Exploring the people, places, and history of the Pacific Crest Trail as it ranges 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada,
The Pacific Crest Trailside Readers bring together short excerpts from classic works of regional writing with boot-tested stories from the trail.
At the heart of these anthologies are modern day trail tales, stories taken from PCT hikers that recount trailside humor and traditions, "trail angels" and "trail magic," encounters with wildlife and wild weather, stories of being lost and found, and unusual incidents. Revealing a larger context are historical accounts of events such as Moses Schallenberger's winter on Donner Pass and pioneer efforts like the old Naches Road that ended up creating access to today’s trails; Native American myths and legends such as that of Lost Lake near Mount St. Helens; and selections from highly-regarded environmental writers who have captured the region in print, including Mary Austin in The Land of Little Rain; John Muir in The Mountains of California; and Barry Lopez in
Crossing Open Ground. Readers will also enjoy a few more surprising contributions from the likes of Mark Twain and Ursula LeGuin.
Organized parallel to the geographic sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and presented in two regional volumes,
The Pacific Crest Trailside Readers will entertain everyone from dedicated thru-hikers to lovers of regional lore.
Editor Rees Hughes has trekked extensively from Nepal to Tanzania, but nowhere has been more enchanting for him than the Pacific Crest Trail which he began walking in 1981. Since then, he has been a devoted section-hiker. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and retired in 2008 from his position as an administrator at Humboldt State University where he is actively involved with outdoor recreation programs. He lives in Arcata, California.
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