40 years ago on the Continental Divide Trail, 15 years ago on the Pacific Northwest Trail

The Highline Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail

On July 27 1985 I reached Macks Inn close to the boundary of Yellowstone National Park and completed the first 815 miles of the Continental Divide Trail. It was day 59 on the trail. I posted a piece on the walk here. 

On July 27 2010 I camped by Sinclair Creek in the Whitefish Divide region after the first 118 miles of the Pacific Northwest Trail. It was day 8 on the trail. 

Stahl Peak. PNT.

At this point both trails were in the Rocky Mountains but the PNT would soon leave them on its journey east to the Pacific Ocean. The CDT of course stays in the Rockies until they fade away in northern New Mexico.

There were mosquitoes! PNT

On the PNT the walking was becoming tougher as I'd left the prepared trails of Glacier National Park behind. It was to become much more difficult, both with the terrain and navigation. On this day I still had trails to follow. It began at a mosquito-infested site where I just slept in the inner mesh tent and finished with thunderstorms and rain. Along the way the scenery was superb and the final section on the Highline Trail wonderful.

There was rain! PNT

On the CDT the walking was already tough, the hardest in fact of the whole walk as there was much bushwhacking and steep rocky slopes and navigation was often just continue south by the easiest way I could find. I wrote in my journal that the ten days I spent in the Beaverhead Mountains were the "toughest walking I've ever done". I did also note that the rewards were "pristine cirques ... no campsites, no trails, no fire rings, no cut trees ... immaculate scenery". 

Immaculate scenery. CDT

On the PNT I was half a day's walk from my first rest stop in the little town of Eureka. On the CDT I hadn't had a break for seventeen days when I reached Macks Inn, a small fishing resort. I needed one! In fact I took two.

Ahead the terrain on the CDT would be much easier though as I crossed Yellowstone National Park with its signed maintained trails and backcountry campsites. 

Whitefish Divide scenery. PNT

A big difference on the walks was my camera gear. 1985 was still film. I haven't yet scanned many of the thousands of images I took. I must do so! 2010 was digital. The images from that walk posted here are ones that didn't appear in my PNT book. All of those with this piece were taken on July 27.

Fire Lookout on 2205m/7235ft Mount Wam. PNT

I 've never written a book about my CDT hike but there is a long chapter about it in my first book The Great Backpacking Adventure (long out of print). The cover of that book is of my friend Scott Steiner who accompanied me on the first 500 miles at a camp below the Chinese Wall in Montana.

Fifteen Years Ago I Set Out On The Pacific Northwest Trail

 

At the trailhead, day 1, July 20, 2010

On July 20, 2010, I started out to walk from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean on the Pacific Northwest Trail, inspired by writer and backpacker Ron Strickland, who'd come up with the idea for the trail and wirtten the first guidebook. Thank you Ron! It was a wonderful, beautiful, exciting walk.

The trail wasn't as developed as it is now, thanks to the work of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association, but I had Ron's guidebook, which I ripped up and sent to resupply points in sections, and a line on a map to follow. There was much off-trail navigation to deal with though - luckily I love this! 

The Belly River, Glacier National Park

That first day I hiked trails in the spectacular Glacier National Park, a tremendous start to the walk. I marvelled at the huge forests and snow-streaked mountains, revelling in the wild glory and vastness.

First camp

Hiking in Glacier National Park is constrained though. Permits are needed and you have to camp at designated backcountry campgrounds. The first camp of the walk was on the Mokowanis Junction Campground. It would be another three days before I left the national park and permits, campgrounds and trail signs (sometimes the trails themselves) would disappear.

The guidebook after the walk

A first on this walk was a smartphone. The iPhone had been launched just three years earlier. I chose an Android phone though, for the sole reason that it had an interchangeable battery so I could carry spares. Good lightweight battery packs were in the future. So was satellite communications. I only had a phone signal in or near towns. I mostly used it for navigation as it had GPS and I'd downloaded maps. I did take some photos which I sent back to The Great Outdoors magazine along with updates typed on the tiny keyboard. 

My cameras were all digital. I'd given up film several years earlier. An advantage of digital is that advances in processing means I can now get better results from the images than I could at the time. I'm glad I shot raw files so I can do this.

