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Journey On the Crest: Walking 2600 Miles from Mexico to Canada
Cindy Ross had already hiked the 2000-mile length of the Appalachian Trail when, hoping to escape a deadening daily routine and sort out her life, she returned to the wild. But this time it was a more rugged the Pacific Crest Trail, a mostly mountainous, 2600-mile route from Mexico to Canada, vastly different from the relatively gentle, well-traveled Appalachian Trail. Her trip began—badly—in the California desert, where the hiking “partner” she had selected from an advertisement proved to be totally inexperienced and so strange that they parted company the first day. Continuing alone, Ross soon became the de facto leader of a motley, ever-changing crew of PCT walkers that came to be known as “Cindy’s Circus.” Long, rugged hiking days produced physical ailments and strong emotions, but in confronting and surmounting these challenges, Ross grew in strength. After many months and several major changes in her life, Ross beat fall snows and storms to reach the Canadian border. More than the end of the trail, this was also a symbolic milestone in her life. In narrating her story, Ross deftly brings the reader into the physical and emotional landscape of long-distance hiking. Her cast of “Crest characters” is sharply drawn in both words and sketches.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 16, 2014
I first read this book when it came out, five years after my PCT hike, and I really enjoyed it. The author captures the long distance hiking life well - a life that hasn't really changed despite modern technology. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reading about outdoor adventures.
February 21, 2019
My husband and I would never even know about this book if it weren’t for the PCT through-hike our son is doing this summer. This book is written in the early-mid ‘80’s. Gear has improved, and I know the trail has been completed/improved in areas since way back then, so his experience will be different in those aspects. I did not even know there was such a thing as a “through hike” or the PCT, so I am learning quite a lot from my son’s crazy dream.
I found the book to be interesting because I imagine my son as I read about Cindy’s experiences with the environment and the other hikers. My husband absolutely hated the book because it’s poorly written, in that the “story” doesn’t flow from one scene to the next, and the “whiney drama” got on his nerves. I absolutely agree with him. We both also agree that Cindy is an amazing sketch artist and her illustrations are awesome.
Since I read this book to understand my son’s experience and to alleviate my worries, I ignored the writing. I’m very appreciative that this book is there to give me good insight on what this hike is like. I’m excited to learn about my son’s adventure & accomplishment.
Thoughts on the book:
- Love the descriptions of the terrain and life on the trail.
- So much negativity and back-stabbing comments about the other hikers. Cindy is the mean-girl in the middle school playground..watch your back.
- Who is Ricky, the little boy with his mean Aunt & Uncle? Is he OK? Why bother going on and on about this poor kid… I’m worried he was kidnapped & murdered!
- Why bother writing so much nasty stuff about poor 17 yr old Bill, Cindy? I hope he never read this book you mean old cuss.
- Cindy’s experience in the icy Senora Pass scared me bad. I felt the fear in my own stomach.
- The map on the inside cover was great to follow along with as the hike progressed.
I found the book to be interesting because I imagine my son as I read about Cindy’s experiences with the environment and the other hikers. My husband absolutely hated the book because it’s poorly written, in that the “story” doesn’t flow from one scene to the next, and the “whiney drama” got on his nerves. I absolutely agree with him. We both also agree that Cindy is an amazing sketch artist and her illustrations are awesome.
Since I read this book to understand my son’s experience and to alleviate my worries, I ignored the writing. I’m very appreciative that this book is there to give me good insight on what this hike is like. I’m excited to learn about my son’s adventure & accomplishment.
Thoughts on the book:
- Love the descriptions of the terrain and life on the trail.
- So much negativity and back-stabbing comments about the other hikers. Cindy is the mean-girl in the middle school playground..watch your back.
- Who is Ricky, the little boy with his mean Aunt & Uncle? Is he OK? Why bother going on and on about this poor kid… I’m worried he was kidnapped & murdered!
- Why bother writing so much nasty stuff about poor 17 yr old Bill, Cindy? I hope he never read this book you mean old cuss.
- Cindy’s experience in the icy Senora Pass scared me bad. I felt the fear in my own stomach.
- The map on the inside cover was great to follow along with as the hike progressed.
December 8, 2021
A very pleasant read! Made me excited for mountains!
May 17, 2009
I don’t know if I will ever have a chance to hike the Pacific Crest trail, so I have to live vicariously through those that do. Unfortunately, it’s either really difficult to find engaging books on these trips, or long-distance hiking itself is rather difficult to make engaging! (Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” being the notable exception)
Cindy Ross writes of her journey in two distinct sections. In the first, she starts her trek alone and soon finds herself hiking with a group of people – some of whom are quirky. In the second half of the book, she returns a couple of years later with her husband to finish the second half of the trail. The social drama and inevitable complexities of group dynamics are more prevalent in the first half of the book, and give the story a stronger narrative quality. In the second half of the book, I found myself as anxious as she to get to the finish line in Canada.
