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Pretty Good at Walking: A family journey
“You want to do what?”
“Yeah, let’s hike from Canada to Mexico?”
“With the kids?”
Welcome to the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Strawbridge family found themselves shivering in a cold rain on a high pass in the North Cascade Mountains far from civilization and armed with little more than a vague notion of what it would take to walk 2650 miles up and down a wild and remote wilderness trail from Canada to Mexico.
“Can you even walk from Canada to Mexico? And with a family?”
Vince and Monica set out with their four children, ranging in age from 11 to 16, on the walk of a lifetime . Like any family adventure, it would be filled with squabbles and fun. An experience compounded all the more by mosquitoes, and bears,` and blisters, and plantar fasciitis, and dirt, and miscalculation of miles, and time, so much time.
It wasn’t a vision entirely without forethought. The kids were getting older and soon would be gone. Vince and Monica saw the value of immersing them in nature, sharing hardship that would be simple and clear. They knew there would be times when they would all lose heart and have to regain it. And times when it would feel like they had nothing left to give. But they also knew they would be doing it, every step, together.
Join the family as they traverse the United States from the top to the bottom, and listen in as they sort out what it means to be a family in pursuit of a goal that seemed unattainable.
“Yeah, let’s hike from Canada to Mexico?”
“With the kids?”
Welcome to the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Strawbridge family found themselves shivering in a cold rain on a high pass in the North Cascade Mountains far from civilization and armed with little more than a vague notion of what it would take to walk 2650 miles up and down a wild and remote wilderness trail from Canada to Mexico.
“Can you even walk from Canada to Mexico? And with a family?”
Vince and Monica set out with their four children, ranging in age from 11 to 16, on the walk of a lifetime . Like any family adventure, it would be filled with squabbles and fun. An experience compounded all the more by mosquitoes, and bears,` and blisters, and plantar fasciitis, and dirt, and miscalculation of miles, and time, so much time.
It wasn’t a vision entirely without forethought. The kids were getting older and soon would be gone. Vince and Monica saw the value of immersing them in nature, sharing hardship that would be simple and clear. They knew there would be times when they would all lose heart and have to regain it. And times when it would feel like they had nothing left to give. But they also knew they would be doing it, every step, together.
Join the family as they traverse the United States from the top to the bottom, and listen in as they sort out what it means to be a family in pursuit of a goal that seemed unattainable.
537 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2024
17 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 24, 2025
Intriguing!!!! They walked the entire PCT as a family! 🤯
January 2, 2025
As a former hiker who has raised three girls, I was amazed at how well this adventurous family managed this trip! I loved learning the personalities of the family, and watching the kids' growth as the journey progressed. I could see that the entire family.learned a lot about grace. I would love to read about their other adventures!
April 17, 2025
I had mixed emotions throughout the book. I found myself getting frustrated at the dad, especially at the beginning. I think he got wiser as the trail wore on though. At least that is what I perceived. Anyway, I ended up enjoying the story more as it progressed. My only wish during the book was to hear more perspectives from the other family members. I want to hear Monica’s side of the story. Her honest perspective would have made the story way better.
October 11, 2025
Quite an interesting story! I would have loved to hear more from the perspective of the kids throughout the book... still a solid listen. Inspires me to do something big with the kids. Not PCT big. Maybe more of a medium-sized adventure. 😅
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews