He climbed, only to let go—and now she must follow…
Shock waves had already reached the rock climbing community when Carol was awakened in the night with news of her son. Chris Hampson—a well-known climber whose grace, warmth, and Zen-like focus inspired many friends—had fallen to his death in Yosemite National Park.
In this moving memoir, a grieving mother journeys into the rock climbing world to learn why her son had been a climber—a passion with inherent mortal risk. The result is a tribute to a life freely lived, with open-heartedness and keen sensitivity to life’s adventure.
Haltingly, bravely, Carol climbs from despair to redeem her life. Along the way, she discovers a remarkable truth: love transcends time and space. You never really lose who you love.
The first anniversary of Chris’s death is marked by Carol’s pilgrimage to Yosemite, where she stays in Camp 4, the climbers’ camp, learns the story of the fall from the first responder on that fateful day, and scatters her son’s ashes from Half Dome.
Click here to access a pdf file showing contents and sample pages. FtF_web
