Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader

by Rees Hughes (Editor), Howard Shapiro (Editor)

What’s it like to be a trail angel and can romance truly blossom from first meeting to marriage on the Pacific Crest Trail? How do trail names get bestowed and what does it mean when you find yourself roaring back at a mountain lion? How have climate change, technology, and the sheer number of hikers affected life on the PCT?

Find the answers to all these questions, and so many more, in the diverse writings gathered in Crossing Paths, an anthology of stories and poems written by PCT hikers. Reflecting the contributors’ rich and varied individual experiences, this collection includes both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, from dodging lightning strikes on an exposed ridge south of Sonora Pass or surviving early fall snowstorms in the Cascades, to deeply personal walks-as-therapy following military service or cancer treatment. The selection represents geographic, gender, ethnic, and age diversity, and strives to reflect the totality and depth of life on the trail.

304 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2022

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored every page of the latest PCT Trailside Reader. Over 80 essays written by folks who have thru hiked or section hiked the PCT since 2013. Bob Welch, Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl Strayed are among the contributors. Bob Welch and Glenn Petersen are, as I write this, finishing their seven year section hike of the trail from Mexico to Canada. Besides the personal stories, there is much about the trail's future and care, discussions of how climate change is impacting the trail and the concern for the numbers of hikers (especially those inexperienced) and the use of technology on the trail. A great read for an old backpacker who was on a trail from 1978-2006.

[Linda Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading all these accounts of time on the trail. Two of my favorites are: Cleansing Dirt and A Future Filled With Gratitude.

[David Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky enough to be featured in this book alongside so many adventurers, angels, and legends. A totally unbiased review.

[Emily Mellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly pretty interesting read, and inspiring.