When Dr. Dave Mallory's teenage son asked him to spend twelve days hiking through the rugged mountains of northern New Mexico, Dave didn't hesitate, even though, by his own admission, he had no business saying yes. At forty-eight years old, out of shape, and years removed from his college basketball days, Dave threw himself into six months of training sessions. Then, the day before departure, he broke his toe.

He went on the trip anyway.

Trail to the Tooth is the story of what happened next: twelve days on the trail at Philmont Scout Ranch, the legendary 140,0000-acre wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that has shaped the character of young people for more than eight decades. Alongside eleven fellow Scouts and leaders from Toledo's Troop 87, Dave and his son Ryan tackled seventy miles of backcountry terrain, summiting peaks above 11,000 feet, crossing a stream fifty-two times in one day, dodging lightning, and fighting off swarms of mosquitoes.

Each evening on the trail, Dave recorded his thoughts on a small cassette player. Twenty years later, he unearthed those recordings, leading to this book. Part memoir and part love letter to his son, Trail to the Tooth will resonate with anyone who has ever laced up a pair of hiking boots, worn a Scout uniform, or simply said yes when someone they loved asked them to go a little farther than they thought they could.