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| Dances With Marmots - A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure | 
 enlarge | Author: George G. Spearing
Publisher: Lulu.com
Category: Book
Buy New: $14.75
New (1) Used (3) from $14.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 177754
Media: Paperback
Pages: 263
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 1411656180
EAN: 9781411656185
ASIN: 1411656180
Publication Date: November 10, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 A bit disappointing June 19, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Although I commend the author for his courage and humor, some things about the book distracted from reading pleasure. This read like a self-published book (maybe it is) that had not been edited at all. There were no paragraph indents, and many sentences were run-on (strung together with commas when there sould have been a period). I'm not a stickler about grammar, but this was distracting and made it hard to read. There was also a problem with tense and scenes suddenly switching. For example, in a camping scene, the author would suddenly mention that he saw 3 bears while camping, but it turned out that this was referring to something that would happen several chapters later, so that during the present scene I would wonder, "Where are the bears?" Often I would hope for an interesting scene only to be disappointed by a blow by blow of each day and night on the trail (including the days where nothing really happened). If you can deal with the amateur style, you may enjoy this book.
 dances with marmots December 5, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
George Spearing writes candidly and with clarity on a journey/pilgrimage that obviously had a profound affect on his life.
In the days when our lives are increasingly abridged by safety legislation or by our own television fueled perceptions, a book like Dances with Marmots can only "en-courage" us to take the first steps beyond what we think our lives are about.
Best PCT Book I've Read August 16, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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"
A Must For Any PCT Dreamer January 23, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
Adventure on the PCT August 1, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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!!
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