Journeys North

by Barney Scout Mann

The Pacific Crest Trail

In Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail, legendary trail angel and thru-hiker Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling story of six people as they hike from Mexico to Canada.  Mann, known as Scout on the trail, and his wife, Sandy, known as Frodo, set out on the 2650-mile trail in 2007, a year of extreme weather conditions in which only a third of PCT hikers finished.  Along the way, their lives became intertwined with four of their fellow hikers: Blazer, Nadine, Tony, and Dalton.

A once-in-a-generation drought, severe winter storms, shattered bones, illnessed, and helicopter rescues strengthen the hikers' bond as they make their way northward.  Through their experiences on the trail, Mann reveals the universality of our humanity and what it means to belong.

Barney Scout Mann is one of the rare individuals who have hiked America's Triple Crown (the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest Trails).  He and his wife, Sandy, have hosted thousands of PCT hopefuls in their San Diego home.