BeWild Recap: Hiking the PCT

Tuesday night we had the pleasure to welcome the four authors of our Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail series to The Mountaineers BeWild Speaker Series for a panel discussion on section hiking the PCT. Just over 200 tickets were sold, and Philip, Tami, Shawnté, and Eli had a great time meeting everyone and signing copies of the books. The presentation was quite humorous, with Shawnté cracking jokes and Philip sharing a rather *ahem* personal story about his low point on the trail (hint: it involved chili dogs followed by a very long stretch of open trail with nowhere to hide).

Each author shared a bit about their section of the famous trail. Shawnté, the author of Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California, extolled the virtues of the desert. She wisely pointed out that section hiking such a region allows one to appreciate the unique beauty without being forced to slog through the heat or hike through the night to stay cool due to the kind of time constraints that often accompany a thru-hike. Philip (Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California) had a similar experience: he shared that as a thru-hiker in 2013, he didn’t pay much attention to the Northern California section of the trail, but thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area in more depth when he returned later for shorter excursions.

The authors shared tales both of wonderful times on the trail, such as when Shawnté witnessed the birth of a fawn, and of truly frightening experiences, like when Eli (Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon) climbed a high ridge to discover that he was surrounded on three sides by wildfires. Tami, the author of Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Washington, told the crowd about the system she uses to feel safe when hitchhiking to and from towns surround the trail—common sense, combined with cell service, have proved highly effective for her.

Apart from  their BeWild appearance, the PCT series authors have been quite busy! All four authors also appeared on a live recording of the Cascade Hiker podcast on Monday. Philip was featured on Reno Public Radio, he and Tami appeared on the Arik Korman Show, and Shawnté just had an article on section hiking published in the REI Co-op Journal.

We’ve also been seen some great reviews lately. The series was reviewed in the outdoor recreation issue of High Country News, with Jessica Kutz saying, “Every year, hundreds of hikers embark on what amounts to a multi-month pilgrimage, while others choose to tackle shorter sections of the trek. This guidebook series is ideally suited for those section hikers.”

Kevin Hoover of the Mad River Union agrees, saying, “Philip Kramer’s practical, beautiful Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California is the first piece of PCT camping gear you should consider acquiring.”

Philip will also be holding events locally at the University Book Store next Wednesday and down in Olympia at Browsers Bookshop on June 5.

BeWild with Wildland fire Fighter HEATHER HANSEN | June 19

This June we welcome Heather Hansen, the author of  Wildfire: On the Front Lines with Station 8 as our next BeWild Speaker. She will take us on a journey through her experience after embedding with Boulder, CO wildland firefighters and share her lessons on what more we can do to help prevent such devastating wildfires.takes a look at wildfires through the eyes of the firefighters. Spending 18 months with Boulder, CO wildland firefighters, Hansen learned what it takes to be a member of this elite group and how citizens can help turn around the destructive trends in wildfires.

Heather will be on hand for an open Q&A and book signing after the talk.

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