20 years ago today...

20 years ago today on august 14th, 1994,

i woke up as a 4 year old not knowing that

i would almost lose my dad that day.

on this day he was attacked and mauled by a grizzly bear

in the tetons, our favorite summer vacation spot. he was 

out trail running to train for the boston marathon, and he

suddenly heard something behind him -- he turned just  

in time to see a giant grizzly bear charging him. they 

collided, and the impact knocked my dad 10 feet off 

the trail. he was then attacked all over his body by 

the bear, being bit, clawed, and twisted around. the

bear took out his sartorius muscle in his leg, created

major wounds all over his body, and clawed open his

face all the way to his ear. i could go into more detail,

but i'll spare you. he definitely thought he wasn't 

going to make it. he tells us that he thought of 

all of us, about his life, about how his body might

be found here on this trail...and then he thought

to say a prayer. in the moment after his prayer,

he had the distinct impression to play dead.

that is what he did. he tried to breathe, slow

his pulse, and relax so the bear thought his

job was finished. after about a minute, the

bear stopped the mauling ... stood up on his

hind legs, looked around as though being

distracted by something, and took off.

my dad was then stranded in the wilderness

on this trail at 6:00 am with no one around.

he had no choice but to drag himself about

a mile -- almost bleeding to death -- until he

reached a clearing. as he lay there, he looked

up and saw some wildlife photographers high

up on a ridge. he tried to scream out, but was

so weak that no sound came out. luckily they

saw him and cautiously made their way down.

these people are some of my heroes, because 

they saved my dad! they quickly took their shirts

off and ripped them up into tourniquets to stop some

of the bleeding. they helped keep him warm as he

was going into shock. then, one of the bravest

guys in this world went back in the direction the

bear had been to get help. he reached a ranger's

station, and a life flight backcountry helicopter

was flown in to rescue him. he made it to the 

hospital, which was one of hundreds of miracles.

after hundreds of stitches, surgeries, discoveries

that some of the injuries had been within centimeters

of major arteries, and a pair of oakley sunglasses

saving his life, he recovered, was able to come home,

continue recovering, and qualify for the boston

marathon the next year. yes, i'm serious.

this is a very short version of the story missing

many details, so i'll have to record him telling it

next time .... or send you all a copy of bears & prayers.

sound crazy? see some articles about it here, 

here, here, here, here, here, and here.

you can also see a more recent article here. 

( there are lots more where those came from :)

he was also on talk shows, and our entire

family was on the reality show "got home alive"

in an episode featuring his miraculous story.

^^ his famous oakley sunglasses with the

bear claw mark that hit him in the eye.

those oakleys were so strong that it stopped

the claw from going through his eye, into

his brain and killing him. we love oakley 

products in our family ever since! :)

he also has a book on tape here.

he has spoken all over the world about this,

at countless firesides and conferences for our

church, at company meetings, and every single

bear talk i've been to -- people are on the edge

of their seats. it is an amazing story that he tells

so well - with humor, detail, and gratitude.

 ^^ has a sense of humor about it, 

all these years later

we celebrate this day every year on august 14th,

but this year my heart is especially full...on the 20th

anniversary, and a year that we can't celebrate with 

him since he now lives halfway across the world.

i am more grateful for him than ever!

all i know is that i would have been the saddest 4 year old 

and now 24 year old had we lost him that day. behind all

the news stories and punch lines in the bear story, it is

the most sacred story to me. i know he was supposed to

survive because of all the good he has done for this world, 

for our family, for ME, for others, and for our church 

ever since. he has gone on literally "lived to tell the tale," 

using the story not to brag about his own strength and 

will to survive, but instead to tell about the miracles 

he witnessed on this day. no one could tell this story 

with more humility and it is so powerful to hear him 

tell the story. 

 i'm teary just thinking about how different these 

last 20 years could have been...not just for me, but 

for our family, his many friends, clients, stake members, 

and countless others-- most poignantly the current 

missionaries serving in the south africa mission! 

i LOVE you dad, and celebrate your survival and 

strength and humor and testimony and example. 

also-- thanks for not letting them put down the bear

that attacked you -- because i know somewhere out there

in the wild, that bear is celebrating your life today too :)

long may you ride...

xo