"No Way Ray Echols" fell off a 200-foot cliff along the Pacific Crest Trail, to his death on May 15, 2006. He was an experience hiker with over 50 years of experience on the high country, and just on the previous year he hiked the 2650-mile PCT from Mexico to Canada and was hiking it again, by the time of his demise. This volume is part of Ray's legacy. He left behind many tales about his trail adventures, encounters with humans and wildlife, lightning strikes, and pure unexpected pleasures while on the trail.

A Thru-Hiker's Heart sheds light on what motivates someone to dedicate so much and endure pain and pressure to become a long-distance hiker.
The Pacific Crest Trail connects the mountain tops that run 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada at the continent's edge. A Thru-Hiker's Heart tells the tales of the five-month trip that some consider more challenging and life-changing than climbing Mount Everest. But this is not the typical book about hiking--miles, bugs and blisters. In a vivid and insightful voice, Ray Echols tell us the stories of encounters with hikers and town folk, and encounters with the solitude of the soul. Here are not only rattlesnakes, mountain lions and lightning strikes, but exhilaration and trail magic. In the eyes of other hikers and everday people along the trail, Ray glimpses our human courage and kindness. These are the reasons we follow our dreams to heights we never imagined.