The story plunges readers into the world of Johnnie Grey, a young man forged by the Great Depression in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks. Readers will recognize a landscape rich with local history as Johnnie’s story unfolds, from his makeshift schooling in the basement of St. Eustace’s Episcopal Church to the bustling Main Street during the 1932 Olympics. The book vividly portrays his time with the Civilian Conservation Corps building the Wilmington Trail on Whiteface Mountain and a dramatic pre-war rescue of a lost Boy Scout troop during a blizzard on Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Central to the narrative are historical figures with deep local ties, including famed Norwegian-American skier Rolf Monsen, who mentors the young protagonist. Characters in the story follow the drumbeat to war by reading dispatches in the Lake Placid News, which appears throughout the novel.

“I grew up hearing stories of the 10th, but it wasn’t until this project that I truly understood how its spirit was born in the Adirondacks,” said Looby. “I wanted to walk in my father’s footsteps, from the ski trails of Whiteface to the battlefields of Italy. This novel is my attempt to share that journey and honor local legends like Rolf Monsen who shaped these boys into soldiers.”

The Tenth Trail Mark transports readers from the familiar woods of the Adirondacks to the harrowing winter of 1945 in Italy. There, these patrollers-turned-soldiers undertook an impossible mission: scaling the sheer, icy cliffs of Riva Ridge to shatter the German Gothic Line, a victory that fundamentally altered the course of the war in Europe. At its heart, the novel is a testament to how the Adirondack ethos of courage, resilience, and service became a pivotal force for Allied victory.

Blending a poignant coming-of-age story with meticulously researched history, The Tenth Trail Mark is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and gripping World War II narratives.

The Tenth Trail Mark is available for purchase as an eBook on Amazon. For more information, visitthetenthtrailmark.com

Looby is a U.S. Navy veteran, Eagle Scout and avid outdoorsman whose work is profoundly inspired by his father, Jim Looby, a World War II veteran of the 10th Mountain Division. Joe resides near Charleston, SC, with his family, but he gets to Lake Placid–a vital source of inspiration–as often as possible.