Walking Thru: A Couple's Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

by Michael Tyler, William Sarris (Narrator)

Bored and fed up with life, staring down a 50th birthday, Mike Tyler was looking for a change. Life had become routinized and unexciting. Maybe it was a mid-life crisis, or maybe just a yearning for one last big adventure. Mike decides to try hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail, just to see what happens.

Mike convinces his wife, Margo, to join him. Together they embark on a five-month hike full of anticipation. They hike through some of the most stunning and remote places in the country on a trail full of unique, offbeat characters. But the trail had even more to offer than either of them had anticipated.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Adventure, Memoir, Audiobook, Nature, Biography

Audible Audio

First published January 3, 2019

Reviews

[Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author uses a simple writing style and it gets old fast. Margo said.... I replied.... Margo laughed... etc.

[Christine A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of boring

Wanted more information about the author and his wife. It feels like your reading a journal not a story. I wish more details were given.

[David Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an author who has a lot to learn himself, I picked up on a lot of common writing mistakes that made me kind of cringe. That aside, I did find it enjoyable enough to finish it.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I seem to have hit a spell of bad books and this one was certainly poorly written. It was so repetitive, and just basic writing structures of - he said, she said - dialogue that perhaps a grade 5 year old would use. I cringed a lot.
The actual walking and descriptions of the Pacific Coast Trail were thin, except for the High Sierras. Every chance the writer could, he would say how beautiful they were and the rest of the PCT was just a drag. It could have been a quick way to get drunk in a drinking game based on how many mentions of the Sierras you read.
If you hope to one day hike the PCT read a different book.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I wanted to read. It told a story I wanted to hear: how a couple in their mid life could walk away from careers and hike for 6 months on a trail I dream about. It did tell the story of their hike and hinted that it had a great impact on them, but never really dug into what that great renovation looked like. They referred to seeing each other in a new light, and how they wanted a fresh start somewhere new, but (spoiler alert) they wound up in almost the same place they started. I guess I was looking for more candor and more drama. One other thing I noticed, and I couldn't decide if this was the result of the author just not remembering exactly what was said or the narrator just not delivering dialogue well, but every time dialogue was spoken, it sounded stilted and unimaginative... Inauthentic. It rarely sounded like words that had actually been spoken. If it was the former, inexact because memory is rarely perfect, I can understand and sympathize. If it was the latter, I'm sorry the narrator didn't deliver it better.

[Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Diary,

I just finished reading someone’s diary.

Signed, me

First off, this is a memoir and it reads totally like a personal journal. I get it. Very simple writing. “He said. Then she said. She laughed. I laughed. We ate dinner and went to sleep.”

Having said that, it was a very easy read like you’re having a conversation with the author. I really enjoyed learning about the Pacific Coast Trail and there was some great insight and information. I admire their commitment to taking on such an amazing lengthy adventure! By the time I was done reading I was thinking daaaaaamn I should make hubby do this with me 😂 Then reality kicked in and I know I couldn’t do it lol. But the author had my wheels turning for a bit there!

I love hiking but I’ll stick to my day trips 😂

[Tony Valente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me want to hike the PCT

It was not a perfect book, but that added to my enjoyment. You can always tell an author’s first. It was a bit clunky at times.

However, he did an excellent job recounting the different parts of the trail. He may have slighted Washington a bit, as it seemed to have very few pages, but overall he did an excellent job.

If at the end I wanted to hike this trail because of reading he book, there can be no finer praise for a recount of an adventure such as the PCT.

I would’ve like more photos, more details on both Oregon and Washington, and less emphasis on food, but overall I enjoyed the book. It is a great first intro to the PCT.

[Lin F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's redeeming quality is that it's about thru hiking the PCT. I love these kinds of books. I wish I could have given it more stars, but the lack of editing (often an entire word is missing from a sentence), stilted dialogue, and repetitiveness brought the rating down. That being said, as an enthusiastic hiker, I enjoyed reading it. Since I feel most people who pick up this book either are planning to, dreaming of, or have hiked the PCT, it should have included a little more detail on some of the hiking specifics, such as what gear they carried and how they decided where and how often to resupply, etc. At the very least, it would have made a great appendix to the book.

