William Monk - Whistlers Way: A Thru-Hikers Adventure On The Pacific Crest Trail

William Whistler Monk invites you to ride on his shoulders, reading his thoughts, simply by turning the pages of Whistlers Way A Thru-Hikers Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail . This is Monks second long trail book. The first chronicled his 2017 eastern adventure, Whistlers Walk: the Appalachian Trail in 142 Days. In Whistlers Way , Monk ran headlong into a big snow year on the PCT. So many hikers flipped, skipping the Sierra Nevada, re-starting further north, with the hope to return later to John Muirs Range of Light. Monk, too, made that hard decision, testing his philosophy: Ive never had a bad day in my life. That philosophy was sorely tested again on the slopes of Mt. Jefferson when he careened down an icy bank, breaking ribs. Still, 37 days later, Monk was back on trail. That this book exists at all is the result of Monks promise made to himself; [A]s difficult as it was, I committed to myself that I would never miss a day of writing in my journal. Monks trail companion of over 2,000 miles reported in the Foreword that Monk was excited and giddy whenever he stopped to jot journal notes. Whistlers Way certainly covers the trail sights and stunning landscapes, but Monk makes sure to focus on what was most important to himthe people, repeatedly the people, how good-spirited and kind Monk found them as he thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Just as for Monk, readers of Whistlers Way may find their faith in people renewed and restored.

Barney Scout Mann, author of Journeys North

Charleston, SC

Whistlers Way
Copyright 2020 by William Monk
All rights reserved

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without
prior permission of the publisher.

First Edition

Printed in the United States

ISBN-13: 978-1-952019-02-9
ISBN-10: 1-952019-02-8

THWUP-THWUP-THWUP-THWUP

How did I ever become That guy? That guy whod been laid out on the trail on his back for over twelve hours, and now looking skyward at the hovering Air National Guard Blackhawk helicopter preparing for his rescue. As the medic repelled down to check my vitals and current physical condition, I found myself in complete disbelief that there were people moving heaven and earth to aid this crazy hiker who took just one misstep.

Was this it?

Was my PCT thru-hike over?

I first met Bill Monk, aka Whistler, in early May of 2017, just outside Waynesboro, Virginia. Our shared dream was to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, and at that point we were both about 850 miles into the 2,200-mile attempt. I was sitting on the edge of a bridge on an isolated forest road having my second breakfast when Whistler came along the trail, introduced himself, and sat down next to me. We ended up completing our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail together, ascending Mt. Katahdin on July 24th, 2017. Bill wrote a book about that adventure titled Whistlers Walk: the Appalachian Trail in 142 Days .

You learn a lot about a person spending 24/7 with them for almost three months. I often think about Whistlers response when passing fellow hikers. The usual question was, How are you doing? My own usual response was, Fine. Whistlers response, however, was always, Ive never had a bad day in my life. Completing a thru-hike takes great physical effort, and many a thru-hike is ended because of injury. But far more are ended from mental exhaustion. It takes a positive attitude and a real commitment to completing the goal, to endure all that time away from family and the comforts of home. Whistlers positive outlook on life helped get me through many tough stretches along the trail.

So, when Whistler called me in the spring of 2018, asking whether I would join him on his attempt to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019, I said, Sure!

The PCT is a great American asset, and indescribably beautiful. The only way to really feel its beauty is to hike the trail. But the next best thing is to read as much about it as you can. Whistler wrote constantly while hiking the trail, posting entries daily to the blog site trailjournals.com. It was fun to watch him get excited or even absolutely giddy when stopping to jot a note down on something interesting wed encountered along the trail. I often wondered why most of his inspirational thoughts occurred while hiking up mountains and never on the way down .

Whistler is committed to his readers. He knows most will never get the opportunity to experience a thru-hike, and he wants his descriptions of the trail to be inspirational even to them. I believe his AT blog had around 200,000 regular readers, and nearly the same for the PCT. I would be exhausted and collapsed in my tent after a long days hike, committed to examining the backs of my eyelids. But after setting up camp, Whistler would nearly always be writing his daily blog post, and next morning he would be hunting for a spot along the trail with cell phone reception until he could upload the blog. Technology follows us in todays world, and some dont like it in the wilderness, feeling its a distraction. I always thought it amazing that you could be on top of a mountain in the middle of the Sierras and be speaking with a family member in Germany or New Zealand.

Everyone deserves to be passionate about something. Whistler and I have both been fortunate to have lasting marriages, wonderful children, and successful careers. It has been my pleasure to share the passion for long-distance hiking with Whistler. I am writing this foreword during the height of the Corona-19 virus pandemic in the United States. People from around the world are drawn to hike the PCT, but have had to give up or postpone their dream of completing a thru-hike in 2020. I hope they can adjust their plans and maintain their passion for the trail.

Having picked up this book, you no doubt want to learn more about the Pacific Crest Trail, and may even be thinking about hiking all or part of it. I cant give away the stories in the booknot my job. I wont even tell you if Whistler finishes or not. Okay, fine, he finishes, and I dont. I will, however, provide a little foreshadowing. At least at one point in this book you will say to yourself, Wow that must have been a bad day. Knowing Whistler as I do, I can assure you that he would look you in the eye and tell you, I have never had a bad day in my life.

Read on, fellow adventurers. You will thoroughly enjoy Whistlers Way by Bill Monk.

Mark Scooby Skouby

Spring 2020

Image provided by: Pacific Crest Trail Association

I wouldnt refer to it as a calling. No, it was more like a tug. How does one go from a successful thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2017, convinced that one wasnt really interested in hiking another long trail, to where I found myself now, preparing for a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail?

To step back for a moment, I once said the following words, No, I dont think I would hike another long trailbeen there, done that. Was it the hurt and pain I had experienced during and after that 2,189-mile hike, along with a highly emotional summit of Mt. Katahdin on those final days of my hike, that had me utter the words I would later enthusiastically take back? I honestly cant answer that question.