mountains with Gary, I saw first-hand the pull the mountains had on him, and his desire to share them with his son, Michael. This beautifully written story is similar to what I witnessed on Kilimanjaro with them. It was there where Gary fulfilled his promise to make the Himalayas his last solo journey and helped get his son to that summit. What a storyteller and what a father! Can I come back as his son?"

- Andrew Buerger is the Founder of Jodi's Climb for Hope and the Director of Rare Earth Adventures. His book, Carrying a Flag from Pain to Passion, was the #1 new release on Amazon's Mountain Climbing books list

"Great adventures are inner journeys-this one is dazzlingly so... an inspirational affirmation of the art of living, a beautiful ode to friendship and fatherhood. Tenderness, vulnerability, strength, and resilience-it's all here. Please commit more philosophy, Gary."

- Dr. Leisha Emens, Assistant Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University and climbing partner