In many ways, these types of books have to find the space between two tasks, that of giving the reader a sense of what the Trail itself is like – the scenery, the challenges, the location, etc. – and that of sharing the human experience in meeting this kind of challenge – the narrative, the story, etc. It seems that doing one well takes away from the other.
While occasionally gripping and interesting, this book as a whole feels like what I imagine a long hike to be like – full of interest and novelty in the beginning and devolving into a desperate plod towards the finish.
Cindy Ross writes of her journey in two distinct sections. In the first, she starts her trek alone and soon finds herself hiking with a group of people – some of whom are quirky. In the second half of the book, she returns a couple of years later with her husband to finish the second half of the trail. The social drama and inevitable complexities of group dynamics are more prevalent in the first half of the book, and give the story a stronger narrative quality. In the second half of the book, I found myself as anxious as she to get to the finish line in Canada.
In many ways, these types of books have to find the space between two tasks, that of giving the reader a sense of what the Trail itself is like – the scenery, the challenges, the location, etc. – and that of sharing the human experience in meeting this kind of challenge – the narrative, the story, etc. It seems that doing one well takes away from the other.
While occasionally gripping and interesting, this book as a whole feels like what I imagine a long hike to be like – full of interest and novelty in the beginning and devolving into a desperate plod towards the finish.
April 6, 2017
Having just reread Wild for book club, I came across this, and decided to read it for comparison. Ross was an experienced hiker (as opposed to Strayed) but she is awfully miserable for most of this book. My take-away was something like "Why would anyone ever want to do this to themselves?" which I don't think is what she had in mind. It's nowhere near as compelling as Wild, but you don't have the same inner journey here.
August 5, 2017
I enjoyed this book but felt like it needed a lot more editing. There were lots of small set-ups left dangling (as an example: lots of prose on the fear about getting to the next bail out point but then leaving the reader to assume she made it as the story went on) My favorite parts were the actual hiking narratives. Anyway, it was enjoyable if you like reading hiking memoirs. I would read more by this author.
October 21, 2008
Excellent read. Cindy tells the truth, she cries, talks about fears, lets you in on many of the feelings and topics that other writers/ hikers won't touch.
September 16, 2018
It was really interesting to see what the PCT was like in the 1980s before it was officially completed.
July 24, 2012
The book that inspired me to go long distance hiking.
December 6, 2022
2 1/2-3 stars. Nothing wrong with it per say, just inconsistent. The first half of the book was better than the second which I felt gave less of a sense of the actual trail, and as someone who lives in WA, that was the part I was most looking forward to.
March 15, 2022
Good book by Cindy Ross and her experience on the Pacific Crest Trail
December 18, 2024
I got to take a vicarious peek at life on the PCT. Between this book and my All Trails app, O was able to look up beautiful landmarks and trails named in the nook. One of my big personal goals is to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail. Reading this book helped me imagine what it will be like to get to do that one day. Thank you, Cindy Ross, for taking the time to share your journey.
June 28, 2016
This is my 4th book about walking the Pacific Crest Trail - Journey on the Crest by Cindy Ross. Each book I've read has been so different. In this one, Ross has already hiked the Allegheny Trail (unlike the other three books where the hikers were novices) and is walking with several different people at various times on the trail. She completes California one year and two years later she returns to finish the hike along with her new husband.
Ross has great descriptions of the hike, the scenery and the perils. They hike the high Sierras in a year with record snow fall - a very courageous act. Whose who have read Wild will remember that Cheryl Strayed chose not to hike the Sierras because of the snow that year.
Ross's hike was in the early 1980s before the PCT had been completed and the book is also full of her illustrations. I think her descriptions are the best so far - she has me looking up some of these places on the internet to see what they look like and almost has me (the couch potato who likes to read about what she cannot do) starting off for REI!
Ross has great descriptions of the hike, the scenery and the perils. They hike the high Sierras in a year with record snow fall - a very courageous act. Whose who have read Wild will remember that Cheryl Strayed chose not to hike the Sierras because of the snow that year.
Ross's hike was in the early 1980s before the PCT had been completed and the book is also full of her illustrations. I think her descriptions are the best so far - she has me looking up some of these places on the internet to see what they look like and almost has me (the couch potato who likes to read about what she cannot do) starting off for REI!
