This book begins where basic trail guides and maps leave off. For each section of the trail, the authors describe the route in detail and recommend the best day hikes and short backpacks from each trailhead. They describe the plants and animals hikers will see, tell stories about local history, explain plate tectonics, and in a thousand other ways enrich your experience of the journey. For many people, the Pacific Crest Trail is the ultimate long-distance hiking trail. Beginning in the dry valleys of southern California, it follows the crest of the snow-capped Sierras and ends in the ancient forests of Washington’s Cascades. Along the way, national treasures such as Yosemite, Crater Lake, and Mount Rainier make this trail one of the premier hiking destinations in the world. But hiking is about much more than getting from A to B. Berger and Smith draw on their tremendous experience—together they have logged more than 12,000 miles on the PCT—to give tested advice to long-distance hikers on trip planning, gear and safety, seasonal considerations, trailheads and resupplies, permits, and much more.

In 1948, just weeks before his best friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts died, John Steinbeck wrote of Ricketts process of discovery, noting that "a young, inquisitive, and original man might one morning find a fissure in the traditional technique of thinking. Through this fissure he might look out and find a new external world about him." A Tidal Odyssey a conversation about that "young, inquisitive, and original man" who found "a new external world about him" and so captivated the imagination of scientists and lay readers alike as he transformed our understanding of the seashore. This is a book about that remarkable man and his pathbreaking book about marine life on the Pacific Coast of North America. With his friend Jack Calvin, Ricketts authored his magnum opus, Between Pacific Tides (1939), a guide to the seashore invertebrates in one of the most prolific life zones in the world. He and Calvin describe the key field characteristics of the species, and then place them in their ecological context, by habitat, in a natural history-based narrative. At a time when almost all studies of life in the intertidal zones were taxonomic, Ricketts and Calvin revolutionized the field and helped to lay the groundwork for studies of the impact of environmental change on the natural world. By happenstance, Ed Ricketts is best known as a character in John Steinbeck's fiction. But the real man is obscured by Steinbeck's authorial license. Steinbeck's Doc is the quirky young man who reads Li Po and drinks beer milkshakes. He was also a serious marine biologist who conducted pioneering studies of life in the intertidal zones. He was a true renaissance man -- conversant in music and philosophy, poetry and mythology. Friendly with such notables as mythologist Joseph Campbell, experimental composer John Cage, and novelist Henry Miller, as well as with Steinbeck and many of the most eminent biologists of his time, he was a man for all seasons. This, then, is a book for readers who are interested in the world of Ed Ricketts as well as marine biology, intertidal ecology, and the manner in which ecological studies underpin our understanding of the impact of environmental change on the well being of our planet.

* Unique woodcut illustrations decorate both volumes * Trail map to follow story locations in each volume * For both hikers and armchair adventurers of the PCT Exploring the people, places, and history of the Pacific Crest Trail as it ranges 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, THE PACIFIC CREST TRAILSIDE READER EBOOK brings together short excerpts from classic works of regional writing with boot-tested stories from the trail. The heart of this anthology is these real trail tales, stories taken from PCT hikers: trailside humor and traditions, "trail angels" and "trail magic," encounters with wildlife and wild weather, stories of being lost and found, rescues, and unusual incidents. Revealing a larger context are historical accounts of events such as Moses Schallenberger's winter on Donner Pass and pioneer efforts like the old Naches Road that ended up creating access to today's trails; Native American myths and legends such as that of Lost Lake near Mount Hood; and selections from highly-regarded environmental writers who have captured the region in print, including Mary Austin in The Land of Little Rain ; John Muir in The Mountains of California; and Barry Lopez in Crossing Open Ground. Readers will also enjoy a few more surprising contributions from the likes of Mark Twain and Ursula Le Guin. For this digital edition of the PCT READER, we combined our two print volumes into a single, robust ebook that features stories from both the CALIFORNIA and OREGON & WASHINGTON volumes. Because the two-volume set is a compilation of old and new essays, however, the editors were not able to obtain digital publication rights for some of the previously published material. So while this combination ebook includes all the newly commissioned stories, as well as many other pieces for which the editors did have digital access, there are approximately four contributions from each of the printed books that do not appear here.

From the time the PCT leaves the Mexican border, until it reaches Canada, it has traveled 2,650 miles through 24 national forests, 37 wilderness areas, and 7 national parks. In Pacific Crest Trail: Northern Cali-fornia, you'll meet up with the PCT in Yosemite National Park's Tuolumne Meadows, then hike, climb, descend, and switchback your way to the Oregon border. You'll discover rivers, peaks, forests, meadows, fascinating geological formations, and other natural wonders. You'll pass through Emigrant, Desolation, and Marble Mountain wildernesses; Trinity Alps and Lassen National Park; and, you'll see Lake Tahoe, Burney Falls, Mt. Shasta, and Castle Crags. This book helps you locate the PCT and side-trips, find water sources, and access resupply routes. Jeffrey P. Schaffer also describes the rich geological and natural history of these mountains. Information on camping, permits, and the best seasons to go is provided along with updated maps.

The PCT’s #1 Guide for More Than 45 Years First published in 1973, The Pacific Crest Trail, Vol. 1, California quickly established itself as the book trekkers could not do without. Now thoroughly updated and redesigned, Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California starts at the Mexican border and guides you to Yosemite’s beautiful backcountry. It winds past deserts, scales high peaks, and cools off in Sierra lakes. Let PCT gurus Laura Randall, Ben Schifrin, Ruby Johnson Jenkins, Thomas Winnett, and Jeffrey P. Schaffer share more than four decades of expertise with you. They’ll help you with everything you need to know about this 942.5-mile section of the 2,650-mile trail, which traverses 24 national forests, 37 wilderness areas, and 7 national parks. In this book, you’ll find All-in-one guide by accomplished hikers who have logged over 5,000 trail miles Detailed trail descriptions and alternate routes Full-color customized maps, drawn to scale with one another Need-to-know information for day hikes, weekend backpacks, and an ambitious thru-hike Tips for locating the trail, water sources, and resupply access routes This guidebook will be your truest companion. So now’s the time to get going. The trail awaits!

The PCT’s #1 Guide for More Than 45 Years First published in 1974, The Pacific Crest Trail, Vol. 2, Oregon & Washington quickly established itself as the book trekkers could not do without. Now thoroughly updated and redesigned, Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon & Washington starts at the California-Oregon border and guides you to the edge of Canada. It winds past rivers, peaks, forests, meadows, fascinating geological formations, and other natural wonders—such as Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, and Glacier Peak. Let PCT gurus Jordan Summers, Jeffrey P. Schaffer, and Andy Selters share more than four decades of expertise with you. They’ll help you with everything you need to know about this 1,005.5-mile section of the 2,650-mile trail, which traverses 24 national forests, 37 wilderness areas, and 7 national parks. In this book, you’ll find All-in-one guide by accomplished hikers who have logged over 5,000 trail miles Detailed trail descriptions and alternate routes Full-color customized maps, drawn to scale with one another Need-to-know information for day hikes, weekend backpacks, and an ambitious thru-hike Tips for locating the trail, water sources, and resupply access routes This guidebook will be your truest companion. So now’s the time to get going. The trail awaits!