Dances With Marmots - A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure

By George Spearing

Book Overview

Inspiring and entertaining account of a 4300km solo hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Despite never having hiked before, George Spearing decided to take 'leave of absence' from his job as a firefighter in the New Zealand Fire Service and walk the length of America.
Travelling entirely on foot and off road, his five month journey takes him through the desert areas and snowbound High Sierra Nevada of California, the Cascade ranges of Oregon and Washington and finally emerges in the Okanogan Forest of British Columbia, Canada.
The diverse mix of Mojave desert, High Sierra snows and the characters and wildlife met along the way, provide an often humorous look at the US and its wilderness through the eyes of a New Zealander.
The lively easily read style, along with several images, provides an entertaining and inspiring read for anyone contemplating hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or for anyone who enjoys a good adventure story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1411656180
• ISBN13: 9781411656185
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Must For Any PCT Dreamer

My favorite aspect of this book is how the reader sees America (and the PCT) through the eyes of a humorous New Zealander. George's writing is a pleasure to read. I especially enjoyed the passage where he describes exactly why he hiked the PCT. He had obviously done a lot of thinking over the many miles he walked and had come up with a beautiful way to express the exact reasons as to why he would walk 20+ miles a day for five months. The only aspect of the book I didn't like was that, towards the end, Spearing seems to be a bit tired of writing a book and resigns to simply listing the names of the wilderness areas he visits. This is in stark contrast to the excited, witty and funny tone taken earlier in the book. Regardless of this, I thoroughly enjoyed Spearing's book. If you are at all interested in hiking the PCT, I'm sure you will like his book too.

Buy this book! You'll be happy you did

I shot right through the book and finished it off in short order. The reason, of course, was that I found it to be very interesting, humorous to the point of frequent guffaws and snickers, and inspirational. I truly believe that only those with physical and mental toughness have a chance to actually complete a thru-hike in one season. Add to that the perils of heat, cold, rain, snow, lack of water, scrapes, bruises, sprains or broken bones, loneliness, missed food drops, leaking canteens, dried-up water sources, high-altitude problems, indistinct trail markings, wildlife (bears and rattlers, e.g.) and a host of other perils, and it becomes apparent that one also has to be very fortunate and resilient to get through. I believe the odds are really stacked against success, and that is why stories such as George's are so uplifting. Add to all that, the fact that he was half a world away with very limited resupply support, and it became an incredible undertaking. I had originally thought that perhaps the next edition should include a dictionary of terms, so those of us unfamiliar with his particular way of expressing various words would be able to zero in on the meaning. In retrospect, however, I also believe that having to guess at the meaning adds to the magic, entertainment and humor of the story. Thanks again, George, for the great read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors, adventure, and human triumph.

Along the Bill Bryson style

A wonderful read with great account and descriptions, accented by a bit of humor throughout. You wont be dissapointed with this one!

Best PCT Book I've Read

Read this story several times before it was available in book form and was thrilled to find it had been published. I've read dozens of books and journals on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and Dances With Marmots is by far the best! Spearing's gift for description and humor make this a fun read. The author has a gift for putting the reader on the trail beside him and his anecdotes of trail buddies, town stops, and dealing with customs at both ends of the trail are a delight. Dances With Marmots makes you want to strap on a pack and hit the trail. A must for anyone who loves the outdoors and needs a chuckle. Blessings, Perry P. Perkins Author "Just Past Oysterville"

Adventure on the PCT

For anyone who has dreamed of doing a Thru hike of the PCT or even the CDT or AT, this book gives good insight into the life of a thruhiker. George Spearing, a New Zealander, takes the reader with him as he hikes through the desserts of California across the snow covered peaks of the Sierras through the Cascades of Oregon and Washington. He gives humerous as well as practical accounts of his adventures along the way. He introduces us to some of his fellow adventurers, including a 75 year old thru hiker. He includes little glimpses of history along the way which made for an interesting read. I picked this book up on Friday and couldn't put it down!!