This is the cover for the paperback and Kindle versions of Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail. The book was orginally printed in hardback form. Two runs of 1,500 were done by Indigo Publishing. Last year I had sold out of all 3,000 copies. That was the good news. The bad news is the publisher went broke. Thus, I have created this new version (exact same text) with what some consider a whimsical cover, panning my height. It...

PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) hikers receive loads of advice on how to handle the snowy passes in the ‘High Sierra’. Generally, it is suggested (Yogi’s PCT Handbook) to attempt to clear the mountain pass in the late morning after the pass is no longer icy. Then the hiker should try to get down from the mountain pass in the early afternoon before the snow turns mushy, thus avoiding postholing. Often thru-hikers will glissade down a...

PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) hikers can expect to run into rattlesnakes at various points in the desert, which is exactly where a PCT hiker is the first 703 miles. They certainly seemed a lot more at home out there than we hikers! One thru-hiker picked up the trail name, ‘Snake Charmer’, when a rattlesnake lunged at him and bounced off his shoe. Some tried hiking at night to avoid the awful heat of the desert. This allowed them to make...

Most PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) hikers expected the desert to be table-top flat and monotonous. How wrong we were! In fact, the desert proved quite mountainous and jagged at various points. We even ran into heavy snow fields on Fuller’s Ridge. The good news is that in this so-called high desert, the PCT hiker gets some breathtaking views out into the vast expanses of the desert. Only when we got to the Mojave, were we walking all day in the...

After 703 miles in the desert, PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) hikers enter the so-called ‘High Sierra’. This section traverses the highest points on the entire American mainland, including Mount Whitney (14,494 feet) and Forrester’s Pass. Most hikers consider this section the highlight of the PCT. Indeed, the High Sierra has an alpen glow, that mixed in with the daunting peaks and snow, give it a certain ethereal majesty. PCT hikers...