Back home I wrote a book about the walk. It's out of print but I expect there are secondhand copies around. 

Always Another Adventure Podcast: TGO Challenge, Arizona Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail

On the Pacific Northwest Trail

Recently I recorded a podcast with Simon Willis of Always Another Adventure. It's just appeared online and you can listen to it here. In it I discuss planning for the TGO Challenge and my walks on the Arizona Trail and Pacific Northwest Trail.

Corrections: the introduction says I am the first person to climb all the Munros in one trip. I'm not, that was Hamish Brown, who wrote an excellent book about it - Hamish's Mountain Walk. I was the first to climb all the Munros and Tops (subsidiary summits) in one walk.

I'm also not one of the organisers of the TGO Challenge. 

Past Memories: September 1st on the Pacific Crest Trail and Pacific Northwest Trail

Dana May Yelverton Shelter with Mount Rainier in the distance

On September 1st thirty-four years ago I entered the Goat Rocks Wilderness and climbed up to the Dana May Yelverton Shelter where I would spend the night. That day I walked 22 miles and in the evening wrote in my journal 'A long day but a good one .... views really opened out on above timberline climb to Cispus Pass looking across deep Klickitat River valley to barren rock and talus wall of Gilbert Peak ..... final 2 mile 1000' climb up the slopes of Old Snowy Mountain ..... scree slopes and glacial run-off washes interspersed with rich alpine meadows still covered in flowers ....impressive sunset over Goat Lake'.

Twenty-eight years later to the day I entered another Wilderness Area, this time the Pasayten Wilderness, on the Pacific Northwest Trail. From my journal 'osprey over Palmer Lake & a loon floating on the water .... camped at 6880 feet on a wide col amongst lodgepole pines ... a good day that improved .... great views of jagged peaks to the west'.

A first view in the Pasayten Wilderness

September was the last month of my thru-hikes on both trails and they were slowly converging and would soon run together for a while in the western Pasayten Wilderness before the PCT continued on north to the Canadian border and the PNT on east to the Pacific Ocean.

If you'd like to read more about my walks on these trails and see more pictures the stories are told in two of my books. The Pacific Crest Trail in Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles, the Pacific Northwest Trail in Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams.

Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams Book Review

Seatttle Backpackers Magazine has published a lengthy and positive review by Karen Sykes of my book Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams. You can find it here.

Reviews Round-Up: Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams, the story of my hike on the Pacific Northwest Trail continues to receive good reviews. There have now been ten of these, which I hope will encourage those of you who haven't yet read the book to give it a try.

Here are the latest two reviews plus a round-up of earlier ones.

America's Library Journal says "Townsend makes every word count. Readers interested in the Pacific Northwest and wilderness backpacking will enjoy the combination of nature writing and practical advice."

Geoff Gafford has reviewed the book on his Litehiker blog and in the autumn issue of Backpack, the Journal of the Backpacker's Club. Geoff says "he writes well and manages to make this far more than the "I got up early ..." type of account and my interest was sustained throughout .......... I enjoyed this book. It is well written and an engrossing read. It made me want to be on the next flight across the Atlantic!".


Previously in The Seattle Times  a short review mentioned 'the gorgeous color photographs included on nearly every page' while on Amazon.com Frank R. Ward, who reviews many hiking and outdoor books, posted an interesting review entitled A Good Scottish Effort at an American Art Form in which he writes 'if you take some time with this book, you too can vicariously enjoy Townsend's experience. His was a hike worth sharing'.

Over on Hiking in Finland Hendrik Morkel says "such a good read that I had a hard time to put Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams down" and "an easy read, well written and has fantastic photos".

On the My Outdoors website the reviewer writes "Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams reveals his real and total love of the wilderness .... if you like a good story there's plenty to keep your attention and if you like something with a message you'll find more than a touch of John Muir in the author's love for and feelings about the wilderness world".

Popular outdoor blogger Andy Howell on his must be this way blog says "Chris captures beautifully the relationship that a walker develops with the land that he or she is hiking through ...........Chris’ insights into the plight of the natural environment can be quite profound but never are they preaching.......an easy and entertaining read about a wonderful trip".

