Snowbound Vol 1: Hiking the PCT in 2023's Record Snow Year

In 2023, the Pacific Crest Trail was swallowed by the deepest snowpack in history. Most hikers waited for a better year. Riley laced his boots, hoisted his pack, and walked north. Snowbound is the story of one hiker’s path through 2,650 miles of relentless winter and the even harder terrain within. Battling exhaustion, river crossings, and weeks of silence, Riley confronted not just the weight of snow—but the weight of his past. Each step north was a letting go: of the version of himself shaped by fear, shame, and stories he no longer wanted to believe. From a near fall on Mt. Baden-Powell to the haunting stillness of Forester Pass, from the agony of loneliness to the quiet beauty of Leavenworth, this is a story of reckoning, resolve, and rising again. It’s not just a trail memoir. It’s a story about coming home to yourself—in the most unforgiving year on record.