December 18, 2014
An account of the experiences of a seasoned long-distance hiker who is trying her wings on a trail that offers challenges of a different nature than those encountered on the Appalachian Trail. She shares the story of her new journey in such a way as to be appealing to long-distance hikers, would-be hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, and those who prefer to enjoy ventures such as this from the comfort of their favorite chair.
Cindy Ross' hand-crafted illustrations add much to the written words in conveying to the reader a sense of being on the Pacific Crest Trail and journeying along with her. I liked the book very much. I read it first in 1987. I read it a couple of more times after I completed the A. T. in 1989 and again before I embarked on my own journey on the PCT in 1996.
This book is not a guide to hiking the PCT and was never meant to be. It is the author's story of her hike and the immeasurable growth of a young woman into a stronger version of who she already was.
Read the book! I think you'll enjoy it.
Cindy Ross' hand-crafted illustrations add much to the written words in conveying to the reader a sense of being on the Pacific Crest Trail and journeying along with her. I liked the book very much. I read it first in 1987. I read it a couple of more times after I completed the A. T. in 1989 and again before I embarked on my own journey on the PCT in 1996.
This book is not a guide to hiking the PCT and was never meant to be. It is the author's story of her hike and the immeasurable growth of a young woman into a stronger version of who she already was.
Read the book! I think you'll enjoy it.
December 26, 2014
JOURNEY ON THE CREST was the first book I ever read about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. My husband, an experienced backpacker, gave it to me, who had never hiked or camped before, as one would give an adolescent a book about what used to euphemistically be called "the facts of life." We were about to embark on our own thru-hike of the PCT, and Cindy Ross's extraordinary account terrified, reassured, and ultimately inspired me. Ross is a gifted writer and illustrator who shares the realities of hiking the PCT from her wisdom as a woman and her considerable experience as a long-distance backpacker. The book is a gripping tale of hiking adventure pierced with emotional insight. I especially loved how she developed her relationships with her companions, her eventual husband-to-be Todd, and herself. JOURNEY ON THE CREST is a classic to be treasured and learned from, now and for generations of adventurers to come.
November 18, 2021
I had to stop halfway through reading this, in January, and sign up for a wilderness permit for the Sierras in July. That's probably a good advertisement for the book.
Of most interest to me was the "retro" aspect of this backpacking memoir, as it's about a trip that took place in the early 80's, starting in 1982. 60-pound packs! Like the author, I remember the snow in 1982. I was 13, backpacking with my dad, and the snowfields terrified me, even though I didn't take a scary fall like the author did. Certainly, given the date it was written, this shouldn't be taken as a modern guide to the trail or to hiking.
The writing is naïve, very much a personal account, but with some geological and other information mixed in. I found it engaging. I definitely didn't find that there was anything particularly negative or unhappy about it. The description of struggles and fears, as well as good times, was realistic and I found it a good read.
Of most interest to me was the "retro" aspect of this backpacking memoir, as it's about a trip that took place in the early 80's, starting in 1982. 60-pound packs! Like the author, I remember the snow in 1982. I was 13, backpacking with my dad, and the snowfields terrified me, even though I didn't take a scary fall like the author did. Certainly, given the date it was written, this shouldn't be taken as a modern guide to the trail or to hiking.
The writing is naïve, very much a personal account, but with some geological and other information mixed in. I found it engaging. I definitely didn't find that there was anything particularly negative or unhappy about it. The description of struggles and fears, as well as good times, was realistic and I found it a good read.
August 22, 2014
It takes quite a lot to convince me to not finish a book, but I just couldn't finish this book. I plan on hiking the PCT or AT and am reading personal accounts to prepare. I was hoping this book would give me a good idea of what to expect, but I was quite let down. It wasn't as helpful as other accounts I've read (mainly on the AT) and it came across as more of a whiney journal than a good account of a journey. I realize I'm in the minority here, but the book, for me, was simply unfinish-able. There were too many winey accounts of who was upsetting who on the journey and which hiker she got to snuggle up with and tell she loved...and she really meant it this time. I don't mean to sound trite or make less of her experience, but the way it was written was not one that sucked me into her journey. I hope other readers continue to have better experiences than me with this book.
October 10, 2012
Argh! This woman's writing made me crazy! Good story but I just couldn't get past the way she narrated the adventure. Gave me a new appreciation for how artfully other people can weave tales! I too, was thrilled to get to the finish line!
October 13, 2009
Not as good as her first book, about the Appalachian Trail.
November 6, 2012
It was a little tedious in parts.
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August 7, 2015This is the third or fourth PCT book I've read. One great pleasure in Cindy's book are the wonderful sketches of the people and scenery.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews