This is the story of one couple's 3,000-mile trek along America's backbone, from a dusty border town in Mexico to the snowfields of Glacier National Park on the boundary with Canada. Along the way they must cope with long stretches of trail without water and others with deep snow; for much of the journey, they must navigate with no trail at all. A tale of adventure, this is also a story of the American West and the ways in which it has been "used, crossed, inhabited, cursed, logged, grazed, and climbed." The authors write with insight about the history, environment, and politics of the region as they pass through grazing lands and reservations, mines and ghost towns, and miles and miles of wilderness.