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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
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 9, 2026
A journal entry memoir of a family of six that hikes the PCT, and I have never felt so lazy or more inspired in my life.
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. 😅
March 16, 2026
What is not to love about the journey of a family and the real struggles with real kids.... just out in the wilderness for six months. Totally normal... yet it was. How does one motivate oneself, much less a kid, to just put one foot in front of the other?
February 25, 2026
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this. The narrator did a fantastic job. It was really cool to hear about this family's journey on the PCT (and it may have inspired me to want to do the same with my family, though I think I might die.)😄
Still, very inspiring.
Ultimately, what I took from this book was that it's about endurance and strength of mind/willpower. I can't imagine how challenging it would have been at times—especially when dealing with foot pain every day, among other things. Yet, the family prevailed right to the end (spoiler alert—they made it!)
I loved what the father had to say about facing trials and how they make us stronger. It's true that some people have to work a little harder than others in life. But we grow and adapt, and we're all the stronger for it. Lovely adventure and I love seeing pics and videos on the Strawbridge family Instagram page. It's neat to see some of the places where they'd trekked and have actual visuals to go along with what's being described.
Still, very inspiring.
Ultimately, what I took from this book was that it's about endurance and strength of mind/willpower. I can't imagine how challenging it would have been at times—especially when dealing with foot pain every day, among other things. Yet, the family prevailed right to the end (spoiler alert—they made it!)
I loved what the father had to say about facing trials and how they make us stronger. It's true that some people have to work a little harder than others in life. But we grow and adapt, and we're all the stronger for it. Lovely adventure and I love seeing pics and videos on the Strawbridge family Instagram page. It's neat to see some of the places where they'd trekked and have actual visuals to go along with what's being described.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2024
Look, "Pretty Good at Walking" isn't your typical trail memoir - it reads more like a novel, and a good one at that, especially considering this is a first-time author. While most hiking books are all about lone wolves finding themselves in the wilderness, this one drops you right into the middle of a family figuring it out as they go.
As a hiker myself, I appreciate - the dirt, the blisters, and the whining.
The story is told in the first person narrative from Dad's perspective, but he doesn't fall into that trap of making it all about his deep thoughts and feelings (though I gotta say, I wouldn't have minded a bit more of that). Instead, he gives voice to the other characters through some pretty well wrought dialogue. And just wait till you meet June - seriously, you're gonna fall in love with that kid.
Fair warning: if you're hoping for one of those "How to Crush Your Thru-Hike" guides, this isn't it.
But I would guess that even if you've never set foot on a trail in your life, this book is worth your time. Because at its heart, it's about how families handle the tough stuff together. And let's face it, we could all use a little wisdom there, whether we're scaling mountains or just trying to get through Tuesday.
As a hiker myself, I appreciate - the dirt, the blisters, and the whining.
The story is told in the first person narrative from Dad's perspective, but he doesn't fall into that trap of making it all about his deep thoughts and feelings (though I gotta say, I wouldn't have minded a bit more of that). Instead, he gives voice to the other characters through some pretty well wrought dialogue. And just wait till you meet June - seriously, you're gonna fall in love with that kid.
Fair warning: if you're hoping for one of those "How to Crush Your Thru-Hike" guides, this isn't it.
But I would guess that even if you've never set foot on a trail in your life, this book is worth your time. Because at its heart, it's about how families handle the tough stuff together. And let's face it, we could all use a little wisdom there, whether we're scaling mountains or just trying to get through Tuesday.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews