Read online ebook Scraping Heaven : A Family's Journey Across the Continental Divide Trail in PDF, FB2
9781680510348 English 1680510347 More than 3,000 miles of trail by foot and mountain bikes with llamas and toddlers . . .What could go wrong?"Not only are readers given the opportunity to experience the sheer beauty and at times frightening dangers of the trail, but they also watch two children grow and learn to call the trail their home. Well written, captivating, and incredibly educational, this adventure is a lesson in the simplicity of life and the beauty of accomplishment." -Publishers Weekly"This is both an epic adventure of the first order and the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it." -San Francisco ChronicleNow available for the first time in paperback and ebook, Scraping Heaven is the story of a family's adventurous trek over the rooftop of North America-a warm and heartfelt account with a powerful message for parents, long-distance hikers, and outdoor adventurers alike.The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a rugged, 3,100-mile footpath running along the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, is infamous for its tricky mountain passes and snowy traverses. In 1993, Cindy Ross, her husband, and their two toddlers set out together on the Trail. Using llamas as kid-carriers and packers, they successfully hiked the entire route over the next five summers, covering the last 700 miles on tandem mountain bikes in 1998.A keenly observant storyteller, Ross deftly interweaves evocative descriptions of the landscape with dramatic accounts of sudden snowstorms, gale-force winds strong enough to lift a child, and heart-pounding wildlife encounters. Through it all, her intimate reflections on marriage, family, and children provide depth and interest far beyond the high Rocky Mountain peaks, with a profound message about immersing people of all ages in wilderness. Scraping Heaven features a new afterword by the author., When They First Met, Cindy and Todd were already avid long-distance hikers. By the time their first child was born, they had trekked thousands of miles together, including on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. They worried that parenthood would limit their adventures-until they discovered a four-footed solution: llamas. These gentle creatures travel lightly on the land, browsing as they go and needing little water. Meal pack animals and kid-carriers, llamas gave Cindy and Todd a way to hike long distances with toddlers in tow and soon they were planning a trip along the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. To the native people of the West, the Divide is the backbone of the world, and to walk it is to "scrape heaven." Remote, exposed, and rugged, it's serious hiking. But for Cindy and Todd, sharing the joy of an extended trek with their young son and daughter, ages one and three that first of five summers, was both an indescribable thrill and an enormous undertaking. Their wilderness journey compounded the ordinary challenges of marriage and parenting with snowy traverses, steep mountain passes, heart-pounding wildlife encounters, and countless other trials of a harsh but stunningly beautiful environment And it also gave then children more self-reliance, trust, and self-determination than they could have ever imagined. Evocative and dramatic, Scraping Heaven contains a powerful message for hikers, armchair adventurers, and parents alike-one still potent and relevant today. Book jacket., ¿Not only are readers given the opportunity to experience the sheer beauty and at times frightening dangers of the trail, but they also watch two children grow and learn to call the trail their home. Well written, captivating, and incredibly educational, this adventure is a lesson in the simplicity of life and the beauty of accomplishment.¿ ¿Publishers Weekly "This is both an epic adventure of the first order and the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it." ¿San Francisco Chronicle Now available for the first time in paperback, "Scraping Heaven" is the story of a family¿s adventurous trek over the rooftop of North America¿a warm and heartfelt account with a powerful message for parents, long-distance hikers, and outdoor adventurers alike. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a rugged, 3,100-mile footpath running along the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, is infamous for its tricky mountain passes and snowy traverses. In 1993, Cindy Ross, her husband, and their two toddlers set out together on the Trail. Using llamas as kid-carriers and packers, they successfully hiked the entire route over the next five summers, covering the last 700 miles on tandem mountain bikes in 1998. A keenly observant storyteller, Ross deftly interweaves evocative descriptions of the landscape with dramatic accounts of sudden snowstorms, gale-force winds strong enough to lift a child, and heart-pounding wildlife encounters. Through it all, her intimate reflections on marriage, family, and children provide depth and interest far beyond the high Rocky Mountain peaks, with a profound message about immersing people of all ages in wilderness. Scraping Heaven features a new afterword by the author.
