Scraping Heaven: A Family's Journey Along the Continental Divide [Hardcover]

On the high Rocky Mountain slopes the line between heaven and disaster is razor thin, yet it was there that Cindy Ross and her husband were irresistibly drawn with their two small children. This is the story of their five-summer, 3,100-mile trek over the rooftop of North America a rousing adventure with a powerful message for parents.

"This is both an epic adventure of the first order and the heartwarming story of the family who accomplished it." 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

"Sure to strike home with anyone who loves the outdoors, thanks to its coverage of topics that range from the controversial to the personal . . . An inspirational read." Brian Fiske, senior editor, Mountain Bike magazine

"A heartwarming tale." Bruce Ward, Continental Divide Trail Alliance

"Cindy's indomitable drive and unbounded love carry her and her family along this high-altitude footpath . . . A precarious and incredible balancing act." Anne LaBastille, author, the Woodswoman Trilogy, Women and Wilderness, and Jaguar Totem

When Cindy Ross first met 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 never diminished, taking them even farther than they ever had gone before. Scraping Heaven is the warm and heartfelt account of their incredible adventure in a wilderness few will ever explore.

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 native people of the West 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. Ross is a keenly observant and witty storyteller with a profound message to share about parenting in a cocooned society.