All proceeds from your purchase of Trail Tales will be used to support the Emerging Trail Leaders scholarship program.
In Trail Tales, Roger Bell brings to vigorous life his 35 years as a trailbuilder. With humor and wisdom, he confesses his misadventures as a rookie, relives hair-rising stories from mountain tops and deserts, and spins yarns of quirky characters they met along the way.
Roger Bell, President of Bellfree Contractors, Inc., is a Board member of American Trails and the Professional Trailbuilders Association. A leader in the trails community, he frequently speaks and writes about trail issues and innovations. He holds a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Washington and lives in Redlands, California, with his wife, Carol.
“This book shows trailbuilders as they really are: part cowboy, part naturalist, part inventor, part cat (nine lives), part crazy—but mostly the best characters you could ever hope to work with.”
– Troy Scott Parker, President, Natureshape, and author of Natural Surface Trails by Design
“The most accurate and entertaining book about trail life available today. A ‘must read’ for all trail enthusiasts.”
– Marvin Hegge, President, Trio Construction
“Roger Bell’s Trail Tales poetically winds its way through a lifetime of working in the woods. It shares the challenges, the joys, the anguish and, of course, the humor of those whose labors of love give us great trail experiences!”
– Bob Searns, Board Chair, American Trails, and Co-author of Trails for the 21st Century
“Invite some friends to sit around the campfire, grab a beer or a cappuccino, and enjoy some laughter as you read Roger Bell’s Trail Tales! Trailbuilders will take a trip down memory lane as they laugh alongside Roger, non-trailbuilders will gain a new appreciation for the complexity of the art, as well as the fun to be had ‘along the path.’ ”
– Pam Gluck, Executive Director, American Trails
“With his new book, Trail Tales, Roger Bell has captured the spirit, adventure, and hardships of being a trailbuilder. I laughed all the way through the book, but a few of the stories also brought a tear to my eye. I have been building trails for 15 years, and I only hope to maintain the enthusiasm Roger has after his 30 plus years. Trailbuilding is the most rewarding thing I have ever done, but also by far the hardest. Trail Tales does a great job of rhyming great stories that help to portray the life of a trailbuilder.”
– Woody Keen, President, Trail Dynamics, LLC; President, Professional Trailbuilders Association; Board of Directors, International Mountain Bicycling Association