The Great Divide|Stephen Pern 0349101639

||boek: The Great Divide|A Walk Along the Continental Divide of the United States|Abacus

||door: Stephen Pern

||taal: en
||jaar: 1990
||druk: ?
||pag.: 214p
||opm.: paperback|like new|3 pagina's hebben kreukjes .oO 3 pages have 'crooks'

||isbn: 0-349-10163-9
||code: 1:001202

--- Over het boek (foto 1): The Great Divide ---

A hiker's library: The Great Divide, by Stephen Pern

In the 1980's, thirty two years old, Stephen Pern fancied an adventure. Always fascinated by the American West, it seemed the best way to experience it was to walk through it, south to north, from Mexico to Canada. It took him six months. He experienced the highs and lows, both topographically and emotionally. Written with self-deprecation, humour and wry observation, this is his account.

The Great Divide - Stephen Pern

'The Great Divide - A Walk Through America Along the Continental Divide' was written by a British author who grew up in the south of England. That said, his affection for America is palpable. He relishes the opportunity to engage with the people he meets and learn of their relationship with the country he is crossing. Offered a bed for the night, or a stop for a day or two at someone's home, he accepts with gratitude but never prior expectation. Generosity and trust is two-way and there is a lesson in this book for all travelers- how openness can be richly rewarded. Our intrepid adventurer is mostly met with kindness and curiousity, sometimes indifference, just occasionally a hint of aggression. All are recalled with appreciation, honesty and understanding.

Stephen Pern finds few hikers following his route along the world's longest watershed- where rain falling on the country's spine heads either to the East, toward the great rivers, the Rio Grande and the Missouri, or to the West, toward the Colorado and Columbia. This is the Great Divide from which the book takes it's title.

In New Mexico he finally catches up with two (honorary) hikers and their three horses and mule, all heading to Canada. It would be another six hundred miles before he meets another Divide hiker. Two mysterious Canadian ladies are backpacking the route ahead, always somewhere ahead, they remain un-met until 1300 miles into his hike.

Early in his walk he frequently sees no-one for days. Leaving camp he can walk without fully dressing, with little fear of offending sensibilities, for in wide open spaces he can see for miles around him. This tactic has its drawbacks. Crossing the lonely plains and approaching Pie Town in New Mexico, he stops to put on his shorts. He finds that he has left them at his night-time halt- "I did not go back for them, they are probably still out there, flapping happily from the windpump". 250 miles later, fed up with rolling his trousers up to his knees, he takes a day off to go shopping for replacements.

Over the course of his 2500 mile hike following the watershed, terrain change wasn't always gradual. It occasionally shocked. He had to rapidly adjust from the flats of New Mexico to Colorado:

"In New Mexico a mile had been a mile- twenty minutes there and twenty minutes back, if, for some reason, you had to go back. In Colorado a mile was irrelevant. Actual distance was about the last thing to be considered. In fact it hardly existed- exposed for miserable artifice by the realities of rock and deep snow, of inclination and outcrop; blown to shreds by the wind and the rain. Colorado wasn't just a new state, it was a new way to think"

The rain fell for a week in the Wind River Range. On the foulest of Wyoming days, he resorts to contemplatively sucking the damp from his overlapping moustache, recording the flavour altered by circumstance- a rain-diluted peppermint and blood day- his toothbrush had abruptly broken in use, resulting in a swift stabbing uppercut to the nose. With rust encrusted nostrils, a month of barely any rain follows before being encountered again, at length.

"I stared morosely at the tent instead. It was beginning to look well used, My boots had obviously kicked about a bit too, the laces frayed, the soles deeply cut and scarred. They'd lost a lot of traction- crossing wet rock had been hard work lately. The stove wasn't roaring like it used to either. The jet probably needed a de-coke. Perhaps I should record something of this deterioration on the tape machine? A few on-the-spot-thoughts about what it's like to be stuck in thick fog with nothing but a second skin of old gear for company. But I couldn't be bothered. I wanted to get going again. I needed exertion. I was fed up with bloody Colorado, with crawling along at zilch miles an hour in the pissing rain for day after day"

The writer is not new to hiking when this story commences, he had already worked as a game warden in Nigeria, served three years as an officer in the British Army parachute regiment and been an instructor for the Outward Bound in Wales. His experience and resilience stands him in good stead as he trudges his way northward, encountering problems and barriers, enjoying both success and failure as he progresses. Brash confidence is interspersed with any necessary prompt lesson. These are recounted to the reader with humour and honesty in engaging manner. Not given to complaining (much), we are probably spared considerable actual pain and hardship, though it occasionally rises to the surface:

"somewhere out there in the haze was the Wyoming line and deliverance, and suddenly the strain of the past five weeks came flooding out. I hadn't realised how much pent-up effort had gone into crossing Colorado, but to judge from the tears streaming down my cheeks it must have been considerable"

The book is split into five parts: Getting there, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, with chapters within these. There is an appendix listing the maps he used, though these are probably irrelevant to today's hiker following a trail that differs in many parts to Pern's self-divised route. Further lists of gear and food eaten are of passing interest. He advises the reader to boil and purify water to avoid giardia, though admits that he never bothered. I rather like his description of giardia- "a microscopic bug that can make the bottom fall out of your world, or vice versa."

