When a powerful snowstorm suddenly swallowed the mountain she was climbing, and whiteouts erased all visibility, Mary Grimm was left isolated in dangerous conditions for six days. 

Amid the hunger, fear, and life-threatening environment, Mary says she heard the voice of God in the silence. That's when hope finally broke through the snow and gave her the stamina to hold on.

On a recent episode of the No Longer Nomads podcast, Mary and her father, Bruce Owen, shared her harrowing survival story on Mount Hood in Oregon. What began as a long-awaited solo adventure turned into a life-and-death fight in the wilderness.

WATCH Part 1: Wild Mountain Rescue Survival Story | Mary Grimm

A Life Made for the Wild

From her childhood love of the outdoors to thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Mary's life had always been shaped by adventure. In the interview, she described her determination — and the missteps — that led her to step into danger despite warnings.

"I had told everybody I was gonna hike the mountain," she recalls. "I'd also made a promise to my dad that I wasn't gonna hike alone. And then, last minute, the hiking guide emailed me and said, 'I don't feel good about the weather conditions, the snow conditions, and I'm gonna pull the climb."

"I was like, oh, you know, it might blow over. I'm just gonna see how far I can go," she says. That turned out to be a very serious mistake.

Mary's father knew all about her hunger for adventure, and he had tried to prepare her in previous years, but his fatherly heart was on the line as he had watched her chase risk and faith on the edge of survival. 

In this case, he jumped into action when he learned Mary was missing, but he didn't even know initially that she had attempted to climb Mount Hood alone and might be stuck there. While everything else was out of his control, Mary was in God's hands.

Hearing God's Voice…

On the mountain, after days of being alone, Mary reached the breaking point. And then it happened: the unmistakable voice of God. That moment gave her hope to endure, to believe she wasn't alone, and to press on through the storm.

In Part One of the interview, Mary describes what it was like to face blinding snow and creeping exhaustion before she finally encountered God in the silence. 

Mary's survival is about more than grit — it's a story of faith, resilience, and the God who speaks hope even on the edge of death.

In Part Two, she shares the dramatic details of the rescue and how she finally made it home.

WATCH Part 2: Wild Mountain Rescue Survival Story | Mary Grimm

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