The Bark of the Cony

The Bark of the Cony is the story of one man's journey to overcome physical hardship and its resulting challenges. Before the age of four, George Nash Smith had a freak accident which impaired use of his right arm and hand. With the support of his parents and siblings he adapted to his circumstances and learned to approach life in a positive way.

George Nash Smith grew up in Denver, Colorado, and the stories of his youth and teenage years from the 1930's and 1940's demonstrate his emerging life philosophy, "Not If, But How." He developed a competitive attitude and was motivated to excel in all undertakings, including sports, in spite of his so-called "handicap."

Rather than avoid attention and scrutiny, George was very active. He was popular and well-liked in high school and college. George and his wife Marilou Milano raised four sons-Flint, Quade, Cody, and Tyle-and much of the book tells stories of their mountain climbing adventures together. George climbed mountains with his sons in part to demonstrate his life philosophy to them. In 1968 they finished climbing the 53 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, and Tyle, at age 8, became the youngest person to have accomplished that feat. The following year the 5 "Climbing Smiths," as they came to be known, went on to climb the High Sierras and Mount Rainier and Tyle became the youngest person to summit all 67 of the 14,000-foot peaks in the contiguous United States.

These family adventure stories, decades before route finding via the internet and smart phone apps, contain themes of exploration, discovery, hardship, perseverance, humor, elation and above-all, teamwork.

The Bark of the Cony will appeal to any parent, and any adult who has tried to accomplish something with a group of kids. It will also appeal to anyone who has battled a handicap or known someone who has, as well as hikers, mountaineers and armchair explorers. The book also contains over 270 photos that capture both the era and the scenic settings of the family's adventures.