Walks Far Man: In Step with History on the Pacific Crest Trail is a nearly-400 page recounting of one man’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail, told alongside a deep dive into the history and culture of Native American tribes who once lived along and followed the same route. This subject matter is perhaps less surprising when one considers the author: Jim Ostdick is a retired Earth Science teacher living near the central California coast on the ancestral lands of the Amah Mutsun Ohlone. It is no shock then that his book combines knowledge of science, the Earth, and Native American history. However, this description perhaps does Ostdick’s story a disservice; there is a level of beautiful and evocative storytelling that cannot be boiled down to any scientific objectivity. In Ostdick’s own words, this story is a “caffeine-fueled blend of fact, fiction, myth, and legend.”

Read this book at your own risk: it may cause readers to want to hike 2000+ miles! I was not expecting this informative book to be so captivating. I worried it would sound much like a textbook. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the author’s storytelling abilities. Ostdick beautifully blends the past and present in a way that only supports his conclusions about human connectivity and makes you feel unexpectedly involved in something much bigger than yourself.

Whether you actually want to hike the PCT or not, this book is a chance to catch at least a glimpse of the life-changing properties of such an undertaking. We’ve all heard people say such experiences changed their lives…well, this book places readers right onto the trail alongside the other hikers. Hilarious anecdotes of Ostdick’s time on the PCT juxtaposed with the history of tribes who once made the areas their home provides an incredible look at how we are unwaveringly connected to those who came before us. In Ostdick’s words, “[the science is] pretty obvious. We are not apart from nature. We are nature.” If that doesn’t give you an inspiring feeling of connection, I don’t know what will!

Page: 378 | ASIN : B08KYHQBZZ