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

Praise for Cindy Ross's A Woman's Journey:

"Ross lets readers into her heart."­­Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful book, a wonderfully fascinating narrative."­­Annie Dillard

A true account of a family's five-year adventure in the untamed wilderness of the American Rockies

The Continental Divide 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, ages one and three, set out together on the Trail. Using llamas as kid-carriers and packers, they successfully hiked the entire Trail over the next five summers, covering the last 700 miles on tandem mountain bikes in 1998.

In Scraping Heaven, Cindy Ross­­the author of four critically acclaimed books­­deftly interweaves evocative descriptions of the landscape with dramatic accounts of sudden snowstorms, gale winds, and wildlife encounters. Through it all, her intimate reflections on marriage, family, and children provide contrapuntal depth and interest far beyond the high Rocky Mountain peaks.