"This is both an epic adventure of the first order and
the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it. And not once,
throughout the entire 3,100 miles of snow and desert and windy mountain passes,
did one of the children whine, 'When are we gonna get there?' "--John Flinn,
travel editor, San Francisco Chronicle
"A magnificent and determined family adventure that, in its unfolding,
celebrates the vast landscape of the human spirit. Scraping Heaven bears
witness to the power of the land and its ability to sow relationships that will
last a lifetime."--Steve Zikman, author, The Power of Travel: A Passport
to Adventure, Discovery, and Growth, and coauthor, Chicken Soup for the
Traveler's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Outdoor Soul
When Cindy Ross met her future husband, Todd Gladfelter, in 1980, they were
both already avid long-distance hikers. By their eighth wedding anniversary they
had trekked many thousands of miles together on the Appalachian Trail, the
Pacific Crest Tail, and beyond. Their family would soon include two young
children, but their shared passion for the long haul would lead them to go even
farther--and risk even more--than they ever had before. Scraping Heaven
is the warm, humorous, and heartfelt account of their incredible adventure in a
setting few will ever encounter.
Running along the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, the
3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT) divides the waters of the North
American continent. To the West's native peoples it is the backbone of the
world, and to walk it is to scrape heaven. Remote and still unfinished, the CDT
is the "big league" of hiking, a vast and challenging terrain. Over
five summers, from 1993 to 1998, Cindy and Todd hiked the entire trail with
their children.
For a couple whose love for hiking was a life-force, the chance to share the
joy of an extended mountain trip with their young son and daughter, ages one and
three, was both an indescribable thrill and a decision of enormous magnitude. It
was a challenge that would involve the addition of llamas as kid-carriers and
pack animals, the participation of numerous individuals and sponsors, and
incredible planning. And then there was the fear to contend with: fear of
injury, violent electrical storms, mountain lions, and the unknown.
Their journey compounded the ordinary challenges of marriage, parenting, and
family life with snowy traverses, winds strong enough to lift a child, fatigue,
ornery animals, steep mountain crossings, and the countless other trials of a
harsh but stunningly beautiful environment. But it taught their children more
about self-reliance, trust, interdependence, and self-determination than
anything else could have done.
Evocative and dramatic, this incredible story of real-life adventure is sure
to entertain and inspire. It is a revealing, intimate account of one family's
metamorphosis. Ross is a keenly observant and witty storyteller with a profound
message about parenting in a cocooned society.
Only $19.95
