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Seven Summers
SEVEN SUMMERS, a sequel to Cascade Summer (2012), answers one question among After “just doing Oregon,” can two sixty-something brothers-in-law complete the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail that defeats more than half those who attempt it? Poignant, poetic, and fall-down funny, this endearing story from the award-winning Welch will help readers understand the soul of America’s iconic trail, laugh in the face of aging, celebrate friendship, and—hikers or not—consider living life with more thirst for adventure.
“Pure Trail Magic ... I devoured this book like a fresh stack of pancakes, as will any reader who loves a grand adventure.”
—Noah Strycker, author, Birding Without An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World, and a 2011 PCT thru-hiker who reached Canada
“After reading scores of accounts of walking the Pacific Crest Trail that begin in the desert south and proceed linearly and predictably, Bob Welch’s account of completing the PCT with his brother-in-law, Glenn, is refreshingly bumpy. Written with self-deprecating humor, Seven Summers seems part Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, part Barney Mann’s Journeys North, but all uniquely The Oregon Boys."
—Rees Hughes, Co-Editor, Crossing A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader (2022), A Pacific Crest Trailside California (2011), and A Pacific Crest Trailside Oregon and Washington (2011)
“With Twain-like humor and humility, Welch reveals life on one of America’s greatest trails ... makes you laugh out loud, and sometimes cringe in sympathy ... well worth the trip.”
—James Meacham, co-editor, The Atlas of Oregon and The Atlas of Yellowstone
“A splendid tale of American can-do-ism delivered by a master storyteller ... One needn’t be a long-distance hiker to be captivated by this remarkably crafted story of friendship, teamwork, and commitment.”
—Stu McDowell, author, The Last Lighthouse Keeper
“Toggles from reverence to irreverence, taking us to spiritual heights on lofty peaks, then hurtling us back down to earth ... You’re going to love this book!”
—A. Lynn Ash, author, Solo Camper Out West
“Pure Trail Magic ... I devoured this book like a fresh stack of pancakes, as will any reader who loves a grand adventure.”
—Noah Strycker, author, Birding Without An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World, and a 2011 PCT thru-hiker who reached Canada
“After reading scores of accounts of walking the Pacific Crest Trail that begin in the desert south and proceed linearly and predictably, Bob Welch’s account of completing the PCT with his brother-in-law, Glenn, is refreshingly bumpy. Written with self-deprecating humor, Seven Summers seems part Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, part Barney Mann’s Journeys North, but all uniquely The Oregon Boys."
—Rees Hughes, Co-Editor, Crossing A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader (2022), A Pacific Crest Trailside California (2011), and A Pacific Crest Trailside Oregon and Washington (2011)
“With Twain-like humor and humility, Welch reveals life on one of America’s greatest trails ... makes you laugh out loud, and sometimes cringe in sympathy ... well worth the trip.”
—James Meacham, co-editor, The Atlas of Oregon and The Atlas of Yellowstone
“A splendid tale of American can-do-ism delivered by a master storyteller ... One needn’t be a long-distance hiker to be captivated by this remarkably crafted story of friendship, teamwork, and commitment.”
—Stu McDowell, author, The Last Lighthouse Keeper
“Toggles from reverence to irreverence, taking us to spiritual heights on lofty peaks, then hurtling us back down to earth ... You’re going to love this book!”
—A. Lynn Ash, author, Solo Camper Out West
510 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2023
14 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 17, 2023
I’ve been waiting a long time — at least seven summers — to read this book. It was worth the wait.
When my former newsroom colleague Bob Welch first told me that he and his brother-in-law Glenn Petersen had revised their goal — from walking the 456-mile Oregon stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail to covering the entire 2,650-mile distance from the Mexican to Canadian border — I knew there would be a great read waiting for me at the end of the trail.
Welch does a grand job of bringing you along with him on what actually ends up being an 11-year adventure. Almost like a political thriller, the book is a page-turner — you want to know if the next bend is going to bring a spectacular vista, an unexpected new friend, some comedic relief, or a near disaster.
Intellectually, I understood that the trail had to be physically exhausting. Bob and his brother-in-law, aka “The Oregon Boys,” averaged 18 miles a day (at 2 mph); some days were closer to 25 miles, and many began at 4 a.m. or earlier to beat the afternoon’s oppressive heat. At night, Welch would sometimes sleep under the stars — not because the view was so grand but because he was literally too tired to set up his tent. Bob and Glenn were, for most of their adventure, in their 60s; most of the other hikers they encountered on the trail were in their 20s and 30s.
