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Avalanche rescues

‘Go Find’ subject of new book club event

“Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lost - and Myself” is the subject of the next U.P. Notable Book Club discussion Thursday on Zoom. The author, Susan Purvis, is a former Marquette resident. (Photo courtesy of the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association)

MARQUETTE — Former Marquette resident Susan Purvis will discuss her award-winning memoir “Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lost – and Myself” at the next U.P. Notable Book Club event on Thursday.

The Crystal Falls Community District Library, in partnership with the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association, has scheduled author events with winners of the U.P. Notable Book list.

The next discussion, on “Go Find,” will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday on the Zoom platform. Participants are asked to contact Evelyn Gathu before the event at egathu@uproc.lib.mi.us or 906-875-3344. It is recommended they borrow a copy of the book from a local library or buy it from a local bookseller in advance to get the most out of these events.

“Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lost – and Myself” recounts Purvis’ rescues with Tasha, her black Labrador, in some of the most dangerous skiing areas of the north. The events are open to all U.P. residents free of charge.

The UPPAA has provided a description of the book.

“Somewhere between hunting for gold in Latin America as a geologist and getting married to a new husband, thirty-three-year-old Susan Purvis loses her way.

“Susan comes to believe that a puppy and working on ski patrol at the last great ski town in Colorado will improve her life. When she learns about avalanches that bury people without warning, she challenges herself: ‘What if I teach a dog to save lives?’ This quest propels her to train the best possible search dog, vowing to never leave anyone behind.

“With no clue how to care for a houseplant, let alone a dog, she chooses a five-week-old Labrador retriever, Tasha. With the face of a baby bear and the temperament of an NFL linebacker, Tasha constantly tests Susan’s determination to transform her into a rescue dog. Susan and Tasha jockey for alpha position as they pursue certification in avalanche, water and wilderness recovery. Susan eventually learns to truly communicate with Tasha by seeing the world through her dog’s nose.”

As the first female team in a male-dominated search-and-rescue community, they face resistance at every turn, the description reads. They won’t get paid “even a bag of kibble for their efforts,” yet they launch dozens of missions to rescue the missing or recover the remains of victims of nature and crime.

“Training with Tasha in the field to find, recover, and rescue the lost became Susan’s passion,” according to the synopsis. “But it was also her circumstance — she was in many ways as lost as anyone she ever pulled out of an avalanche or found huddled in the woods. ‘Lostness’ doesn’t only apply to losing the trail. People can get lost in a relationship, a business or a life.

As a wilderness medicine expert and extraordinary speaker, Purvis has worked on film sets for the National Geographic Channel, truTV and appeared on the science documentary, “The Hottest Place on Earth,” aired on the BBC and Discovery. She’s been featured or quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, on CNN, and in numerous magazines and newspaper articles.

Since 1998, Purvis has owned and operated Crested Butte Outdoors International, based in Whitefish, Montana. Her mission is to teach students how to think critically in unconventional settings.

Purvis teaches high altitude medicine for the local Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest Guides and has served as a medic at a remote field camp and ice breaker in Antarctica, explored for gold in the Dominican Republic and produced a documentary in the Amazon jungle.

She also spent a decade working at an urgent care ski clinic in Crested Butte where she also worked as a professional ski patroller, guide, K-9 avalanche expert and search-and-rescue member. Purvis was named a brand ambassador for Marmot and received congressional recognition for her role in avalanche search and rescue.

“Go Find” has many earned positive reviews on Amazon, including:

“If it’s true that you have to get lost to be found, then this book is my new primer.” — Laura Munson, New York Times bestselling author of “This Is Not the Story You Think It Is” and founder of Haven Writing Retreats.

≤ ”This is so much more than a dog story. Susan Purvis takes you on an exciting and tumultuous journey of high-mountain search and rescue. A peregrination with highs and lows that also becomes a metaphor for life and relationships. Her moving, humorous and genuine writing will enthrall you. Go read and you will discover.” — Dale Atkins, past president, American Avalanche Association.

≤ ”Susan Purvis has captured the heart of a personal journey that we all take to find our own truth. From the high Himalaya to the wilds of Montana, Sue embraced a life of service while searching for her true path. And in the loyalty and purpose of an avalanche rescue dog, she found clarity. ‘Go Find’ is a gem!” — Jennifer Lowe-Anker, author of “Forget Me Not: A Memoir.”

More information about the U.P. Notable Book list, U.P. Book Review and UPPAA can be found on www.UPNotable.com.

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