The second edition of Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail has now been published in both paperback and Kindle format. This narrative of 6’11” Bill Walker’s (Skywalker)thru-hike attempt of the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada, has been popular in the hiking community since its initial publication two years ago. However, there were some formatting inconsistencies in the...

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My most basic advice for an aspiring thru-hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail is twofold: First, regardless of how strange it seems, you must buy a pair of low-cut trail running shoes that are at least one size larger than normal. The surface in the desert is so scalding that your feet will turn into kangaroo feet. And please, under no circumstances wear boots. The thought of boots in the desert (and resulting silver dollar-sized blisters) is truly...

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“Nobody in particular looked like a murderer or rapist, but nobody in particular didn’t look like one either.” That line is a sample quote from Cheryl Strayed’s powerful Pacific Crest Trail narrative, ‘Wild’. You’ve got to hand it to her. She meets the Pat Conroy test. “I want it all,” Conroy has written about what she is looking for in the books he reads. “That’s all I ask for an...

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Like most hikers and authors, I love doing presentations to groups. Heck, you spend almost six months thru-hiking, around the most diverse cast of characters imaginable, passing through almost every type of weather possible, feeling half-starved, dehydrated, scared to death (if you’re me!), and bone-tired. And then if you decide to write about it–as I’m wont to do–you spend approximately the next year obsessing over...

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“If you want to see America, hike the Appalachian Trail,” I have told many Camino de Santiago pilgrims. “Don’t go to Disney World or Las Vegas.” This is sincere advice. Having lived and traveled extensively overseas, I am acutely sensitive to the persistent current of anti-Americanism running through Europeans of all stripes. A discussion of the origins of this virus is beyond the purview of this article. But...

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The outdoor narrative, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail (2010), will be available for free Amazon Kindle upload on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23. This is the story of 6’11” Bill Walker’s (Skywalker) 2009 hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2,663 miles from the California-Mexico border to the Washington-Canada border. It is renowned in the hiking community for...

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