On another popular outdoor blog, Blogpacking Light, Robin writes "good travel writers have a knack of transporting you into their journey, making you feel like you are participating in their adventure. Chris does this well with pithy descriptions of landscape, flora, fauna and his own feelings and emotions."


One of the first reviews came from the creator of the Pacific Northwest Trail himself, Ron Strickland, who writes on his blog "Paging through Chris’s beautiful pictures is a pure delight .... his writing’s magical moments will ensure that I return to Grizzly Bears And Razor Clams for years to come

Finally, Tony Hobbs writes on Amazon  " we were allowed into Chris's mind in this book and it was a quite wonderful experience .... It is hard to fault the book, so I won't even bother trying. It was wonderful. Simply the best!"

Praise for 'Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams'

I'm delighted that more good reviews of my book Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams have appeared, this time in the USA, where the book is distributed by Dufours Editions (who give a nice mention of another of my books Crossing Arizona).

A short review in The Seattle Times mentions 'the gorgeous color photographs included on nearly every page' while on Amazon.com Frank R. Ward, who reviews many hiking and outdoor books, has posted an interesting review entitled A Good Scottish Effort at an American Art Form in which he writes 'if you take some time with this book, you too can vicariously enjoy Townsend's experience. His was a hike worth sharing'.

These reviews and others can also all be found on the publisher's website in The Sandstone Blog section.

Hiking in Finland reviews Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

Hendrik Morkel has given my book on the Pacific Northwest Trail an excellent review on his Hiking In Finland site. Hendrik writes "such a good read that I had a hard time to put Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams down" and "an easy read, well written and has fantastic photos". Thanks Hendrik!

Latest TGO: pyramid tents, stupid heavy/light backpacking, Pacific Northwest Trail photo-essay, Friedrichshafen show report

Belatedly, due to connection problems (see last post), here's a look at the September issue of TGO (well, it is still August). My main feature is a photo-essay on my Pacific Northwest Trail walk with a special offer on my book on the trip, Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams.In my backpacking column I write about the weight of gear and going stupidly light and stupidly heavy while in gear I review a selection of pyramid-style tents.And in the Hill Skills section I answer questions on looking after your feet in hot weather (not a problem often this summer in Britain!) and the advantages of 'technical' legwear. There's also a feature written with Daniel Neilson on the new gear we thought the most interesting at the Friedrichshafen OutDoor Show last month.

Elsewhere in this issue I'm delighted to see Jim Perrin praising Edward Abbey's wonderful Desert Solitaire, one of my favourite outdoor books.Vivienne Crow follows the River Esk in Cumbria from its mouth at Ravenglass to its source high in the hills at Esk Hause, an interesting route.Daniel Neilsen goes sea kayaking round the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales and climbs its two little hills, another interesting approach. The most exciting story comes from Hanna Lindon, who describes an unintended night out on the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. Luckily the weather was fine but even so it sounds quite an ordeal. This year is the 400th anniversary of the notorious Pendle witch trials and there have been a number of events marking this. For TGO Carey Davies describes a walk over Pendle Hill and considers this grim period of history. Other interesting features include Roger Smith asking if Scotland's national parks are doing their job well (whilst by no means perfect I think they are doing better than Roger does), a useful key for identifying birds of prey (I suspect an awful lot of buzzards are mistaken for eagles), John Manning's review of 15 mid-range waterproof jackets and Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the John Muir Trust, appealing for walkers to get involved in protecting wild land.

Great Review of Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams from MyOutdoors

MyOutdoors.co.uk has given an excellent review to Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams, which you can read here.

Book Signing Aviemore: Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

From 11 a.m. tomorrow I'll be at Waterstone's book shop in Aviemore to sign copies of Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams. If you're in the area and the rain's keeping you from the hills (the forecast looks nasty!) do call in.

Reviews: Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

The first reviews of my new book have appeared and I'm delighted to say they are very positive. I am honoured that the founder of the trail, Ron Strickland, likes my book, which he has reviewed on his blog. As soon as I had copies I sent one to Ron, then waited for his verdict. It's Ron's trail and his approval of my book means a great deal. That he finds my writing "magical" and my pictures "a pure delight" is really thrilling.

I was also very pleased at the first review by a purchaser of the book - Robin of Blogpackinglight. As well as the content Robin praises the format (thanks publishers!) and says he'd like to see Crossing Arizona and Walking the Yukon in the same format. So would I! If Grizzly Bears is successful enough maybe it will be possible.

Update July 8

There are also two five star reviews on Amazon,  one from Tony Hobbs (thanks Tony!) and one from "Deep Reader". Tony says he would give it six stars if he could!

Update July 9

Andy Howell has published a very nice review on his website.  Two particular lines in the review really please me as they cover aspects of the writing that I worked hard to achieve:

"Chris captures beautifully the relationship that a walker develops with the land that he or she is hiking through."

"Chris’ insights into the plight of the natural environment can be quite profound but never are they preaching."

New Book Published Today!

Today, June 21, my book on the Pacific Northwest Trail was published by Sandstone Press. I saw a copy for the first time this evening at the launch in Grantown-on-Spey and I must say I'm delighted with the production and design. Thanks to Sandstone Press and designer Heather McPherson of Raspberryhmac. The book tells the story of my hike along the trail and is illustrated with 138 photos plus maps showing the route.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the launch and for Sandstone Press and The Book Mark in Grantown-on-Spey for organising it. I'll be at Waterstones in Aviemore on July 18th talking about the book and I hope to announce other talks soon.

Book Launch: Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams, my book on my Pacific Northwest Trail hike, will be published on June 21st by Sandstone Press. There will be a book launch at The Grant Arms in Grantown-on-Spey that evening - 7 for 7.30.  Everybody welcome! I'll be showing some images of the walk and there'll be a discussion afterwards.

A Few Days In Holland

A quick trip to Holland to give a couple of talks on the Pacific Northwest Trail last weekend just happened to coincide with the coldest, snowiest weather of the winter, both in Britain and in The Netherlands. I’d been invited to give the talks at the annual Royal Dutch Mountaineering and Climbing Club (NKBV) Mountain Sports Day (Bergsportsdag) in Utrecht. The event itself was fine with several hundred people attending my talks and asking plenty of questions afterwards, which is always enjoyable. The travelling was not so good however. Hearing of icy roads and possible snow for central Scotland on the Saturday morning I abandoned my plans of a pre-dawn start and hastily booked a hotel close to Edinburgh airport and caught the train Friday evening, arriving at the hotel after midnight. The next day there was no snow or ice but at the airport I discovered the flight was an hour late due to adverse weather in Holland. I read the paper and stared out at the sunshine. What a day for the hills! The flight to Schipol is only a touch over an hour long so why do they serve a drink and a snack? I’ve been wondering that for years on short flights. Safely in Holland the travel difficulties began. Dutch railways were in chaos due to the cold and snow with trains cancelled, rerouted and delayed, apparently due to frozen points. The direct train to Utrecht takes 50 minutes. Usually. Last Saturday it required linking three trains with long waits between them and the journey took 31/2 hours, much of it spent either standing on freezing platforms or crammed into overcrowded carriages. On Amsterdam station there were regular announcements in four languages advising passengers not to travel to Belgium, France or Germany.

Finally in Utrecht I settled into a bland, corporate but adequate hotel. I always find such places a little unreal, a little detached from real life, a little soft and fuzzy and unfocused with no centre, heart or soul. Too much time in one and I imagine you could melt into nothingness. The only spark of individuality, though I guess these are found in many Dutch hotels, was the no smoking notice, which gave as much attention to marijuana as tobacco. I liked the artistic touch of having the marijuana leaves curve over the red prohibition bar.

Feeling confined and deflated by some 36 hours in hotels and transportation I decided to walk to the conference centre where the Bergsportsdag was being held. The hotel receptionist looked it up on Google for me – it would take forty minutes. The temperature was -9°C. I set off wearing hat, gloves and insulated jacket, crunching through the snow and feeling a little more in touch with the world. The route followed main roads, almost empty early on this frozen Sunday morning, giving them an eerie, deserted feel. The verges were soft with snow and the walking wasn’t actually that easy. Soon enough, though, the conference centre appeared, Bergsportdag marked by NKBV pennants, a rather lonely looking inflatable Mammut mammoth and a portable climbing wall. I never did see anyone using this last structure. Inside the world suddenly came alive with stalls, climbing walls, events, cafes and a mass of people – some 2,800 attended in total. My talks were held in an interesting long lecture hall with four active screens, a setup I hadn’t seen before. I liked it as it meant no one was far away at the back looking at tiny, distant images.

