The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) passes directly through Yosemite National Park. I had never been to Yosemite before. The Yosemite world of sheer rock cliffs and running, plunging water staggers the imagination. Waterfalls were seemingly everywhere. Most PCT thru-hikers took a day off and toured Yosemite Valley. This area had been preserved a century back when John Muir had convinced Theodore Roosevelt to include Yosemite Valley as a protected...

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is 2,663 miles long, and runs from Mexico to Canada. Unsurprisingly, it passes through several distinct regions of geography. First, of course is the desert (including part of the infamous Mojave). Many hikers’s dreams of thru-hiking cratered right there in this implacable milieu. Next, came the majestic High Sierra. This stretch of about 400 miles is often the most beautiful place a thru-hiker has seen in his...

Weight loss is one of the great challenges of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). I had lost 33 pounds on the Appalachian Trail. To be sure, it had been a problem. However, I had quickly recouped the weight by retaining my hiker’s appetite even after the AT hike was over. Bu the PCT represented a greater challenge. The distances between resupply are longer on the PCT than the AT. That usually means that a hiker will carry less weight for...

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...