Anyone who has solo-walked for days at a time will empathise with his crossing the expanse of Montana- of an unfettered, and slightly bored mind stretched and clutching at links between slowly changing landscape and meta-concepts. In truth, I can scan over these parts with impunity for it isn't Pern's intellectual side trails that places me step-by-step, side-by-side, with this ambitious explorer.

"I made supper, sipped tea and thought. I was always sipping tea and thinking, but lately the colour of my thoughts was changing, the green- the go, go, go of a relentless journey- mellowing to orange"

When he hits the Anacondas, with 400 miles remaining, the snow sets in. He chooses to road walk 140 miles to ensure reaching the Bob Marshall Wilderness before the heights become impassable. One night invited to deliver a talk to the Montana Wilderness Bible College, days later he is asked to share his gift of two bibles with Elk hunters during the peak of their season. Having crossed the high passes of the Glacier National Park, a storm then shuts the mountains for the winter. A walk of six months duration is completed with less than twelve hours to spare.

This expedition was undertaken when a Continental Divide Trail was still in its infancy, an 'official' route not much beyond the planing stage. Now it seems as though every year, a new swathe of successful Continental Divide Trail hikers publishes a book of their trek. I have dipped into a few, but mostly avoid them as I would Covid. Few hikers these days seem armed with the ability to tell a story, fewer still have actually bothered to connect both with a landscape and the people that inhabit it. Stephen Pern was of a generation blessed with both curiosity and an ability to impart that to a reader in an engaging manner. Recommended.

Book from my shelves:

The Great Divide- A Walk Through America Along the Continental Divide, by Stephen Pern. Viking, published by the Penguin Group, 1988. ISBN 0-670-82100-4

[source: https--threepointsofthecompass.com/2021/02/20/a-hikers-library-the-great-divide-by-stephen-pern]

At the age of 32, Stephen Pern crossed over from his native England to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Five months and two weeks later he arrived at the Canadian border. He averaged 16 miles and half a pack of cigarettes a day...

The funniest travel book I've read since Eric Newby...

Tangoes of pure and brash elegance...

Mr. Pern is more than a superb walker. He is a gifted writer...his book is travel writing at its best...

All alone and on foot, Stephen Pern has discovered America...

Reading The Great Divide is like being the companion Stephen Pern didn't take with him....

Poetry and Motion... Pern is a joy to read...


Amazon Reviews

In the tradition of Least Heat Moon's 'Blue Highways' and Bryson's 'In A Sunburned Country' ... Pern takes each encounter and uses it to reflect a bit of the American psyche...

...spilling imagery as brilliant as the mountains he traverses. I felt his pain, I felt his joy. This is a must read.

This book is hilarious at times, actually MOST of the time! I found myself laughing out loud (something very few books have been able to do to me!)...

...compelling reading for anyone considering backpacking even part of the trail - and anyone trying to understand rural America...

Description

Englishman walks from Mexico to Canada along The Great Divide. Lots of pix and maps.

[source: https--www.amazon.com]

Growing up on a dairy farm in Sussex, England, Stephen Pern was fascinated by the American West. As an adult, he spent six months walking 2,500 miles through the West, along the Continental Divide. Here is his irreverent, engaging account of the trek--a story of blisters and beauty, of off-beat characters and surprising insights.

[source: https--www.thriftbooks.com]

The Great Divide - Stephen Pern. Viking Books, $17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-670-82100-6

Reflecting on his journey along the nation's spine, Pern remarks that the route showed him more of a continent than a country. He started his walk at Antelope Wells, N.Mex.; five-and-a-half months later, he crossed into Canada from Glacier National Park with more than 2500 miles behind him. Pern (The Beach of Morning) recounts his adventures in low-key fashion. There were few life-threatening episodes, though he did confront a grizzly bear, tumbled off a cliff and shivered through scary electrical storms. He reminds us that the Continental Divide is a geographic feature, not an established trail; hikers must choose their own routes through the rugged terrain. Pern is at his most entertaining when he describes his encounters with the quaint but friendly natives; this Englishman doesn't understand Americans although he likes them. His lighthearted approach to serious walking and his interest in the natural world will attract readers who enjoy the outdoorsactively or vicariously.

