Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader

by Rees Hughes (Editor), Howard Shapiro (Editor)

Overview

"Crossing Paths is an informative, enchanting anthology of stories and poems by Pacific Crest Trail-lovers" ― Foreword Reviews

• Contributors include Cheryl Strayed, Carrot Quinn, Barney "Scout" Mann, Aspen Matis, Nicholas Kristof, Heather Anderson, Will "Akuna" Robinson, and many more
• Shares new stories over the last decade to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original PCT Readers
• Sidebars address some of the issues affecting the PCT today
• Includes a map of the PCT to follow along with the stories

What’s it like to be a trail angel and can romance truly blossom from first meeting to marriage on the Pacific Crest Trail? How do trail names get bestowed and what does it mean when you find yourself roaring back at a mountain lion? How have climate change, technology, and the sheer number of hikers affected life on the PCT?

Find the answers to all these questions, and so many more, in the diverse writings gathered in Crossing Paths, an anthology of stories and poems written by PCT hikers. Reflecting the contributors’ rich and varied individual experiences, this collection includes both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, from dodging lightning strikes on an exposed ridge south of Sonora Pass or surviving early fall snowstorms in the Cascades, to deeply personal walks-as-therapy following military service or cancer treatment. The selection represents geographic, gender, ethnic, and age diversity, and strives to reflect the totality and depth of life on the trail.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680515701
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	04/15/2022
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Growing up in the wilds of Kansas, Rees Hughes found the lure of the mountains so irresistible that he traded the flatlands for Seattle, the Cascades, and finally Northern California’s Klamath Knot. Although he has hiked all over the world, the Pacific Crest Trail has been his true love for more than 40 years. The author of a popular hiking guide, Hiking Humboldt, Rees also serves on the board of the Bigfoot Trail Alliance and coordinates a local Volunteer Trail Stewards program.

After a forty-year teaching career that included a focus on students with special needs, Howard Shapiro retired from full-time teaching in 2016. He has spent more than four decades hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and recently completed all sections. In addition to spending countless hours in the North Cascades near his home, Howard has hiked extensively in Europe, Nepal, Canada, and elsewhere. He joined the editorial team for The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader website in 2017.

Table of Contents

The Pacific Crest Trail map 11

Foreword: The Never-Ending Story of the Pacific Crest Trail Liz Bergeron 13

Introduction: Why This Book 15

Pacific Crest Trail Pioneers Bill Roberts Peggy Goshgarian 21

Southern California Land of Little Rain

Covering California Section A-Section F Campo Warner Springs San Gorgonio Pass Cajon Pass Agua Dulce Tehachapi Pass Walker Pass

I Loved the Desert the Best Carrot Quinn 30

Trail Names Barney "Scout" Mann 34

A Short Interview with Barney "Scout" Mann Rees Hughes 37

Une Promenade de Santé Philippe Gouvet 39

Just North of Campo and Day 32, May 3 Barbara Wiedemann 44

"We Have Trevor" Doug Laher 46

Full Circle: San Bernardino Forest to the Desert Floor Parti "Glow in the Dark" McCarthy 53

A Wedding on the Trail Claire Henley Miller 57

Farewell to Angels Eric Smith 63

"Stupid Should Hurt" and Other Observations Scott Gnile 67

Winter Hiking in the Tehachapis Karen "Whisper" Friedrichs 71

Unexpected Rachel Newkirk 75

Southern Sierra Range of Light

Covering California Section G-Section I Walker Pass Mount Whitney John Muir Trail Tuolumne Meadows Sonora Pass

Rattlesnake and Bear Sue Kettles 80

Return to Osa Meadow Greg "Strider" Hummel 82

Please Don't Drown, He Said Gail D. Storey 86

From Where I Stand: John Muir and the Complicated Issue of White Wilderness Rees Hughes 90

Walking Thru: A Couple's Adventure on the PCT Mike Tyler 92

A Battered, Bruised, and Humbling Kind of Day Andy Dischekenyan Laurie Kramer 97

Cleansing Dirt, by Crystal Gail "The Giver" Welcome 101

A Future Filled with Gratitude Steve Ghan Anna Marston Brad Marston 106

The Perfect Gift Glenn William Jolley 111

The Pacific Crest Trail: An Epilogue Shawnté Salabert 115

Hard Walking Gwynneth Smith 118

The Palm of God Mark Collins 120

Northern Sierra Mountains and Rivers Without End

Covering California Section J-Section M Sonora Pass Echo Lake Donner Pass Yuba River Feather River Canyon Belden