[Joseph Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding love on the PCT

This was my fourth PCT book and the most enjoyable. I loved the way that Michael and Margo his wife interacted on the trail. The way they worked together and never seemed to argue was inspiring. I recommend for singles and couples alike.

[Carrie Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing style was very juvenile as other reviewers have stated. I appreciated that the couples relationship was stronger for having done it together. Not my fav PCT read but it was quick and I'm glad it's over.

[Santiago Loetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels more setup as a daily to weekly travel journal of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Fairly simplistic style of writing.

I can appreciate the sights and thoughts of the author along the way but I felt like there should have been a bit more depth to it, more detail into all aspects of the pre through post thru hike. Not that it needed to be drawn out and boring but make the reader a little more invested. There were great moments of description which make the visuals in my head clearer and made me pay attention that much more but at times it did get boring.

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook.

[Kayla Duford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this. It’s short and quick to read.

[David R Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Well organized and interesting. Trail books make a good read as the story line is pretty linear and easy to follow. Although it is always the same, dream, struggle, complete and walk away with a new sense of peace about our place in the world. Tyler does a good job of keeping it interesting and keeping the reader engaged in the story. I have read a hundred trail books, and I would put this one up there with some of the better ones.

[Emily Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it’s sad to say but this was a pretty vanilla read. I suppose I’m glad that the story was not enhanced purely for the entertainment value but I feel like there was a bit of a barrier mentally between the author and his writing. When you read books like Wild by Strayed you really feel like you are living in her head. Her every nerve felt exposed on the page. Tyler feels a bit like a rock in comparison. Towards the end Tyler comments about how his wife and him were able to be closer during their hike but can’t really pinpoint why. This would have been a great opportunity to elaborate on how they had to choose each other just as much as they chose to keep walking. How the physical goal they both shared seemed to tangibly bond their souls and minds. The only standout moment I recall was when his wife was willing to eat from the hiker box and he stated he knew he loved her more than ever. (I feel like I must preface that I am not typically a fan of romance books.) It doesn’t have to be sappy. Just moments that allowed their bond to shine through. Don’t just state you were getting along, show us! It made me wonder if he had stopped documenting as many of the details in the second half of the trip and had fuzzy recall himself.

Kudos to your hike. No matter my feelings on this book the task you undertook was an awe inspiring feat. It would be indescribable to complete it myself. Happy trails!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was nervous about this one when I picked it up because I'd recently finished a book about a women's failed AT attempt, and she complained a lot. When he mentioned being worried about his knee failing, I was instantly worried. I was also apprehensive the first chunk of the book would be about how they prepared and what gear they gathered. Instead, they gave a one-page summary of preparing and got straight to the trail. Thank you! He tries to explain a lot of information through their dialogue with other hikers which can be fine, but in this instance, it was painful. It was often awkward, didn't flow, and served to explain things that could have been explained in a short paragraph with a little creativity. One of the first rules of writing is to "show, not tell." His writing style while explaining or describing their experience was easy to read and actually quite enjoyable, but his dialogue was too "tell-y." I got so sick of "telling" dialogue. (Also, he kept putting commas outside the quotation marks and that makes me crazy and made the dialogue even harder to read.) I made it about 40 pages in, skipped ahead 40 pages, and tried to start there. Same thing: awkward dialogue. There's too much attempted conversation. I skipped another chunk and tried to pick it up. In the end, I gave up. Life is too short to read books I don't enjoy.

[Stephani · Rating 3 out of 5]

CAWPILE 6.86 ⭐️ 3

This was a really cute book. I’ve read a few thru-hiking books and as much as I wanted to love this one. It honestly felt like a bit of a miss. From my previous PCT read, I guess I was expecting more pizazz and it just came off as a dry read. Although, I do enjoy hearing different experiences from the trail from various age groups. It gives me hope I can one day do this hike ❤️

I do love when these types of books add photos from their experience. It makes me feel like I am joining them on the journey. Plus, I am still a child at heart. I love pictures to help visualize.


Margo & Michael
September 10, 2018

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kind of standard, boilerplate book on the PCT. It's in the sub-genre of, "here is what we did, and the things we encountered." It was interesting for the parts of the PCT hike that I've covered, but overall not a great book, just kind of an average view of one thru hike. If you compare it with "Journeys North" by Barney Mann, [yes, I've read enough PCT books to start comparing them], you'll see how much richer Mr. Mann's book is because he focuses on people that are on the hike and their back stories. This makes the book much richer and more interesting than this one. We find out only a little about the back story of the author and his wife in this book, and nothing about anyone else, or almost nothing anyway.