[source: https--www.publishersweekly.com/9780670821006]

Backpacking Films for when you Can't go Backpacking [2021-03-22]

There may be light at the end of the lockdown tunnel, but if you've been stuck at home through winter and into spring, the thought of striding free on a multi-day journey through the wilds will seem both hugely appealing and still tantalisingly just out of reach. Hang in there, freedom is coming. Meanwhile, anyone can dream big - and here are some backpacking films to help you do just that.

Hooks

Stephen Pern drops the latch on his South Coast home and heads for the open hills, or rather the open hill shelters, the hundred or so MBA-maintained bothies which are scattered across upland Britain. His mission is to supply each shelter with hanging points for wet clothes and gear, his supply of hooks and screws gradually diminishing over the course of his 3000 mile walk. It's funny, original and engaging, and despite the quirky hook (see what we did there?) the whole enterprise feels very genuine.

...

[source: https--www.ukhillwalking.com/news/2021/03/backpacking_films_for_when_you_cant_go_backpacking-72672]

[2009-06-22]

This is, thus far, this book is the most helpful book I've read as far as "what to expect" in backpacking the CDT. The drawback is that the author backpacked the Divide BEFORE the CDT was formally under the way of construction. This book is hilarious at times, actually MOST of the time! I found myself laughing out loud (something very few books have been able to do to me!). On a serious note, one can glean information about how difficult a through-hike can be and some of the mental and physical challenges one can anticipate as well as surprises.

I enjoyed the historical aspects the author brings to light about the various areas along his expedition and the insight provided into the folks who live along the Continental Divide.

Great book!

Doris [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2020-02-24]

Having already hiked the CDT, from Mexico to Canada , this was a pretty clear accessment of what you might go through to hike the length of The Divide. Stephen hikes this in 1987 which is early on. Now with planning guides, well written guide and data books and GPS, you can keep yourself from getting lost along this route. The official trail is not the route to take.

Stephen did some parts of his 'route' different from my route and everybody has to choose what route to take themselves which is kind of fun. What is especially unique about The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is the average elevation along this 2500 mile plus route is about 7000 ft above sea level. The motto of the trail is "Embrace the Brutality".

Read this book to really get the flavor of the trail and good luck.

David Kessler [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2017-07-27]

Engaging storyteller that managed to capture the monotonous nature of a long hike without writing a monotonous book. It will take some time before I don't think of this book while pooping in the woods after his section on the merits of various natural toilet papers aka rocks.

Eric [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2017-08-08]

Great descriptions & love his British perspective

I've read a number of memoirs written by thru hikers and this is one of my favorites. Beautifully written and wonderful observations ranging from wry to humble.

Laura [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

--- Over (foto 2): Stephen Pern ---

Weekend Warm-Up: Hooks [2020-09-19]

Stephen Pern is probably best known either for his 1990s film Down the Spine of Japan or for his book The Great Divide: A Walk Along the Continental Divide of the United States. But in 2012, he embarked on a project much closer to home: to improve the bothies (walking shelters) scattered around upland Britain.

From his years of walking around the UK, he found that the main problem in the bothies was that they didn't have enough hooks (or any) to hang wet clothes and gear from. His modest but important mission: Put hooks in all these bothies.

Most of them are in the highlands and islands of Scotland, with some scattered around Wales and northeast England. And there lies the first challenge: Pern lives on the South Coast, so has quite a walk before he can start tackling his hook project.

As he dashes around the UK, often in florescent pink shorts, he also gives a running commentary on the places he walks through. He provides fascinating insights into the history, geology and wildlife of the areas he zigzags through, as he tries to hit over 100 bothies. This film is not just a diary of Pern's seven-month walk. It is a history lesson, a glimpse at the wildlife and landscapes that the UK has to offer, and the tale of someone trying to make life a little better for the entire walking community.

Rebecca McPhee [source: https--explorersweb.com/weekend-warm-up-hooks]

Follow Stephen Pern on his epic journey in aid of Britain's bothies [2016-07-06]

Stephen Pern has been on a mission - a mission on foot to supply each of Britain's bothies with hanging points for wet clothes and gear. Watch the video below to see how he got on during his 3000-mile quest in service of our bothies.

Isobel Duxfield [source: https--www.tgomagazine.co.uk/news/one-mans-mission-to-update-britain]