This book is a touching personal memoir with profound lessons for some among us. Cheryl became a lost soul when her mother died at an early age and her family disintegrated. Even Cheryl’s loving husband couldn’t save her from self-destructing as she plunged into heroin addiction and sexual escapades to escape from her pain. That is when the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) unexpectedly called her name, and set her on a grueling path to self-knowledge. The PCT is a west coast hiking trail that […]
Learning from the master
The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide (2012) by Andrew Skurka is another lightweight backpacking book I picked up when I latched on to my latest obsession. I didn’t know this at the time, but Andrew Skurka is somewhat famous in the backpacking world for the incredibly long and ambitious backpacking trips he’s undertaken, including over 4,000 miles in Alaska. He has an incredible store of personal knowledge of backpacking gear and what works best in what circumstances and he’s put it all together in this book. When […]
Breaking in to a new hobby
When I was a kid, my father would take me and by brothers backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park. I both loved and hated these trips. I was afraid of animals in the dark, could never sleep, and was always eager to get back to the comfort of electricity and showers. On the other hand, those trips were more than twenty years ago and I still remember them clearly. The self-sufficiency and adventure of backpacking is addicting, and I know our small trips formed my […]