Travel adventure. A New Zealander's experiences along the Pacific Crest Trail.
The story of a 2700 mile solo hike from Mexico to Canada, traveling up through the desert areas and snowbound High Sierra Nevada of California and the Cascade range of Oregon and Washington, emerging in the Okanogan Forest of BC Canada. An often humorous look at the US and its wilderness as seen through the eyes of a New Zealander.
Excerpt
The BIG DAY finally arrived, and giving what I hoped looked like a devil-may-care slightly buccaneering sort of wave to Sadie and two of my crew who had come to see me off, I disappeared into the departure lounge of the Auckland Airport.
I was a bit disappointed to realize that I was already beginning to hyperventilate and as yet there wasn't a bear or snake in sight - my most traumatic experience so far, was being robbed of $20 departure tax by an unsmiling airport official.
Professional Reviews
Norm Goldman 'Book Reviews'
(Review from Norm Goldman 'Book Reviews' bookpleasures.com)
Reviewer: Jessica Roberts
Fancy packing up and hiking on a five month solo journey from Mexico to Canada? This is exactly what George Spearing did and what a wonderful tale he has to tell!
As soon as I began this book I was simply hooked. From the first page to the last, this is a totally enjoyable hiking memoir packed with humour and much inspiration.
We follow George on his journey and experience all the highs and lows along the way. From a bear wandering around his tent at four in the morning (“If there are any adrenalin freaks reading this, then this is what you’ve got to do - try lying on the ground about 2m away from a 250kg bear that is roaring its bloody head off - trust me, you will not get a bigger buzz!”) to his encounter with a deer, this is certainly a light-hearted but entrancing read which made me laugh so many times.
We also learn of his encounters with other hikers along the trail (Ziggy, The Gimp, Mountain Goat Vern) and read about a few mishaps too (“This was definitely uncool, and I was glad that only the Sierras and myself were witness to my close-up inspection of their snowy surface.”)
I literally found it impossible not to laugh from the first chapter to the last. George writes about his time on the Pacific Crest Trail in an easy-to-read style with humour in almost every sentence. I have never read a more funny, gripping trail book as this. Even if you don’t intend to walk the PCT, this book is still fun and totally absorbing.
The only part that did disappoint me a little was the fact there were simply not enough photographs included. It would have been better to see a little more of what George saw during his time hiking but having said this, I was impressed with photos of the hot Mojave desert, the snowy Sierra mountains and of course the absolutely cute snap of a Marmot awaiting his lunch.
Though George did suffer some pretty hairy moments with bears he lives to tell the tale of traversing 40 Wilderness areas, 24 National Forests, 7 National Parks, 3 State Parks, 19 major canyons and climbing 57 mountain passes.
Also included at the back of this brilliant book is a list of equipment George carried ranging from his one man tent, crampons (oh the misfortune those caused!) Swiss Army Knife and his trusty Snake Bite Kit amongst many, many more tackle that came in very useful during his hike.
A wonderful, hilarious book to treasure. One of the best of its kind.
Metro to Mountain, book review.
Reviewer: Metro to Mountain, book review
(Posted on metrotomountain.com)
Lately, I have been reading long distance hiking book narratives. I guess I am becoming a bit of an armchair long distance hiker. Over the last couple of weeks I read Skywalker's accounts of his Appalachian Trail and then Pacific Crest Trail hikes. I enjoyed the overall flavor of the books and so then chose Dances with Marmots - mainly because of the title.
Dances with Marmots is the journey of a New Zealander on the Pacific Crest Trail. George Spearing worked as a fireman in New Zealand. He wasn't really a hiker, but decided to take leave from work,
go to America, and hike the Pacific Crest Trail. His story is of the trail, the hike, and America.
George had to learn about America, gear, how to hike, how to acclimate to the weather, and the trail. It was a fun, humorous story. So for a few notes ...
George has a great sense of humor (or he knows a really good joke writer) and he uses the witticisms to make fun of hikers, residents, animals, America, and himself. He is not afraid to poke fun at anything.
He thought there would be more hikers on the trail.
Other authors I have read, complained about the heat of the desert and the lack of water. George really didn't complain much at all.
He really didn't complain about the snow or the lava rocks, either. Maybe, the trail is not quite as bad as other authors made me believe! Well, or either it was just a Brit sandbagging the difficulty.
The book is filled with references to American history and movies (Westerns). I guess he was really writing for a British audience. Before the hike he had never seen a rattlesnake, hummingbirds, bears (in the wild), mountain lions, marmots, or a cowboy. He was amazed by all!
As in all trail books, he met and walked with some characters.
He carried a huge pack. Whereas it is not uncommon for an ultralight hiker to carry 10 pounds, George carried 65 pounds regularly. On long stretches of trail without water he claimed his pack weighed closer to 100 pounds.
He started the hike with knee pains. I am sure the weight of the pack did not help, but by carrying the extra weight, he had the gear to stay warm and dry in most conditions.
I also thought it was odd that he did not use trekking poles (hiking sticks) especially with his tender knees. When he saw a hiker using sticks, he thought they were skiing poles (or he was just trying to be funny). But, George learned how to hike on the trail. He did an amazing job and really did not complain.
It was also comforting that he was on the trail to hike, nothing more or less. Many other books tend to emphasize meeting the needs of the hikers' lost comforts and desires of their real life. Oh, he was always ready for a cold drink, but it was not life or death.
Oddly enough, George really didn't claim to have a trail name. The Gimp (a hiker) always greeted George with, "foreigner, ain't yuh" - but George never used a trail name.
George was definitely appreciative of the hospitality and kindness strangers showed to him along the trail.
I purchased and read the Kindle edition.
Dances with Marmots is a fun book on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you have read any other books on the PCT, this one will be a little different. Thanks, George.
Hiking HQ, Book reviews.
Reviewer: Sgt.Rock
(Posted on Book Reviews, Hiking HQ)
Here is a question: What do you do if you are a career firefighter from New Zealand and are looking for something to do out of the ordinary?
For George Spearing the answer was obvious: Go for a walk-about on the Pacific Crest Trail. I hope I am not mixing up cultures from down-under. Is it only Australians that go on a walk-about? Anyway...
Not being very familiar at all with the PCT, this was my first real introduction to what a PCT thru-hike could be like, and for that, George is the perfect guide because of his sense of humor and his ability to be the outsider looking in on some aspects of American culture at the same time. George takes you from how he made the decision to choose the PCT over the AT and the CDT (hint: he knows someone that lives near the start), through the perils of dealing with American Immigration, and then right into the adventures of his hike.
Along the way I got the feeling I wouldn't mind hiking around George - he seems like he would be a good guy to be on the trail with, well except for one thing: he likes to hike alone. I can't say that I blame him though.
I have read this book twice now and still laugh out loud at times while reading it. I still can't keep a straight face in restaurants when a waitress will ask "Soup or salad?". You will have to read the book to get that one.
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