9781680510348 English 1680510347 More than 3,000 miles of trail by foot and mountain bikes with llamas and toddlers . . .What could go wrong?"Not only are readers given the opportunity to experience the sheer beauty and at times frightening dangers of the trail, but they also watch two children grow and learn to call the trail their home. Well written, captivating, and incredibly educational, this adventure is a lesson in the simplicity of life and the beauty of accomplishment." -Publishers Weekly"This is both an epic adventure of the first order and the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it." -San Francisco ChronicleNow available for the first time in paperback and ebook, Scraping Heaven is the story of a family's adventurous trek over the rooftop of North America-a warm and heartfelt account with a powerful message for parents, long-distance hikers, and outdoor adventurers alike.The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a rugged, 3,100-mile footpath running along the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, is infamous for its tricky mountain passes and snowy traverses. In 1993, Cindy Ross, her husband, and their two toddlers set out together on the Trail. Using llamas as kid-carriers and packers, they successfully hiked the entire route over the next five summers, covering the last 700 miles on tandem mountain bikes in 1998.A keenly observant storyteller, Ross deftly interweaves evocative descriptions of the landscape with dramatic accounts of sudden snowstorms, gale-force winds strong enough to lift a child, and heart-pounding wildlife encounters. Through it all, her intimate reflections on marriage, family, and children provide depth and interest far beyond the high Rocky Mountain peaks, with a profound message about immersing people of all ages in wilderness. Scraping Heaven features a new afterword by the author., When They First Met, Cindy and Todd were already avid long-distance hikers. By the time their first child was born, they had trekked thousands of miles together, including on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. They worried that parenthood would limit their adventures-until they discovered a four-footed solution: llamas. These gentle creatures travel lightly on the land, browsing as they go and needing little water. Meal pack animals and kid-carriers, llamas gave Cindy and Todd a way to hike long distances with toddlers in tow and soon they were planning a trip along the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. To the native people of the West, the Divide is the backbone of the world, and to walk it is to "scrape heaven." Remote, exposed, and rugged, it's serious hiking. But for Cindy and Todd, sharing the joy of an extended trek with their young son and daughter, ages one and three that first of five summers, was both an indescribable thrill and an enormous undertaking. Their wilderness journey compounded the ordinary challenges of marriage and parenting with snowy traverses, steep mountain passes, heart-pounding wildlife encounters, and countless other trials of a harsh but stunningly beautiful environment And it also gave then children more self-reliance, trust, and self-determination than they could have ever imagined. Evocative and dramatic, Scraping Heaven contains a powerful message for hikers, armchair adventurers, and parents alike-one still potent and relevant today. Book jacket., ¿Not only are readers given the opportunity to experience the sheer beauty and at times frightening dangers of the trail, but they also watch two children grow and learn to call the trail their home. Well written, captivating, and incredibly educational, this adventure is a lesson in the simplicity of life and the beauty of accomplishment.¿ ¿Publishers Weekly "This is both an epic adventure of the first order and the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it." ¿San Francisco Chronicle Now available for the first time in paperback, "Scraping Heaven" is the story of a family¿s adventurous trek over the rooftop of North America¿a warm and heartfelt account with a powerful message for parents, long-distance hikers, and outdoor adventurers alike. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a rugged, 3,100-mile footpath running along the crest of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico, is infamous for its tricky mountain passes and snowy traverses. In 1993, Cindy Ross, her husband, and their two toddlers set out together on the Trail. Using llamas as kid-carriers and packers, they successfully hiked the entire route over the next five summers, covering the last 700 miles on tandem mountain bikes in 1998. A keenly observant storyteller, Ross deftly interweaves evocative descriptions of the landscape with dramatic accounts of sudden snowstorms, gale-force winds strong enough to lift a child, and heart-pounding wildlife encounters. Through it all, her intimate reflections on marriage, family, and children provide depth and interest far beyond the high Rocky Mountain peaks, with a profound message about immersing people of all ages in wilderness. Scraping Heaven features a new afterword by the author.