Make your First Thru-Hike a Success

Make Your First Thru-Hike a Success, by Brian Lewis ★★★★★
Lewis is a fellow native Northwesterner, a person who had done the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest trail thru-hikes before writing this book. It is written as an advice book in an entertaining narrative style to help one plan and accomplish a lengthy thru-hike. There are multiple links in the books to reference sites. It is his personal advice and seems to be great advice at that. This was probably the most enjoyable book that I’ve read as yet on hiking the PCT and is very easy to read. His advice on going super-light yet not minimalist is good. He gives advice on planning the trip, what to expect, what to wear, what to eat, what equipment to have and not to have, and a prudent way of caring to caches. He includes a lengthy bit of advice on wearing hiking shoes-not hiking boots—interesting, something that I’ll have to try. He gives advice about engaging loved ones at home to help the hike go better.
Brian’s trail name was Gadget since he noted that he carried a smartphone with him. The smartphone acted as GPS device, watch. phone, data device, mp3 player, and Kindle book reader. Brian also maintained a lengthy chronicle of his adventure, which I find puzzling, finding it hard to imagine anybody typing 3-5 paragraphs a night on a Kindle. I could see a mini iPad filling that role, but not a smartphone.
The book that everybody recommends including Brian, that I have yet to read, is Yogi’s guide to the PCT. That book is large, expensive, and updated every other year or so to remain accurate since things change. Once I get closer to a serious decision regarding a thru- or chunk-hike, then Yogi will be purchased and read.