BOOKMONGER
Boot-tested tales from the Pacific Crest Trail
Hikers tell stories of nature, tradition, change
More than a decade ago, Moun-
taineers Books published “The
Pacific Crest Trailside Reader” in
two volumes. One focused on the
southern half of the trail in Cali-
fornia, the other as it traversed the
spine of the Cascade mountains
through Oregon and Washington.
Each offered a collection of adven-
tures as experienced by dozens of
different hikers.
Now the Seattle publisher is
back with “Crossing Paths,” a new
anthology containing the reflec-
tions of folks who have hiked the
trail within the past decade. While
many things endure (the plethora
of rattlesnakes in the California
desert, the kindness of strangers),
some things have changed signifi-
cantly in the past decade.
Since Portland author Cheryl
Strayed’s memoir about walking
the trail, “Wild,” was published
in 2012 and became a bestseller,
the popularity of the trail has
exploded. Even some folks who
are not seasoned hikers are now
attempting this trek.Contributor
Gail Storey confesses as much in
her piece about tagging along with
her avid outdoorsman husband, “I
never much cared for nature, or
rather, thought it okay as long as it
stayed outside,” she writes.
The combination of increased
numbers on the trail, and the folks
who are unaware of the “Leave No
Trace” ethic, have resulted in deg-
radation of the trail and impacts on
flora and fauna in some places.
Climate change also is changing
the physical landscape that the trail
threads through. Droughts have
ravaged once-healthy forests, lead-
ing to disease, insect infestations,
and longer and stronger climate
fire seasons.
Another recent phenome-
non is the proliferation of elec-
tronic devices that hikers now
carry routinely, smartphone apps,
navigational systems, emer-
gency beacons and the like. Do
these technological interven-
tions enhance or interfere with
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hikers’ engagement with their
surroundings?
Some of the writings selected
for this anthology contemplate
those issues directly, while others
involve more personal experiences,
as each hiker figures out how to be
true to the adage to “hike your own
hike.”
Pulitzer Prize recipient and Wil-
lamette Valley farm owner Nich-
olas Kristof writes about hiking
the entirety of the trail in sections
over seven years in the company
of his teenage daughter, Caroline,
with generational differences of
opinion.
This week’s book
‘Crossing Paths,’ by Rees Hughes
and Howard Shapiro
Mountaineers Books – 304 pp – $21.95
In another essay, with family
connections, Chloe S. LaLonde
undertakes a through hike with
her college roommate, at the same
time retracing the journey that her
mom, Rosemary L. Broome, made
on horseback 42 years earlier. Both
mother and daughter contribute to
this illuminating compare and con-
trast exercise. The most poignant
story in this collection is the tribute
a father pays to his son, who died
in a fall while attempting a hike
two years ago.
This book covers the gamut of
events that can happen along 2,650
miles of wilderness trail. There are
mishaps with mice, and encoun-
ters with snakes, bears and cougars.
There are moments of solitude and
episodes of fellowship. There’s an
impromptu wedding between hikers
who meet on the trail and become
soulmates. In sum, “Crossing Paths”
will leave you wanting s’more.
The Bookmonger is Barbara
Lloyd McMichael, who writes this
weekly column focusing on books,
authors and publishers of the
Pacific Northwest. Contact her at
barbaralmcm@gmail.com.