Acknowledgments

This book is the product of WE—written with the help, guidance, and inspiration of many people.

First and foremost, I acknowledge the hand of the Creator. It was He who inspired Larry D. Olsen and Ezekiel C. Sanchez (Good Buffalo Eagle) to create ANASAZI Foundation—a wilderness therapy program for young adults and youth at-risk. ANASAZI Foundation has been recognized internationally for its caring and nonpunitive approach to helping youth overcome challenges and see their seeds of greatness.

Ezekiel’s wife, Pauline Martin Sanchez (a Navajo tribal member whose given name is Gentle White Dove), assisted in the creation of ANASAZI’s curriculum, which centers around seven elements found in nature. They call this curriculum “The Seven Paths of the ANASAZI Way.” In 1989, Larry, Ezekiel, and Pauline became acquainted with Dr. C. Terry Warner, a professor of philosophy and founder of the Arbinger Institute. Fascinated by their work, Dr. Warner later commissioned James Ferrell, a scholar and his former student, to put “The Seven Paths of the ANASAZI Way” into a narrative account. For more than a decade, that narrative was self-published as a booklet and given to families and participants at ANASAZI Foundation.

In 2012, while working as an intern at Berrett-Koehler Publishers, I showed a worn copy of the booklet to my boss, Jeevan Sivasubramanium, managing director of the editorial department. He read it and was moved—calling it the best “anti-self-help book” he had ever read. He then told me it was my job to turn it into a book. The Seven Paths was published in August 2013 and became a bestseller, helping countless families turn their hearts to one another, begin anew, and walk in harmony in the wilderness of the world.

Four years later (in August 2017), I found myself “lost in the wilderness” like Thunder Bear. I had attempted to hike the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim—in one day. After fifteen hours of hiking (two of those hours in absolute darkness), I began to see just how foolish I was.

Then, when I was about to give up, I heard someone call my name. It was my dad. I had arranged to meet him at the North Rim. When I didn’t show up, he decided to look for me by hiking—in his loafers and jeans—on a path he had never before traveled, two or three miles down into the Grand Canyon.

Seeing my dad and hearing his voice gave me strength beyond my own. As fast as I could manage I hobbled up those switchbacks to meet up with him. “Dad,” I breathed, “you didn’t have to come this far. For all you knew I might have been all the way at the bottom of the canyon.” My dad shook his head and said these words: “Seth, I would’ve walked anywhere to find you.”

That night I couldn’t make it out of the Grand Canyon on my own strength. It was the love of my father—that connection—that ultimately lifted me out of one of my darkest hours. And as we drove home I knew ANASAZI needed to create a sequel to The Seven Paths—a sequel dedicated to strengthening those connections.

With that in mind, my heart is filled with gratitude for my parents, D. Paul and Lyn Adams Smith, and for my siblings and their families. I am profoundly grateful for my wife, Kim Stephenson Smith, and our two children, Shannon Kaye and Braden Hoyt.

I offer my heartfelt gratitude to April Sun Shine Sanchez (Bird That Flies East), Ezekiel C. Sanchez, and Pauline Martin Sanchez, for their guidance, their friendship, and for their support of this book at every stage. Your love and wisdom has made this book into something far better than I could ever make on my own.

I also thank James Ferrell, Dr. C. Terry Warner, and the Arbinger Institute for their ongoing support and friendship. Jim was kind enough to review a draft of the manuscript and offer feedback that helped me add more heart to the brothers’ relationship.

Thank you to all of the staff, friends, and family of ANA-SAZI Foundation who contributed to this book. Whether it was a comment you made in one of our meetings, substantive feedback on the manuscript, or even just an encouraging word—your support has meant a lot to me. Thank you also to Michael and Gaylene Merchant, Sterling and Brenda Tanner, Nate and Amy Mitchell, Sean and Ariel Smith, Sean and Lori Rourke, Virginia and Dean Robinson, Tate and Cristi Peschka, Lori and Greg Guthrie, Michael and Michelle Sanders, Stephanie Bunker, Keith and Julie Jones, Sheldon Nelson, Merrill Heslop, Leavitt Wells, and Jeremy Baumgartner.

I am grateful for the skilled assistance of Alice Rowan and Leigh McLellan in preparing the book for publication. I also thank Michael “GFD” Sanders for the beautiful and symbolic artwork featured throughout.

Finally, a special word of gratitude goes to my friends and family at Berrett-Koehler. I am humbled by the ongoing support and assistance of my former colleagues: Steve Piersanti, David Marshall, Kristen Frantz, María Jesús Aguiló, Katie Sheehan, Courtney Schonfeld, Catherine Lengronne, Michael Crowley, and many, many others. Working on this project with Berrett-Koehler has felt like coming home—and what a joyful reunion it has been!

In particular, I wish to thank the editorial team that worked directly on the manuscript: Anna Leinberger, Charlotte Ashlock, Neal Maillet, and Jeevan Sivasubramaniam. Our lives are a walking and a weaving and I’m grateful to have walked with all of you. My heart is knit with yours.

—Seth Adam Smith