What I didn’t fully appreciate is how downright treacherous the trail can be — snow and ice on perilous terrain at 10,000 feet or above; high-mountain lightning storms and bone-shivering cold; extreme desert temperatures that can produce heat exhaustion and vertigo; an encounter with a mountain lion; a mental exhaustion that can result in grumpiness, hopelessness or bad decision-making.
Other setbacks were just the stuff of life: Trail-closing wildfires, a pandemic, the death of family members back home.
So why bother? I thought Welch summarized it nicely with this paragraph: “I often felt alone on the PCT, but never lonely. Instead, I felt as if a guest touring a grand wilderness whose admission fee was paid for with sweat — as if everything around me, including the monarch butterflies, had been choreographed for the pleasure of hikers like me.”
A special bonus in Welch’s book are his maps and photos and especially his back-of-book lists. (Sampler: Total calories burned — 740,000. Showers taken while on trail — 8. Number of pairs of hiking shoes worn — 11. Number of lakes swam — 9. Number of shooting stars seen —11.)
Speaking of lists: By my count, I have now read 15 books by Welch, by far the most of any author. This is my favorite.
When my former newsroom colleague Bob Welch first told me that he and his brother-in-law Glenn Petersen had revised their goal — from walking the 456-mile Oregon stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail to covering the entire 2,650-mile distance from the Mexican to Canadian border — I knew there would be a great read waiting for me at the end of the trail.
Welch does a grand job of bringing you along with him on what actually ends up being an 11-year adventure. Almost like a political thriller, the book is a page-turner — you want to know if the next bend is going to bring a spectacular vista, an unexpected new friend, some comedic relief, or a near disaster.
Intellectually, I understood that the trail had to be physically exhausting. Bob and his brother-in-law, aka “The Oregon Boys,” averaged 18 miles a day (at 2 mph); some days were closer to 25 miles, and many began at 4 a.m. or earlier to beat the afternoon’s oppressive heat. At night, Welch would sometimes sleep under the stars — not because the view was so grand but because he was literally too tired to set up his tent. Bob and Glenn were, for most of their adventure, in their 60s; most of the other hikers they encountered on the trail were in their 20s and 30s.
What I didn’t fully appreciate is how downright treacherous the trail can be — snow and ice on perilous terrain at 10,000 feet or above; high-mountain lightning storms and bone-shivering cold; extreme desert temperatures that can produce heat exhaustion and vertigo; an encounter with a mountain lion; a mental exhaustion that can result in grumpiness, hopelessness or bad decision-making.
Other setbacks were just the stuff of life: Trail-closing wildfires, a pandemic, the death of family members back home.
So why bother? I thought Welch summarized it nicely with this paragraph: “I often felt alone on the PCT, but never lonely. Instead, I felt as if a guest touring a grand wilderness whose admission fee was paid for with sweat — as if everything around me, including the monarch butterflies, had been choreographed for the pleasure of hikers like me.”
A special bonus in Welch’s book are his maps and photos and especially his back-of-book lists. (Sampler: Total calories burned — 740,000. Showers taken while on trail — 8. Number of pairs of hiking shoes worn — 11. Number of lakes swam — 9. Number of shooting stars seen —11.)
Speaking of lists: By my count, I have now read 15 books by Welch, by far the most of any author. This is my favorite.
February 16, 2024
Bob Welch was 57 when he made the decision to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail. Eleven summers, twelve pairs of shoes, 2,831 miles and six million steps later he arrived at the Canadian border. Over the course of those years, he and hiking partner Glenn Peterson—the Oregon boys, they called themselves—were challenged by fire, rain, lightning, ice, snow, wind, steep trails at high altitude, dicey river crossings, the passing away of dear family members, and a COVID epidemic. There were long afternoon walks at temperatures in the triple digits and cold, numbing mornings on mountain passes that threatened hypothermia. They dealt with dehydration, heat exhaustion, injuries, illness, vertigo, recurring blisters, and gear failure; suffered water shortages, lost their way, and endured day after day of exhausting hikes. But there were plenty of exhilarating days and moments too, like the morning the pair summited 14,505 foot Mt. Whitney as the sky was brightening from pink to orange, or the afternoon they arrived at a lake “so beautiful, so alone in the middle of nowhere that it mesmerized me,” writes the author. They bonded with fellow hikers from Beaverton, Oregon to Australia, from Sitka, Alaska to Sri Lanka, stepped up to gasp at heavenly vistas, and by the time they reached the Canadian border had accomplished something that only a few hundred people per year ever manage to do in their lives. Welch and Peterson’s sectional hikes actually yielded enough material for two books, Cascade Summer, (2012) and now Seven Summers (And a Few Bummers), and this aging boomer-hiker, who will probably never experience the PCT any more than vicariously, recommends that you schlep along for the journey. You won’t be sorry.
