Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Spectacular Photography!!!
Review: A terrific book about the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail. The text is well written and easily read. As one who has contemplated the journey, I was thrilled with the detailed descriptions of the authors' trek. But for me, it is the pictures that make this a winning book. Over 100 stunning shots of everything from lakes, flowers, and trees to mountains, wildlife, and even one unbelievable photo of lightning! I can daydream for an hour over each picture. Composition and lighting are superb. I can't imagine anyone not saying "Wow!" again and again as they page through this book. An excellent book...absolutely spectacular photography!
Rating:
Summary: Makes you start hiking tomorrow
Review: Although the pictures are excellent and show all the different areas the trail crosses, what I really enjoyed most about this book is the story. It brilliantly mixes a description of the trail, a little history about some places it crosses, the contrast between multiple-use and protected areas, and an inside view of the thru-hiking adventure. This is not a trail guide and it is not supposed to be; it is a story that makes you feel you are actually hiking the trail, specially if you are familiar with the geography, weather and environmental problems of the area.
I got this book from the library, and after reading it, decided to buy it. This is a book you should own if you like to hike. I had never considered the idea of long distance hiking, but I'm starting to think different after reading this book. Although the included map contains most of the places the book refers to, I would have made it a little bit more detailed representing the different mountain ranges and ecosystems the trail crosses.
Rating:
Summary: Bart Smith's Photography is exceptional!
Review: and it perfectly compliments Berger's and Smith's description of the determination needed to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I frequently find myself pulling the book from the shelf as the wonderful photography by Bart Smith provides the perfect escape from the "big city" life in Northern Virginia. I anxiously await Bart's upcoming book, "The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills" to see what he can do with the the natural beauty in the East!
Rating:
Summary: Bart Smith's Photography is exceptional!
Review: and it perfectly compliments Berger's and Smith's description of the determination needed to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I frequently find myself pulling the book from the shelf as the wonderful photography by Bart Smith provides the perfect escape from the "big city" life in Northern Virginia. I anxiously await Bart's upcoming book, "The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills" to see what he can do with the the natural beauty in the East!
Rating:
Summary: Opulent, lush photographs. Engaging, lively prose.
Review: Bart's pictures are riveting. They give a glimpse of paradise. Karen's prose gives a feeling for what it is like to walk through these beautiful mountains. Dan's journal entries are direct, fun and a great addition to the book. This trio takes you along on the trail!
Rating:
Summary: Stunning photographic tour of the trail
Review: Beautiful photography, engaging narrative, and quality printing. After seeing this book at a friend's house, I had to buy a copy for myself. If you've ever had thoughts of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the photos in this book will almost force you to go. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well done
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book ! Bart Smith explains that he hiked the PCT intending to photograph it along the way, and soon discovered that Thru-hiking and serious photography are simply incompatible. Bart returned to the trail over a period of 6 years to capture outstanding images of the spectacular backcountry, and then asked Karen Berger to write the accompanying narrative from her own Thru-hike experience. Karen's story blends humor, science, insight, and an obvious love for the trail. I thought her level of detail was perfect, telling the story meaningfully without getting bogged down. If you enjoy mountain hiking and share my facination with the PCT you are certain to love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well done
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book ! Bart Smith explains that he hiked the PCT intending to photograph it along the way, and soon discovered that Thru-hiking and serious photography are simply incompatible. Bart returned to the trail over a period of 6 years to capture outstanding images of the spectacular backcountry, and then asked Karen Berger to write the accompanying narrative from her own Thru-hike experience. Karen's story blends humor, science, insight, and an obvious love for the trail. I thought her level of detail was perfect, telling the story meaningfully without getting bogged down. If you enjoy mountain hiking and share my facination with the PCT you are certain to love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: If you love the outdoors, this book will knock your socks off. Bart Smith's photography is unbelievable - truly stunning!! Having thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, I think that Karen Berger has accurately captured the ups and downs of a thru hike. The adventure and the pain. The delight and the struggle. The two combined have created the consumate work on the PCT. What a pleasure to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Walk from Mexico to Canada
Review: In 1997, my husband Dan and I decided to try to hike the 2,658-mile long Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. By the weekend of July 4, we had made it through the snow-clogged passes of the High Sierra and stopped to resupply in Yosemite National Park. I called home and there was a message telling me that Westcliffe Publishers was planning to do a coffee table book about the PCT: Would we like to write the text? (An explanatory note might be in order: I write about backpacking for a living, and Dan and I collaborated on a previous book about the Continental Divide called Where the Waters Divide.) Hikers call it "trail magic" when serendipity hits them in the face like a custard pie. Bart Smith, the photographer, had hiked the whole PCT some years back and was so inspired by its beauty that he spent all of his free time for the next 5 years photographing it. His pictures are incredible: It's not easy to capture the enormous beauty of places like Yosmite, Kings Canyon, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, the North Cascades, Oregon's Three Sisters, and Lassen Volcanic Park (to name a few highlights), but Bart's images bring me back to the trail time and again whenever I need a dose of wilderness to lift my spirits. Dan and I wanted our contribution -- the text -- to celebrate the diversity and scenery of the trail (deserts, mountains, and old growth forests) and to give readers an idea of what it's like to walk nearly 2,700 mile across the country. We include a little history (both natural and human), some geology, and observations of the land through which we walked. We also describe how it felt to face the sometimes overwhelming challenges and to experience moments of sheer epiphany. So you'll read about what it's like to take a slugglish citified body on a 2,700-mile hike -- and then become fit enough to climb over a series of 12,000 and 13,000-foot ice-covered mountain passes. From desert heat to a month of icy rain, from sublime wildflowers to glorious views, we've tried to paint a verbal picture that complements Bart's photos. Some entries from Dan's daily journal are included to share what it was like "on the spot." Perhaps what I like best about a long trail is the chance to really slow down -- to live life at 2.5 miles per hour rather than at cyberspeed; to think about only the present moment as I traverse an ice slope or wait out the heat of a desert noon under the shade of a tarp. I hope that after reading this book, you'll find your way to the mountains and share some of the wonderful experiences we had along the Pacific Crest Trail.
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