Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California: Section Hiking from Campo to Tuolumne Meadows

I hiked the PCT in 2016 and I wish this had been available then. There are a lot of misconceptions about the desert section of the PCT (first 700ish miles) being flat, monotonous, and unpleasant. Even once you are out on the trail hiking through varied terrain, it is hard to shake off the "desert mentality" that comes from listening to those misconceptions. One of the reasons I love this book is because of how well the author paints an accurate picture of the beauty and constantly changing scenery the desert has to offer.All the information you would expect from a guide book is here, including mileage, water sources, elevation, etc. There are also a TON of photos that will make you question why you spend anytime indoors. I mean this literally. This book is worth buying for pictures of the Sierra sections alone. The damn near turn by turn navigation descriptions of each section are also a good reason for your purchase.The author is funny. I wanted to say that in a funny way but she's funny enough so if you want to chuckle, wait for the book. Her passion for the PCT seeps through her writing and it is impossible not to feel equally enthusiastic. On a multi-day (or multi-month) hike, that enthusiasm is almost as important as your next water source...except not..but ALMOST.

This book is not an update of the Wilderness Press classics on which the trail was discovered and hiked by a couple generations from the 1970s to around 2010. It does however owe those books a heavy and unacknowledged debt. This is most notable in lettering sections which the author of this guide, Shawnte Salabert, attributes to the PCTA but in fact come from scarified, Schaffer, et all who wrote the original guides to California, Oregon, and Washington. Even the definition of sweat constitutes the Southern California trail, comes from those guides. (It starts at the Mexican Border near Campo California and ends in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite.). But alas, those books are long out of print, in part because today’s hikers prefer light weight apps with minimal trail information as opposed to detailed descriptions of the physical geography and varied ecosystems of the trail. I’m not sure the lost knowledge has equaled the reduced weight but I’m a bit old school.And this book is as much a throwback to that kind of writing as it is a nod to recent demands of the hiking community. It does cover every mile of the route, suggest campsites along the way, and as much as possible provide an option for day and section hikes along the trail for just about anyone. The author provides good car descriptions to major trailheads for each section hike he recommends as well as available entry and exit options along the way. The writing is entertaining and the author has his own sense of humor that will become readily apparent as you read the text. Based on my experiences (and I’ve hiked 95% of the trail he describes at least once; sometimes multiple times) his mileage descriptions are accurate and you will easily be able to recognize the places he describes along the way. The book also features nice color photos and it’s availability in digital form will certainly please the gram counting hiker set. On the other hand, I miss seeing elevations along with miles at each major trail intersection, pass etc. Salabert does give total elevation gain and loss for each section of trail he describes but sometimes it’s nice to know just how much of a climb to expect.Ultimately, this book fulfills it’s purpose. You should want to hike the PCT after reading a few pages if you hadn’t already when you purchased the book. And if you are like many people with only a weekend or a few days to spare hiking the trail, this book will make planning short sections easier. It offers a lot. But it reminds me of an era when guidebooks offered even more.

I plan to section hike the PCT in mostly small sections. Previous section books I'd found were called "PCT Section Hiking" but really were if you just wanted to get your feet on the PCT. THIS series of books is more than I could have hoped for and makes it so easy! I had previously spent hours and hours planning small sections, researching where to leave my car, which wilderness, what permits were needed, and on and on. This series (all different authors, but organized the same way, wonderful!) provides all the need to know info, plus very detailed commentary on each segment/leg. So grateful! So good!

An invaluable reference for anybody interested in section hiking the trail. I especially appreciate the coverage of water and campsites. It’s also a fun and beautiful read for any armchair adventurer. Salabert did an amazing job bringing together well-written text, data, maps, and beautiful photos to create a comprehensive guidebook. Deserves to do very well.

A fresh review on the hike. But best way to keep your research current is to log onto blogs, hiker websites, and local resource guides. Books can be outdated the minute they are written so do rely on other sources in addition if planning a trek.

I bought this for my brother who will be hiking the PCT for a second time this summer. He has read many books on the PCT and he said this book is an excellent resource for anyone thinking about or hiking, planning to return to, the PCT. Very easy to follow and everything you need to know as you plan your hike.

I LIKED IT,CONTAINS SPECIFIC INFO THAT WILL GET YOU MOVING ,AN ALLOWS YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR FACING. THE VALUE HERE IS IMPORTANT AN YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO READ AN UNDERSTAND IT.

Truly amazing detail and mountains of helpful information for hiking sections of the PCT for those of us who cannot do a through hike for whatever reason. This makes planning a breeze!