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A Walk with Mud: a story of two friends hiking from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Crest Trail
Mud and Bug both love the same hiking. Certain that this passion can transcend the complications of their relationship, they set off on a journey to walk from Canada to Mexico, 2,660 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Together, they brave snow-covered slopes in the Cascades of Washington, walk through lava fields in Oregon, navigate a smoky haze of wildfire in Northern California, climb eleven thousand foot mountain passes in the High Sierra and revel in the desolate beauty of the Mojave desert in fall. Shortly into the trek, they find that navigating their changing relationship is just as hard as navigating the wilderness. There's no doubt that each will complete the journey, but will they finish together? A Walk with Mud is an honest, compassionate look into the physical and emotional ups and downs of an epic journey. With graceful narration, this memoir puts you right in the center of the most beautiful places on the West Coast. Moments of love, heartbreak, humor and sincerity keep the story fresh and engaging up to the very last page.
- GenresNonfiction
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2016
34 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 16, 2016
You won't want to read this book unless you like lots of relationship drama. About half-way through this book I began just scanning each paragraph. I like hiking books that are about the hike and NOT books that suggest how awful I am because I choose to eat meat. I find it funny that the writer is a very committed vegan but doesn't give a thought to smoking weed and drinking lots of alcohol.
April 4, 2016
Walking 2600 miles from Canada to Mexico over some of the most treacherous terrain is a feat in itself. The little bitty parts of the PCT that I rode on my horse scared the bejeezus out of me at times. As we walk 2600+ miles with Mud and Bug, we are brought into their little world of an emotional roller coaster that really tests their relationship to the extreme. Want to walk the PCT from Canada to Mexico? Read this book.
November 3, 2018
Fascinating Journey
I don't know how thru-hikers conquer so many miles in often miserable conditions, then also manage to keep a detailed diary in order to write a book later! But I'm glad they do, because their adventures are fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed Bug's writing about not only the trail, but also her emotional and relationship struggles along this 4 month PCT hike. Well done!
I don't know how thru-hikers conquer so many miles in often miserable conditions, then also manage to keep a detailed diary in order to write a book later! But I'm glad they do, because their adventures are fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed Bug's writing about not only the trail, but also her emotional and relationship struggles along this 4 month PCT hike. Well done!
February 3, 2018
Heat Felt Story
The author does a great job of writing about two hikers trekking from Canada to Mexico. Their physical and emotional challenges are intriguing.
The author does a great job of writing about two hikers trekking from Canada to Mexico. Their physical and emotional challenges are intriguing.
January 2, 2017
Anna "Bug" Herby's story of her 2014 PCT thru-hike in A Walk With Mud: A Story of Two Friends Hiking from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Crest Trail is equal parts hiking story and tale of her slowly imploding relationship with her boyfriend and hiking partner "Mud".
Rather than starting from the Mexican border in April or May and heading north (north-bounders or "NoBos" in trail lingo), Bug and Mud's grad school completion dictated a south-bound hike, leaving the Canadian border in July. Bug's clear writing traces their route through the snowy passes of Washington, the volcanic landscape of Oregon, around a forest fire ravaged area to the breathtaking High Sierra country of California, and finishing in the desert.
I think Bug did as good a job of any PCT author at expressing love for the trail and the mountains of the west. She never glosses over the challenges, but she doesn't revel in them for self-aggrandizement or devolve into "misery porn" that some trail journals do. I would have liked to read more about her feel for the land she traveled over, as well as a little more logistics about her hike.
It's quickly obvious that Bug and Mud want different things both out of their PCT hike and out of life. The number of times that healing for their relationship was within the reach of either of them but they responded poorly is staggering. I was saddened because it was obvious that they both cared about each other, but neither one could express their own needs. Many passages boiled down to that they would approach the trail with different mindsets, fail to communicate those mindsets, and then wind up feeling hurt and alone. There are also some nice moments where they supported each other, having the right words or a hug to make the other feel better--they both strike me as good people, even if they couldn't make their relationship work. Instead of the shared challenge of the trail bringing them together, it felt like their hike was one of two solo hikers who shared a tent along 2,600+ miles of bittersweet moments.
At its best, A Walk With Mud is a beautiful, loving look at some of the gorgeous scenery of the Cascades and the Sierras. Mixed in is a tale of a fumbling, failing relationship between two people who discover that caring about each other and sharing activities isn't enough. The "older and wiser" tone of the narration and the hopeful epilogue underscores that their PCT experience wasn't lost, and I was left hoping that both Bug and Mud find happiness.
Rather than starting from the Mexican border in April or May and heading north (north-bounders or "NoBos" in trail lingo), Bug and Mud's grad school completion dictated a south-bound hike, leaving the Canadian border in July. Bug's clear writing traces their route through the snowy passes of Washington, the volcanic landscape of Oregon, around a forest fire ravaged area to the breathtaking High Sierra country of California, and finishing in the desert.
I think Bug did as good a job of any PCT author at expressing love for the trail and the mountains of the west. She never glosses over the challenges, but she doesn't revel in them for self-aggrandizement or devolve into "misery porn" that some trail journals do. I would have liked to read more about her feel for the land she traveled over, as well as a little more logistics about her hike.