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author (but had previously read it).
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author (but had previously read it).
January 15, 2024
Best PCT book I’ve read yet!! As someone who has dreamed of section hiking this phenomenal trail (and beginning in my home state of Oregon), I thoroughly enjoyed going in this journey with Bob and Glenn!! Thank you, Bob for writing this inspiring book!!!
November 17, 2024
this book gave me so much nostalgia after finishing my thru hike in september. i started the book pre trail and finished it post trail. reading it after finishing the trail made it hit soooo good, knowing every exact spot the author was talking about and reminiscing on my own time there. i miss trail 🫶🏼
October 18, 2023
As a PCT section hiker and native Oregonian I found this book to be a fascinating read. Bob Welch shared his stories of the trail with joy, humor and pathos. I loved his self-effacing approach to “senior” hiking of the PCT. A fun and inspiring book. Illustrations by Don White are wonderful as well!
September 12, 2023
This book is for those that have heard about the Pacific Coast Trail and want to read what is this trail, why so
Popular, not going to walk it, just want to know.
This book is a must if you are thinking of walking it or preparing to walk. All you need to know and some you did not think about and should know.
There are times you will laugh out loud. There are serious moments.
PCT is more than walking it, seeing what people who don’t walk it will never see unless they read the book.
This truly is Bob Welch at his best.
Popular, not going to walk it, just want to know.
This book is a must if you are thinking of walking it or preparing to walk. All you need to know and some you did not think about and should know.
There are times you will laugh out loud. There are serious moments.
PCT is more than walking it, seeing what people who don’t walk it will never see unless they read the book.
This truly is Bob Welch at his best.
September 16, 2023
Even if you are not a hiker, you should love this poignant, funny and very personal story of two 60+ brothers-in-law, who after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon, determined to finish the entire trail. It took 10 years! The Oregon Boys, Bob & Glenn, one a writer, the other a doctor, didn't always have a good time, interrupted by wildfires, illness and heat exhaustion in the Mojave desert, they still kept on going. There are many personal stories and a virtual catalog of all the great folks they met on the trail. The book is full of maps, photos and detailed lists of everything from what was in their packs, to how many miles they walked and elevations in each section. Even the acknowledgements were fun to read. Bravo!
March 17, 2024
I really enjoyed all the adventures shared with humor and compassion. Bob and Glenn are such great role models of what a strong and loving relationship should be. I was proud of their accomplishments. Their strength, perseverance, determination, and commitment to one another and the hike was remarkable. I loved getting to know them and some of the trail buddies they met. It’s amazing how a common goal can bring people together from all walks of life. I could feel their pain and their joy along the way. I did really have to pay attention to where they were since sometimes they were SoBo and sometimes NoBo. The illustrations were great. Loved all the pictures but agree with Bob that they should be in color. I would be happy to contribute to a new edition with color photographs. Well done!
December 22, 2023
Outstanding
I like his honesty, use of simile and graphic descriptions. I especially liked being introduced to a wide variety of interesting characters he met on the trail. It is a very enjoyable read.
I like his honesty, use of simile and graphic descriptions. I especially liked being introduced to a wide variety of interesting characters he met on the trail. It is a very enjoyable read.
April 11, 2024
A very fun read since “The Oregon Girls” (myself and a friend) are doing the same type of PCT hike. We have one more summer and will be done in seven summers. For us it’s part trail guide! Well written and enjoyable even if you have no plans to hike the PCT.
August 24, 2024
Great book to read if you're into adventure stories. Bob does a great job describing his feelings on trail as well as all the wonderful people he meets along the way. I found this book very cozy, and it was a great read for me when camping.
November 9, 2023
This was a 'can't put down' kind of story. If you cannot afford to walk the PCT, read Bob's book and capture the experience!
September 2, 2024
This was great on Audible. Loved all the "local" flavor (Portland native here), and as of someone who still dreams of doing the PCT - it was fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews