Tales From the Great Divide, 2nd edition – contains everything you want to know about the origins of the Great Divide Trail and the resulting non-profit association. Packed with a comprehensive history of the GDT and GDTA, it is also full of fascinating first-hand anecdotes from those movers and shakers who propelled the vision forward.

David McCullough (Brave Companions: Portrait in History) states “How can we know who we are and where we are going if we don’t know anything about where we have come from and what we have been through, the courage shown, the costs paid, to be where we are?” Thanks so much to the GDT leadership and all those that preceded you for your vision in publishing this important part of the Great Divide Trail adventure.

A wonderful story of how young people undertook a formidable task and pioneered the Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Young heroes and heroines describe hardships and excitements as they pioneered the Great Divide Trail in The Canadian Rockies on a mere shoestring of support.

No bridge plank left unturned. Extremely thorough. Comprehensive. Exhaustive research. Easy to start reading at any point. Delightful reading. Copy available for on-site perusal at the University of Calgary’s Library, Archives and Special Collections, Glenbow Collection via prior arrangement by appointment for U of C students, faculty and staff. Details here: https://asc.ucalgary.ca/contact/

Thorough, informative, in depth, well-rounded. Offers a thorough and intimate perspective into the origins of the GDT. A well founded body of information which can be drawn upon to inform potential trajectories forward for the trail and its community. Thoughtfully written and laid out. The humor is just as prevalent in the conversations as the challenges faced.

Delightful read that brings alive the Great Divide Trail, from its birth, through its life – its infancy to its current growth spurt. Supported by a very impressive collection of photos, illustrations, and maps.

Thanks to you, Louise [the desk top publisher who worked on Tales], and all the others for all the effort and time you have put into this – it will be a historical treasure. I marvel at all the work you and your team put into this effort.  Thank you for the initiative turning an idea in to something tangible and historical… Although I am only on page 24 of the book, I am impressed with the detail included in those few pages.  I enjoyed learning about the early history of the Trail and in particular the vision and dedication of Jim Thorsell when he saw an opportunity to share the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains in a unique and historic way – by foot.

… the size and heft of the book looks intimidating and I thought it would take forever to read!  But once you get by all [of] the preamble, it is an extremely interesting book. It is the first book I have read where it is a verbatim record of people talking and it surprisingly flows very nicely.  I love the stories of how the GDTA came to be and especially the tales of circumstances that happened during the survey hikes.  There is a massive amount of background detail included in the footnotes that further explains certain comments.  I find I have to keep reading the stories to a point where the topic shifts so that the flow is not interrupted and then I go back to the footnotes to read those.  I am impressed by the volume of information in this book and the thorough, detailed research.  It is great to have so many photos as well to help explain or illuminate certain aspects of the story.  It is indeed a labour of love and will be a valuable resource for those who are interested in keeping the history of the GTDA alive and informing others about it.  Well done, Jenny!! … what an incredible legacy you have, both in being part of the hikes and surveys and now in helping to record the history.  I will look forward to the rest of the read.  Bummer that you did not get a photo of the tree in the car!!

Amazing to see how long some people have been involved with the trail! This book is on our coffee table.

I’m loving this new second edition. Wow! Wonderful.  To me, the additional content made the whole book flow together. It reads better. The new edition to me has a more in-depth storyline. It holds my interest to keep reading. And of course, there are NO MISTAKES! It’s more enjoyable to read. The additions you added [like the subtitles] make this book make more sense than the first edition. It makes a much better read than the first Edition.

Who knew it’s possible? A ‘PhD thesis’-like compendium that’s fun to read! An assiduous history of how a dream became reality over half a century. Some of these stories are hilarious! The conversational format is engaging and highly readable. The over 300 photos and other figures provide a wealth of information and impressions. The chronologies (overview and detailed) are a helpful introduction to the broad structure of the “Tales”. A wonderful story of how much can be accomplished by combining the varied talents of committed enthusiasts. Congrats on a huge piece of work, successfully completed!

Hiring Jenny Feick to assist in editing my Major Research paper was a great decision, it helped me shape my work into an interesting and technically sound paper. She worked with me closely during the final stages of writing, and I learned a significant amount about how to improve my own work. I credit Jenny’s coaching with helping me turn a daunting review and revision task into a manageable exercise and put the necessary polish on the paper to earn an A+. She brought a fresh set of eyes and applied exacting standards and rigorous proof-reading skills within the guidelines for professional editors set out by Royal Roads University. She was extremely quick and was willing to set her schedule to my timeline requirements. I highly recommend her skills as a technical editor to anyone.

Working with Jenny on my research study was a wonderful experience.  Jenny was not only efficient and timely in providing editing feedback, but was also very supportive in guiding me through the process of writing a research paper.  I chose an interdisciplinary topic that combined several fields of study and I was very thankful to have Jenny virtually beside me via email to offer ideas and structural suggestions that I had not considered.  This not only helped make the quality of my research study better but also improved my writing abilities.  I would recommend Jenny any day!

“Thank you and Ian so much for all your great work on this! Hope all’s well.” – Tara Szkorupa, MSc, RPBio, Wildlife and Habitat Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development

“Morning Jenny and Ian. This looks fantastic! I think how you’ve summarised it is perfect. This will be very helpful for developing policy and procedures. I’m happy with you taking this approach. All the best,” Tara Szkorupa, MSc, RPBio, Wildlife and Habitat Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development

“I wanted to add that despite the discussion paper being whittled down to bare bones, we do have all the great work you did at our fingertips and will be drawing on it for the next phases of engagement.” – Tara Szkorupa, MSc, RPBio, Wildlife and Habitat Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development