What Are Your Favorite Walking or Hiking Books?

My favorite at the moment is “the Trail”, a novel by Ethan Gallogly that was published a few months ago. The protagonist and narrator is a stereotypical “bro” who becomes a very reluctant and woefully inept hiker on the John Muir trail in the company of an elderly uncle. The book is not great literature. Some readers may find that the protagonist, especially in the beginning, is too cluelessly shallow and sexist to waste their time on. Nonetheless, the author does know what he is doing. Ultimately the book succeeds in telling a story about 21st century hiking culture and why so many people love it. It includes an abundance of current and historical information on the John Muir Trail, including hand-drawn maps that are sprinkled throughout the book. It also lightly but lovingly explores the meaning of life on the trail and afterwards. There aren’t many novels about hiking that I enjoyed as much as this one. In some respects, Ethan Gallogly creates a new genre of hiker fiction that includes lots of information for and about hikers, without a plot involving unsolved murders, aliens, serial killers, drug cartels, wild beasts, deadly storms, near-death experiences or other hooks routinely used when writing novels about backpacking. Amazon readers and a number of book reviewers give it high marks.

The Thousand Mile Summer – Colin Fletcher
Kicked off my decades-long obsession with hiking the length of California or more, morphing into three attempted PCT thru-hikes. One of the oldest books on my very pared down bookshelf.

The Complete Walker/The New Complete Walker – Colin Fletcher
Boosted my backpacking skills and gear lust – for better or worse. The specific gear recommendations are no longer relevant, and Fletcher was not lightweight by any means. But the skills are still useful, and the writing is wonderful.

The PCT Hiker’s Handbook – Ray Jardine
Re-ignited my PCT obsession in the early 1990s. By then I’d become more skeptical of some claims; corn pasta is not a miracle food. But I re-learned the importance of dropping pack weight. His rocket engineer’s approach appealed to my not-so-inner nerd. Also encouraged me to modify gear, for many reasons. This book arguably kicked off the latest lightweight backpacking revolution (there was an earlier one). Was interesting to watch Jardine’s advice evolve through three follow-on books: The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Handbook, Beyond Backpacking, and Trail Life.

Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips – Mike Clelland
Wonderfull illustrations. My copy has a forest of sticky notes marking tips I need to use, or use more. It’s where I learned how to remove the ultra-annoying childproof clip on the Bic Mini. Still quite relevant 11 years after publication.

Desert Solitaire – Edward Abbey
One of the few books that changed my life. While his worldview had many faults, I’ve learned to focus on the good parts. Not really a hiking or backpacking book, it helped me learn to appreciate nature in whole new ways. The Monkey Wrench Gang deserves an honorable mention.

— Rex

I don’t think I’ve ever read any sort of instructional walking book, but Patrick Leigh Fermor’s classic trip from Denmark to Constantinople has been a favorite for a long while. Bruce Chatwin’s “In Patagonia” also a great read. Relevant to a reader today? I dunno.

I liked On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor. More of a history book than a hiking book, but still a hiking book I think.