Rock Me on the Water

Book excerpt: Picking up where its predecessor -- the best-selling On the Loose -- left off, this reflection revisits the physical and spiritual terrain that shaped two brothers' lives. Consumed by a passion to fully experience the western wilderness and to navigate untamed -- and unpredictable -- waterways, Terry and Renny Russell set out to travel down the Green River in Utah. Several miles into the journey, their raft doubles over. Terry perishes, and after washing up on the beach, Renny embarks upon what is to become a nearly four-decade-long odyssey to understand how he came to be the sole survivor and how to fully connect with his brother's spirit. Interweaving the past and present, this vibrantly illustrated meditation documents the metamorphosis of Renny's psyche, the natural environment that has sustained him, and ultimately his redemption.