Thru-hikers become obsessed with backpack weight. I was no different. You would understand if you tried walking from Mexico to Canada. At the Lake Tahoe post office, I had agonized before finally deciding to send my gloves forward in the post to Washington State. It saved me two ounces–no small consideration. However, I would soon regret it. In northern California we got hit with a summertime storm, and many hikers were on the verge of...

Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail by Bill Walker Amazon paperback $10.95, Amazon Kindle $4.95 Details File Size:1347 KB Print Length:284 pages Sold by:Amazon Digital Services Language:English ASIN:B004HZXYX4 Text-to-Speech: Enabled Lending:Enabled Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,706 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Outdoors...

Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail was the top selling book on the Pacific Crest Trail throughout 2011 on Amazon.com. However, that has changed dramatically. Cheryl Strayed’s blockbuster new bestseller, ‘Wild’, has now soared to the top of the PCT book sales. In fact, her book is now #18 on all of Amazon. Think about that. There are currently 9,000,000 titles listed on Amazon.com. And within two months of...

I recently received the following message from Cheryl Strayed, author of the wildly popular book, ‘Wild’. Dear Skywalker, Thanks for the sweet words! And I totally agree with you that there is room for more than one book about the PCT. Mine is just one story of many. Happy trails! Best, Cheryl It is ironic. I had the top-ranked Pacific Crest Trail book (Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail) on Amazon. Then Cheryl...

Cheryl Strayed’s moving memoir of hiking the PCT alone, after her mother’s death, divorce with her still-loved husband, and heroin abuse is shining the focus on the Pacific Crest Trail. This is great news for everyone–especially those who have never heard about the PCT, but will end up on life-changing hikes on it some day. Yep, it definitely will happen. That’s the nature of the game. Mrs. Strayed mentions in her book...

I was blown away in 2005 by the “support culture” of trail angels, hostels, fiestas, you name it, honoring hikers passing through. I came back in 2010 and several new support networks had sprung up in the first two states. And now in 2012 it appears to be proliferating even further. An event at the beginning of March, originally called the Appalachian Trail Backpacking and Celebration Clinic has re-christened itself, the AT Kickoff,...