Tag John Muir Trail

Journeys North Brings the PCT to Life

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

If you have walked the Pacific Crest Trail, you may have met Barney Scout Mann at his Southern California home, where he and his wife Sandy have hosted trekkers who are embarking on the adventure of their lives. Thousands more have benefitted from his dedication to the trail through his many years of work with the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

If you walked the PCT in 2007, you may have met him and his wife on the trail, when he kicked off his quest for distance hiking’s coveted triple crown, which he completed in 2017.

However, the inspirational adventurer, who has backpacked for more than 50 years, may have saved his most influential work for Journeys North, which reads like a gripping novel. He tells the tales of six who braved challenges that would send many hikers home. Ultimately, when a snowstorm blocks their path, they must choose between quitting and searching for an elusive detour.

His book brings home the personal side of the trek, stretching beyond the six main characters through compelling anecdotes about other backpackers traveling the PCT.

If it not had been in the middle of winter when I read it, Scout’s book may have spurred me to travel to his home to pick up some trail magic before I launched my own PCT trek. Sure, I recently completed the John Muir Trail, which follows the PCT much of its way through California’s Sierra Nevada. My heart is enthusiastic, but are my body and mind ready to make the jump from my 243-mile trek to the 2,653 miles through three states on the entire PCT?

If you read Journeys North, be prepared to feel the urge to take the next step(s).

Thru-hiking’s Other Triple Crown

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The year 2021 brought new focus to thru-hiking’s Triple Crown. Sammy Potter and Jackson Parell, a pair of Stanford college students, walked more than 7,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail in spectacular fashion–within a calendar year.

And three women, the Wander Women, all retirees in their 60s, completed the Pacific Crest Trail, achieving their Triple Crown, one thru-hike a year for three years.

Jim Rahtz’s book presents three thru-hikes for those who don’t have the many months or inclination to walk so far: Backpacking’s Triple Crown: The Junior Version.

Don’t let the “junior” in the title fool you into thinking these are casual adventures. Each is a section of the longer trails, and Rahtz argues they cover perhaps the most beautiful sections.

The John Muir Trail runs 220 miles from Happy Isle in Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney. Many PCT walkers say it is their favorite part of the longer trail and maybe even the most difficult.

The Colorado Trail begins near Denver and ends near Durango. At 486 miles, it is the longest “junior” trail, nearly duplicating the length of Spain’s Camino de Santiago.

The Long Trail is 273 miles and winds the length of Vermont. The first 100 miles or so is also the Appalachian Trail.

Rahtz has walked all three and his stories make it clear these shorter versions are more approachable, but not to be taken lightly.

Which of the three is hardest? Most beautiful? Easiest?

Sue and I walked the John Muir Trail (with mules packing most of our stuff) in August 2021 and can’t imagine that any mountain trek could be more beautiful. But we yearn for further adventures. While Rahtz’ book makes it clear the other two could be even more difficult than the JMT, it tempts me to add a Triple Crown to our other trekking accomplishments. Are we up for the challenges? Could we carry everything we need?