The journey home was uneventful with no delays or interesting weather. It was odd arriving in Edinburgh and feeling too hot as it was some 10° warmer than Amsterdam. By the time I was back in Aviemore the temperature was below freezing again and at home it was only +6°C inside. Lighting the solid fuel stove brought me back to reality. No more trains and planes and hotels for a while now. The next trip will be to the hills.

Ron Strickland comments on Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams: Updated 22/12/11

View from the Pacific Northwest Trail on the High Divide in the Olympic Mountains.

Ron Strickland, the creator of the Pacific Northwest Trail and author of the PNT guidebook and the excellent Pathfinder, had a look at the blurb on the publisher's website for my book on the trail and decided it didn't really cover everything so he put in a passionate and eloquent suggestion of his own. I won't reproduce it as Sandstone Press has published it on its and you can read it here. I must say though that I've never been compared to Burton or Speke before! And I love the idea of the American Congress making me a special gift of the trail. Thanks Ron.

The book itself is virtually finished. The last pages will be with Sandstone Press tomorrow.

Update: Some good comments on the Sandstone blog. Thanks!

And the book was finished on time. 

Grizzly Bears And Razor Clams: Coming Next Year!

Above is the cover of my book on the Pacific Northwest Trail, designed by Heather MacPherson for Sandstone Press. I like it very much. Thanks Heather! The picture was taken in the Pasayten Wilderness in the Cascade Mountains. The book will be published next year. The Sandstone Press announcement can be found here.

Interviews for BBC Radio Scotland Out of Doors

In Okanagon country on the Pacific Northwest Trail

Today I was interviewed by Mark Stephen for the Out of Doors BBC Radio Scotland programme about my A Year In The Life Of The Cairngorms book and about my Pacific Northwest Trail walk. The first interview should be broadcast this weekend - the programme goes out at 6.30 am on Saturday, repeated at 11.05 am on Sunday - and the next a week later. The programe will also be available on iPlayer.

As Mark was coming from Aberdeen and I was coming from Grantown-on-Spey we met in Keith, where we had an excellent lunch (brocolli and stilton soup) in the wonderfully named Boogie Woogie Cafe before finding a quite spot for the interviews. Getting to Keith was quite interesting given the snow which, despite it being December when snow in Scotland is hardly unexpected, has caused some problems on the roads. I had five miles of minor roads before reaching the A95 main road. None of those minor roads had been cleared of snow and every bend (and there were plenty) was quite slippery even though I have snow tyres fitted. Not once did I go above 15mph or get out of second gear. The A95 had been ploughed and gritted but there were still slippery snow patches on some of the sheltered stretches deep in shady hollows. I was more concerned though by some of the other drivers, especially those who decided that because of snow on the edges of the road they should drive down the middle, expecting anything coming towards them to get out of the way. I crept along the verge a few times while the other vehicle sailed past taking up most of the road. But the journey there and back was completed safely, even if it did take much longer than expected. More snow is forecast, perhaps up to 10cms, so I'm glad I don't have to drive anywhere tomorrow. Maybe it'll be time for skis or snowshoes instead.

Pacific Northwest Trail book to come - 'Grizzly Bears & Razor Clams'

In the Selkirk Mountains on the Pacific Northwest Trail.

I'm delighted to announce that I have a publisher for a book on my Pacific Northwest Trail walk and that the publisher is here in the Scottish Highlands - Sandstone Press. The book will be published next summer and will have many photographs as well as my words. The title is Grizzly Bears and Clam Shells: Walking America's Pacific Northwest Trail, for which, appropriately, I have the trail's founder Ron Strickland to thank. Now I'd better return to actually writing the book!

Pacific Northwest Trail Talk

On October 20th I'm giving an illustrated talk on my Pacific Northwest Trail walk for Tiso's in Inverness. The talk is at the Millburn Academy at 7.30 and tickets are £8. Profits go to local mountain rescue teams. Details here.

The picture was taken in Glacier National Park not far from the start of the trail.