Out of the Canyon: A True Story of Loss and Love

On a crisp winter’s day in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, Art Daily suffered a terrible tragedy. While driving home with his family from a youth hockey game, a large boulder dislodged from the canyon wall and struck their car, killing his wife and two sons–while leaving him inexplicably untouched. In one instant, Art’s entire life crumbled, leaving him feeling utterly alone. As family, friends, and the entire Aspen community rushed in to offer comfort and support, Art faced what he imagined to be a bleak and lonely future. But what he found surprised him: the healing power of a stranger’s grace.

That stranger was Allison, a twenty-eight-year-old Texan who had stopped in Aspen on her way to a new life. Allison was a woman struggling with her own grief following her older brother’s suicide and the end of her marriage. When she heard of Art’s tragedy, she felt compelled to reach out to him, a person whom she had never met but with whom she identified deeply. Art and Allison forged a close friendship, tending to each other’s wounds and eventually falling in love and starting a family. And through it all, the living memory of Art’s wife and sons guided and comforted them.

Out of the Canyon is the inspiring story of how two people found the courage to move on after profound heartbreak. Art and Allison teach us that it is not only possible to live through such turmoil, but to embrace life anew. And, with humility and understanding, they offer direct insight and advice on what truly helped them deal with irreversible change and how we can do the same.