Discovering Eden is a story of exciting adventure in the remote Montana mountain landscape known as the Crown of the Continent. It is the true story of city people who, in 1965, venture into Glacier National Park where they encounter a land of soaring mountains, icy lakes, racing rivers and emptiness. Don and Sue Sullivan learn the ways of wilderness, experience unexpected awe and joy, even survive a grizzly attack. This mountain wilderness calls them back again and again and in the process, transforms their lives. Discovering Eden is a book for those who have not had a taste of adventure in the back country, giving a glimpse of what the world was like ten and twenty thousand years ago before ipads and smart phones. That world remains a world of the "here and now" where tomorrow doesn't matter much and today does. This book conveys at least a hint of the "nourishment of the soul" that vast vistas across empty landscapes can provide. When, in 1981, the Sullivans buy an original homestead in the North Fork Flathead Valley next door to the Park, they learn to live "off the grid" - without electricity, phone or much else. There they encounter grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, Canadian lynx, moose, elk - even the rare wolverine. They find that the few people who live along the 65 mile dirt road bordering the Park tend toward characteristics more prevalent, perhaps, a century ago; self-reliance, toughness, courage, patience, with time to give their neighbor a warm smile and a helping hand. The Sullivan family learns the incredible story of Tom Reynolds, previous owner of their homestead and one of the North Fork Valley's early settlers. An Englishman orphaned at age 6, Tom finds in the Sullivans the family he has longed for all his life. During the following three decades, Don and Sue encounter threats to the unspoiled North Fork environment posed by mining, oil and gas exploration and encroaching civilization. With those few hardy, self-reliant, adventurous souls who live in the North Fork, they fight to preserve a land that remains as it has been since it left the hand of its Creator. Discovering Eden is, in many ways, a story of how the world was in the past; a simpler time in a more peaceful world. The remote northwest corner of Montana remains a place where there is time to look at a wildflower, skip stones over an alpine lake and listen, really listen to a friend.
About the Author: Donald Sullivan spent 35 years as a creative writer, creative director and chief executive for large multinational advertising agencies, writing television commercials for Acura, Bank of America, Pillsbury, Miller Brewing, Kraft, Kellogg's and other Fortune 500 companies. He has worked in 19 countries on four continents. He attended Northwestern University and has degrees in journalism from the Medill School and business from the Kellogg School. Don has spent 47 years hiking and camping in the back country of Glacier National Park. He has owned property in Montana's remote North Fork Flathead Valley for more than 30 years and has been a leader in working to preserve the pristine environment of this rare, unspoiled place. Don is Chairman of the North Fork Compact, one of the first land use planning organizations in Montana. He is a member of the North Fork Preservation Assn., North Fork Landowners' Assn. and Headwaters Montana. He has been married to Suzanne for 49 years and together they have three children and three grandchildren. They currently reside in Montana and Maryland. Don has written and is in the process of publishing two books of fiction; The Secret Archives Conspiracy and The Wages of War.