They didn’t know it, but Patti Miller and her
brother, Barney, shared something in common — a passion for the illuminating
joy of wild nature — with all its challenges and dangers.
In this extraordinary
and unexpected book, Patti tells the story of her own long-distance walking
over hundreds of kilometres in Europe and of her brother’s obsession with
paragliding.
During their shared childhood on a farm these
siblings were virtual strangers under the same roof. As adults, a tragic
accident changes their relationship. One day, Barney’s wing collapses and he plummets to
earth, breaking his spine. The story of his struggle to walk again intersects
Patti’s long-distance journeys, creating an intense narrative of determination
and triumph.
For Patti, walking is a radical act — a return to
what has made us all human — that bestows a connection to wild nature and to
creativity itself. But as she listens to her pragmatic and methodical brother
tell his story, she learns that flying is his door to untrammelled joy too. She
realises that she is ‘meeting’ him for the very first time.
This beautiful and inspiring book tells their story and reveals that the siblings share a willingness to take risks and an indefatigable determination. With rare insight and poetic writing,The Joy of High Places combines physical adventure with a powerful emotional journey.
