Who We Are

Great Treks is the brainchild of Jeff Salvage &Kirk Markus. Jeff is a renowned race walking expert and author. Several years ago, Jeff took his interest in walking off the course and out on the trail. In fact he took it all the way to the base of Mt. Everest. There he met Kirk Markus, an intrepid traveler and backpacker who is always searching for a good trek and a good trekking partner. A friendship was forged and expeditions made; which all led to this website.

Jeff Salvage pursues his interests—trekking, photography, race walking, writing and computer technology—with a focus and intensity that can only be described as passionate. An internationally recognized walking expert, Salvage is The Arthritis Society of Canada’s National Trekking Trainer, cofounder of www.greattreks.com, as well as founder of www.racewalk.com. He’s written seven race walking books and a set of DVDs that are recognized world-wide as the most comprehensive, professional educational material available. Several of these are used to train the coaches of the world’s largest marathon training program, the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training program. Along with two-time Olympian Tim Seaman he cofounded Race Walking Clinics of Excellence, providing an unparalleled opportunity for the sport. In addition, many of his trekking and race walking articles appeared in Walk! Magazine and Active.com.

Complementing his writing achievements are his skills as a professional photographer. His sports photographs have appeared in Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine and countless newspapers across the U.S. His most recent publication, One Dress One Woman, One World, is a coffee table book documenting his and his wife’s travels with her wedding dress. Following its release it has gained much attention by local, national and world-wide media.

Off trail, Salvage teaches computer science at Drexel University while pursuing numerous creative projects. Check out Salvage's many sites at www.jeffsalvage.com.

From a suit in the halls of corporate America to a paintbrush at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, Kirk wears many hats, clothes and colors. However, he is most comfortable out on the trail in the remote wilderness. Over the years Kirk has led many friends on their inaugural backpacking and trekking trips at home in the Rockies and across the globe and, so far, all have lived to tell the tale. Kirk is a seasoned wanderer, having trekked and traveled to over fifty countries and all seven continents. The seeds were literally planted at a very young age. When Kirk was attempting to prepare the garden, with spade in hand, his mother looked out the window and asked, “Kirk, what are you doing?” Kirk replied, “Mommy, I’m turning the world over!” When not traveling Kirk shares time between Chicago and Colorado.