Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader

"Crossing Paths is an informative, enchanting anthology of stories and poems by Pacific Crest Trail-lovers" ― Foreword Reviews

• Contributors include Cheryl Strayed, Carrot Quinn, Barney "Scout" Mann, Aspen Matis, Nicholas Kristof, Heather Anderson, Will "Akuna" Robinson, and many more
• Shares new stories over the last decade to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original PCT Readers
• Sidebars address some of the issues affecting the PCT today
• Includes a map of the PCT to follow along with the stories

What’s it like to be a trail angel and can romance truly blossom from first meeting to marriage on the Pacific Crest Trail? How do trail names get bestowed and what does it mean when you find yourself roaring back at a mountain lion? How have climate change, technology, and the sheer number of hikers affected life on the PCT?

Find the answers to all these questions, and so many more, in the diverse writings gathered in Crossing Paths, an anthology of stories and poems written by PCT hikers. Reflecting the contributors’ rich and varied individual experiences, this collection includes both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, from dodging lightning strikes on an exposed ridge south of Sonora Pass or surviving early fall snowstorms in the Cascades, to deeply personal walks-as-therapy following military service or cancer treatment. The selection represents geographic, gender, ethnic, and age diversity, and strives to reflect the totality and depth of life on the trail.

Growing up in the wilds of Kansas, Rees Hughes found the lure of the mountains so irresistible that he traded the flatlands for Seattle, the Cascades, and finally Northern California’s Klamath Knot. Although he has hiked all over the world, the Pacific Crest Trail has been his true love for more than 40 years. The author of a popular hiking guide, Hiking Humboldt, Rees also serves on the board of the Bigfoot Trail Alliance and coordinates a local Volunteer Trail Stewards program.

After a forty-year teaching career that included a focus on students with special needs, Howard Shapiro retired from full-time teaching in 2016. He has spent more than four decades hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and recently completed all sections. In addition to spending countless hours in the North Cascades near his home, Howard has hiked extensively in Europe, Nepal, Canada, and elsewhere. He joined the editorial team for The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader website in 2017.