The 16th annual Appalachian Trail Days Festival was held in Damascus, Virginia this past weekend. Damascus, of course, is a magical place for Appalachian Trail hikers. It is widely billed as the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail. White blazes lead hikers right out of the mountains and onto the main streets. My booth featured my two ‘Skywalker’ narratives on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. But the book that garnered...

Are you looking for something in our Sports & Outdoors books department? If so, you might be interested in these items. Skywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail by Bill Walker Price: $10.95 John Muir Trail: The essential guide to hiking America’s most famous trail by Elizabeth Wenk, Kathy Morey List Price: $17.95 Price: $12.21 You Save: $5.74...

Unlike on the Appalachian Trail, a Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hiker is often forced to hike in the snow. The most snowy mountain passes are in the ‘High Sierra’, however a thru-hiker can expect more snow fields in the northern Cascades. The general consensus amongst PCT (and John Muir Trail) hikers is to clear one snowy pass per day. The best time to do that is usually in the late morning, allowing the early morning ice and crust to...

Mount Rainier in Washington state is the highest mountain in the northern Cascades. The Pacific Crest Trail skirts Rainier; but fortunately it does not cover the summit of the peak. That would be flat out dangerous given that Rainier is a so-called ‘technical climb’, requiring crampons, ice axes, and more. Periodically there are deaths on Rainier, almost always having to do with sudden weather change. Further south in Oregon, PCT...

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is 219 miles long. It runs southbound from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, and takes most hikers about 15 days to do. Thus, a person with a fulltime job still might be able to do the JMT. Personally, I think it rates as the greatest short-to-medium distance hiking trail in the United States. In fact, it covers the very most gorgeous parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, running through the High Sierra. Bill Walker is the...

Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Bill Walker, will be available Saturday, April 21st, for a free upload on Amazon Kindle as part of the Amazon KDP Select program. The last time a free special was run on these two books, more than 1,800 readers took advantage of the special in just two days. Both books are currently in the top 1 or 2% on Amazon, so it is...