"To the Class of 2013" and "Snow and More Snow" Barbara Wiedemann 126

A Pass to Remember Kit Mitchell 128

Botanizing the Pacific Crest Trail Matt Berger 132

Protecting the PCT One Parcel at a Time Megan Wargo 136

Girl in the Woods Aspen Matis 138

Hoofprints and Footprints Rosemary L. Broome Chloe S. Lalonde 142

Technology and the Trail Jack Haskel 148

Snowstorm: Sierra City to Bucks Lake David H. Baugher 154

Friends in High Places Megan Kirkpatrick 159

Cascades and the Klamath Knot the Realm of Fire

Covering California Section N-Section R Belden Feather River Canyon Lassen Peak Burney Falls Castle Crags Etna Summit Seiad Valley California Border

The Moving Midpoint of the PCT Rees Hughes 166

Walking Hat Creek Rim Without Water Keith Foskett 167

The Mouse Caper The Ravens 171

Wild Cheryl Strayed 174

The Things They Carried Dorothy "Bacon Bit" Brown-Kwaiser 179

A Good Place For Maniacs Chuck McKeever 181

Finding Healing in Nature Will "Akuna" Robinson 184

Fire! Michael "Pause" Meyer 188

The Klamath Mules Bill Roberts 191

The Oregon Cascades Forests Forever

Covering Oregon Section A-Section G California Border Fish Lake Crater Lake Cascade Crest Willamette Pass McKenzie Pass Barlow Pass Columbia River

Going to Meet the Devil, by Bob Welch 202 Snow Joke Kathryn Barnes 196

Facing My Fears on Three-Fingered Jack Russell "Morrissey" Mease 206

Cold Going Shawn Forry 210

The Epic Winter Hike of Forry and Lichter Howard Shapiro 214

Growing Up on the PCT Nicholas Kristof 217

Thirst Heather Anderson 223

It Seems That Every Year Is the Year of Fire Mark Larabee 227

Gidget Does Section G Ben Dake 231

The Columbia and Volcanic Washington Lava, Moss, and Lichens

Covering Washington Section H-Section I Columbia River Bridge of the Gods White Pass Mount Rainier Snoqualmie Pass

A Wandering Minstrel Mark Votapek 238

Crossing Paths Alice Tulloch 244

From Where I Stand: Leave No Trace-from Ultralight to Post-Carbon Hiking Alice Tulloch 247

Breaking the PCT Speed Record Rees Hughes 249

Tender Is the Night Kasey Koopmans 255

"Pastor Mary, I Don't Think We Should Take the Rest of the Church on This Hike" Mary E. Davison 258

Wanted: Site with a Lake View Barbara Wiedemann 263

Weathering the Storm Heather "Mama Bear" Burror 265

Serenity Now Aer Parris 270

The North Cascades the Great White North

Covering Washington Section J-Section L Snoqualmie Pass Stevens Pass Glacier Peak Rainy Pass Manning Provincial Pass

The Trail Provides David Smart 274

The PCT Family Barbara Wiedemann 278

A Southbound Adventure Christine "Dormouse" Martens 280

Ordeal by Ice and Snow Ian Sarmento 285

Sasquatch and Spirits Tami Asars 290

Trail and Distance on the PCT Robert Birkby 292

The New Nomad's List of 101 Truly Compelling Reasons to Go on a Very Long-Distance Hike Kimberlie Dame 297

The Pleasure of Your Company Howard Shapiro 301

Attitudes and Layers: Last One to Canada Wins Natalie Fisher 304

Larch Madness Howard Shapiro 310

Dealing with the Post-Trail Blues Kathleen "Token" Neves 311

Epilogue: A Call for Action 315

Acknowledgments 317

Contributing Writers 320

Editorial Reviews

This book covers the gamut of events that can happen along 2,650 miles of wilderness trail. There are mishaps with mice, and encounters with snakes, bears and cougars. There are moments of solitude and episodes of fellowship. There’s an impromptu wedding between hikers who meet on the trail and become soulmates. In sum, 'Crossing Paths' will leave you wanting s’more.

Discover Our Coast - Barbara L McMichael

...this anthology covers a wide variety of themes relating to the trail, from climate change to increasing foot traffic to the role of technology on trail. The different authors also wrote in a range of tones, which reflects the scope of emotions and experiences that one has on trail.

The Trek - Penina Satlow

Enhanced by beautiful illustrations, the anthology testifies to human hunger for contact with the natural world, for a place where the noise of civilization ceases and inner messages can be heard; where the roughness of human conflict is replaced with the kindness of “trail angels,” and where solitary communion with nature dissolves strife and striving into the vastness of distant horizons...Crossing Paths is an informative, enchanting anthology of stories and poems by Pacific Crest Trail-lovers who have met its challenges and been touched by its beauty, magic, and transformative power.

Kristine Morris