Non-fiction review: Journeys North by Barney Scout Mann

More trail dreams in mid-winter, thanks to diving down rabbit-holes on the library website.

 

 

Title: Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail


Author: 
Barney Scout Mann. Read by Traber Burns

Publication Info: 
Blackstone Audio, 2020, 12 hours. Originally published 2020, Mountaineers Books, 320 pages.

Source: 

Library

Publisher’s Blurb: 


In Journeys North , legendary trail angel and thru hiker Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy--trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish.

As the group approaches Canada, a storm rages. How will these very different hikers, ranging in age, gender, and background, respond to the hardship and suffering ahead of them? Can they all make the final 60-mile push through freezing temperatures, sleet, and snow, or will some reach their breaking point?

Journeys North is a story of grit, compassion, and the relationships people forge when they strive toward a common goal.

My Review: 


I think this may be the best PCT hiker book I've read. It didn't take a lot of thinking to figure out why: Scout's focus isn't on himself, which leads to books that either seem self-aggrandizing or, more commonly, self-deprecating in ways that can get old. Journeys North is turned outward, with Scout's focus on the trail family he and his wife found/created during their through-hike (I think 2007 may pre-date the shortened form, "tramly"). The PCT was a different (and to me more appealing) place back in 2007, before Wild and the 800 or so folks who tackle the trail each year now. In 2007 about 160 hikers started the trail, heading from the Mexican border to the Canadian, up the spine of the Pacific Crest.

We get to know these hikers gradually, as did Scout and Frodo (his wife, AKA Sandy*). We see their struggles and how they manage to stay on the trail--and why some quit. There are a lot of reasons to quit the trail, and I'd guess that the physical, the financial, and the psychological run about even. An injury can do it, as can a significant illness, or losing too much weight (some hikers just can't find enough calories to keep their bodies going). Running out of money is common, especially among the youngsters--it takes $5000 to $6000 for the 4-months +, what with town days that call for motel rooms and large, fat-filled meals out, and all the trail food that must be either bought in town or shipped to you by someone kind and attentive. And some people just tire of life on the trail. To be fair, others get addicted and finish one season with plans for the next.

Maybe it's not surprising that it took from 2007 to 2020 for Scout to write and publish the book. There must have been a lot of conversations with those hikers he follows most closely, as he learns their backstories and struggles. These may not be the people you would normally seek out to get to know, but by the time you have watched them struggle through the deserts and mountains, I guarantee you'll care about them. You may or may not wish you were out there with them--I do, but I know I'm weird--but you'll root for them all.

*A word on trail names: as Scout himself says, you are given them by other hikers, and may or may not like them, but once it sticks, you're stuck with it. At least, it used to be that way. I think people are more inclined to name themselves these days, but I could be wrong.

My Recommendation:
This is a good read, whether you fantasize about hiking the long trails (I do, knowing that my body most likely would not stand for it, and I might miss home too much), or just like to read about crazy people.

 



 

FTC Disclosure: I checked Journeys North out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  


 

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2025
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