[Brian Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant read that was simply descriptive and very personal. Gave a real sense of what the trip must be like. And as an almost 55 year old with dreams of at least doing some section hiking, it scratched that itch nicely.

So bummed for the authors, though regarding the mentality of the thru hikers once they get to Washington with the worsening weather and the pull to finish. I’ve lived in Washington for the past 30 years and the scenery can be as breathtaking as anyplace I’ve ever been. Be sure to make it back!!

[Jason St. Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This came across as an honest, heartfelt account of a couple's hike on the PCT. They didn't have anything to prove, they just wanted to enjoy the experience and it looks like they did.
This book isn't full of drama or suspense, perhaps because they didn't really experience that on the trail, and that's just fine. I read PCT books to live vicariously through the words of different hikers and everyone hikes their own hike so you can get a broad range of human experience. I would want my own thru-hike to be just as free of drama and danger.

[Jclc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a relaxing listen. As the couple mentioned toward the end of the book they were lucky. No animal attacks. No injuries. No misadventures. They had a good time and enjoyed one another's company. Not much drama.
I took a long time reading this book because everytime the author described a scenic location I would want to see it too. So I'd have to stop and pull up Google images. I would not want to hike the whole trail but I would like to section hike several areas after reading this book.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this real life adventure of Mike and Margo's walk thru on the Pacific Crest Trail.

I often felt like I was there...having hiked and camped over the years...I understood much of the good and sometimes uncomfortable moments to be had being outdoors 24 hours a day...not to mention all the miles they covered!

Makes me want to go out and do the same...but until then I am thankful for books like this to 'take me there' for now! Thumbs up! :)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this more of a 3.5 than a 4. It was a good, short book of the author's journey on the PCT. The only thing I wish it had more of was detail! I felt like they went through the trail so fast and didn't talk a ton about the people they met, didn't go into too much detail about their struggles/lessons, etc. however, it was still a good book. If you are as fond of the PCT as I am, I think you would enjoy this short, easy read.

[Nrofra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir about a couple who leave their jobs, pack up their lives and send their belongings to storage and set out for a summer’s long hike up the Pacific Crest Trail. I felt like I was on the journey with them as they gain trail names and meet people along the way and encounter obstacles, water shortage, food shortage, etc. what impressed me most about this story was that the couple never lost their cool nor did they stop having fun together.

[Marty Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

PCT with his wife, Margo. A really nice couple with no particular sense of humor, who hike most of the PCT without any problems...other than mosquitoes. His dialogue is a bit simple and repetitious. Typical for these PCT books, good detail at start and a quick gloss for OR and WA. This is not "Wild" or Carrot Quinn's "Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart."

[Angela Barajas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down

Came across this book on amazon as a recommendation. I love hiking and camping and have always been interested in hiking the PCT so this seemed interesting. The writing drawers you in and makes you want to keep reading and you fall in love with the couple . Give this book a read !!!

[BRIAN ROBERTS · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read!!

Thank you Michael and Margo for sharing this adventure with us all it has probably been one of my if not my new favorite hiking adventure to have read about and the amazing pictures that went with it I have a hard time reading nd retaining information most of the time and usually take several months to finish some books this book i couldn't put down nd finished in a week. Again thank you for the great adventure..

[Steve Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I can’t read about the PCT, the Sierras, and the PNW without finding plenty to enjoy. However, the steady stream of simple formatting and grammatical errors were far beyond my threshold. It was distracting to say the least. The overall message is excellent: hiking is good for the soul!!

[Eileen Breseman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't stellar, but did cover most of the basics of through hiking the PCT. We are doing it in sections as weather and hiking partners permit. It mentions a few helpful ideas of apps, places to take breaks, the type of people you meet, the impact it has on one's life to accomplish this feat.
Entertaining, but not a great read.

[Eileen Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic writing. Feels a little flat compared to other trailer. An easy read. I wished it has more descriptions of their day to day. When things actually happened he leaves them out. Margo get sick and they have to turn around. Boom they are back on the trail. What? What was wrong with her? How long were you off trail? Also some very basic spelling errors, words missing, and grammar problems.