Barney Mann tells the story of William Gray and The PCT’s Third Bestseller in our most recent Communicator Magazine. For more of his articles on the history of the trail, check out the collection at the bottom of our PCT history page.
The first bestseller about the Pacific Crest Trail, The High Adventure of Eric Ryback, was published in 1971. It sold 300,000 copies in seven printings and was translated into Finnish, Japanese and Braille. The most recent bestseller, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, is being made into a movie after almost two years on bookstore shelves. But there was a third PCT bestseller. And just like the other two, it changed the author’s life. Read the full article.

William Gray meets Pope John Paul II. Gray was vice president and director for the Book Division for National Geographic at the time.