Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Mexico to Canada

By: Bruce Nelson

Narrated by: Bruce "Buck" Nelson

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

One April morning I left the Mexico border and walked north on the Pacific Crest Trail. For five months I hiked through the California desert, the snows of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. My goal was to succeed in an epic challenge: to hike 2,650 miles and reach Canada before the October snows.

It was an unforgettable summer of sunrises, river crossings, and high mountain passes; of physical and mental challenges and peaceful wilderness camps under the stars. In the fall colors of September I reached the border of Canada. This is the story of my thru-hike.

©2018 Bruce "Buck" Nelson (P)2019 Bruce "Buck" Nelson

Great PC Trail book

Great recounting of this hike! Just enough personal detail, introduction to other characters on the trail , natural commentary, and factual info. I've enjoyed it twice now!

So fun!

I have read two of Bucks stories. I come away truly envious of his adventures. I find myself wondering what my trail name would be. I can almost feel the shin splints as he hikes along and I try to keep up with he and the others.

Being a partial pct hiker I figured you would mention saw tooth or Indian heaven wilderness. (My local area) ah I am sure there are too many beautiful landmarks to name them all. Thank you for a great story that aloud me to escape work and be on the trail.

excited for the next adventure

Excellent. Loved living vicariously through Colter. Easy to follow and well read. I was actually sad when it was over.

Trail journal published for money...

I have read several accounts of thru trail hikers on different long distance trails and this one was the least enjoyable. This man has had the opportunity to have wonderful excursions into the wilderness. He completes these trips alone. As he comes across as judgmental, quick tempered, impatient, and self centered, this is a good way to complete his chosen adventures.
There are several times he boasts of his navigation skills and then spends time complaining of back tracking and being lost. He boasts of always treating his water because he knows the dangers of not doing so only to end up getting sick from bad water.
He writes of his “friends”. These people seem to be in his life to merely mail his packages, give him shelter when he’s near, and take care of his dog for five months. He becomes angry with one friend he’s known for years when while she is having some trouble with adjusting to moving to a new state, a new job and the loss of her pet, she mails one of his packages late so that he almost missed it on the trail.
They end up not speaking for years. I wouldn’t want this person as a friend- he’s a taker and a curmudgeon. I found it off-putting that he goes out of his way to write about his unkindness to another hiker on the trail whom he does not know. What happened to hike your own hike?
Overall all I felt that this was written to gain enough funds to pay for the next great adventure.
The only time he spoke at a reasonable pace was when giving the location where his other books can be purchased. Enjoy the adventure but be kind as well.


His writing style reads like journal entries. His narration is off putting as he reads very fast and seems to just want to be done.

One of the few audio books on the subject.

I liked most of it though I had hoped to gain more of an image about the hike in general. Oregon and Washington seemed abridged for some reason.

Interesting story of hiking the PCT

Bru e doesn't just talk about the hike, he shares tidbits of wisdom. I especially liked when mentioned the Jefferson Wilderness in Oregon or catching the bus to Stehiken, WA both places I backpacked in.

Great book for a long drive.

The stories of Buck are fascinating. He is very detailed in his book about the PCT and his hike.

very entertaining.

Great story loved the details about the relationships along the way and the recap at the end of people who were in the book that finished.

Great detail

Geat detail on some memorable aspects of the trail that I've experienced. I came up over Red Pass with that great glacial valley in the morning sun with Glacier Peak in the background with a sudden buzz by of a fighter pilot. Truly a perfect experience!

A good book to read.

I give rhis 5 stars because he walked it and lived it and narrated it.
As a future thru hiker im always listening for mishaps, animal encounters, weather conditions and temperatures. I feel it will give me insight for my adventures. As for the scenery no words can describe how you feel when you see it, but it's also the motivation to do it yourself. Good book.