It's quickly obvious that Bug and Mud want different things both out of their PCT hike and out of life. The number of times that healing for their relationship was within the reach of either of them but they responded poorly is staggering. I was saddened because it was obvious that they both cared about each other, but neither one could express their own needs. Many passages boiled down to that they would approach the trail with different mindsets, fail to communicate those mindsets, and then wind up feeling hurt and alone. There are also some nice moments where they supported each other, having the right words or a hug to make the other feel better--they both strike me as good people, even if they couldn't make their relationship work. Instead of the shared challenge of the trail bringing them together, it felt like their hike was one of two solo hikers who shared a tent along 2,600+ miles of bittersweet moments.
At its best, A Walk With Mud is a beautiful, loving look at some of the gorgeous scenery of the Cascades and the Sierras. Mixed in is a tale of a fumbling, failing relationship between two people who discover that caring about each other and sharing activities isn't enough. The "older and wiser" tone of the narration and the hopeful epilogue underscores that their PCT experience wasn't lost, and I was left hoping that both Bug and Mud find happiness.
December 16, 2017
Not enough talk about the trail and too much about how Bug was not happy. I just couldn't take the mood-swings. Not sure how Mud stayed!! On the other hand the books does show the difficulties of hiking with someone else.
February 9, 2017
Anna Herby is a wonderful writer. Her words paint landscapes, not merely pictures. However, I don't recall a single semicolon in the book. Thus, she wrote too many incomplete sentences. That slowed down the reading.
If that had been the only negative of the book, I would have added a star to the ratings. To be frank, her superb prose brought it up from what was almost certainly to be 2 stars.
The primary fault I had with Ms. Herby was her idea to walk the PCT with Mud. I thought it a bad idea from the start and it proved to be so, at least for me, as one who had to watch their relationship erode over two thousand miles. It didn't take long to wish she would jettison him and walk alone, which, in essence, she did for most of the hike, figuratively if not literally. They reminded me of couples I know who can get along only when doing one thing (and "that" isn't it).
This is the second "hiking" book I've read this year and neither one would I recommend.
Three stars waning.
If that had been the only negative of the book, I would have added a star to the ratings. To be frank, her superb prose brought it up from what was almost certainly to be 2 stars.
The primary fault I had with Ms. Herby was her idea to walk the PCT with Mud. I thought it a bad idea from the start and it proved to be so, at least for me, as one who had to watch their relationship erode over two thousand miles. It didn't take long to wish she would jettison him and walk alone, which, in essence, she did for most of the hike, figuratively if not literally. They reminded me of couples I know who can get along only when doing one thing (and "that" isn't it).
This is the second "hiking" book I've read this year and neither one would I recommend.
Three stars waning.
April 23, 2016
So I think BOTH of ya'll acted like ..lol, assholes. Instead of making this walk ya'll took to be the best shared experience for the tow of you, ya'll instead let it bring out the worst in you both.
I did enjoy though when the two of you were able to set aside your anger and hurt to sit and enjoy whatever scenery that you came up to, it was nice to just relax as the described beauty came across the page of my kindle and how the both of you were able to just smile and hug and appreciate what was in front of you.
And then, BOOM... anger and hurt back in the scene not to long after walking away from that spot.
It was just so sad to see how the both of you just beat each other down, to tear yourselves apart.
The book was good( which is why I gave it 5 stars) and I really did enjoy reading it despite all that happened to both of you.
I did enjoy though when the two of you were able to set aside your anger and hurt to sit and enjoy whatever scenery that you came up to, it was nice to just relax as the described beauty came across the page of my kindle and how the both of you were able to just smile and hug and appreciate what was in front of you.
And then, BOOM... anger and hurt back in the scene not to long after walking away from that spot.
It was just so sad to see how the both of you just beat each other down, to tear yourselves apart.
The book was good( which is why I gave it 5 stars) and I really did enjoy reading it despite all that happened to both of you.
April 11, 2016
I was hoping this book will take me on an excellent ride along the PCT with the two main characters. In the end the story felt to be more about the troubled relationship of the characters and their reoccurring arguments rather than the actual hike. Some people might enjoy it for this very reason, for me there was just little too much drama there.
June 7, 2016
Mud and bug are on a world wind adventure... Deciding on their relationship, to walking apart from each other brings them closer. Towards the end of the book, I was crying. I wanteds them so badly to be together. But they ended up as friends, so I'm OK with that. Walking the PCT together, they come across all sorts of problems in their relationship, but they keep their bond strong.
March 22, 2016
I loved this book!
It is a great source of inspiration. I'm already doing more difficult hikes as a result of this incredible story.
It is a great source of inspiration. I'm already doing more difficult hikes as a result of this incredible story.
May 31, 2016
An enjoyable story of walking the PCT
I recommend this book to other readers. The author shares not only her physical walk, but her emotional walk as well.
I recommend this book to other readers. The author shares not only her physical walk, but her emotional walk as well.
January 13, 2017
walk with mud
I really enjoyed this book. A Good read. Very Good hiking descriptions. Interesting how they maintained vegan diet on trail.
I really enjoyed this book. A Good read. Very Good hiking descriptions. Interesting how they maintained vegan diet on trail.
April 2, 2017
I will start by saying that I love books about hiking. However in this book hiking takes a back seat to the real story . . . a troubled relationship. I think I have only rated one other book with one star. I was frustrated throughout the book, angry that the characters couldn't get it together. While I was sympathetic towards Mud and enjoy how he persevered through his struggles with PTSD and pain, I felt like screaming at Bug. I couldn't take the constant crying over everything.
Don't get me wrong if like books about relationships, turmoil, and senseless drama then this is the book for you.
If you like books about hiking, forget this one.
Don't get me wrong if like books about relationships, turmoil, and senseless drama then this is the book for you.
If you like books about hiking, forget this one.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews