Blisters, Bears, and Bliss

Seeking Zen, Losing My Mind, & Finding Purpose While Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

De: Yonatan 'Raven‘ Weiss

Narrado por: John William

What happens when a burnt-out techie professional ditches the comforts of modern life and hikes 2,650 miles across the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada? A head-on collision of midlife crisis and wilderness reality, where he’s never felt more alive.

Somewhere between blisters, bear poop, and resupply, it clicks. Those cryptic ideas of Zen and Taoism he skimmed almost two decades ago—about ‘simplicity’ and ‘attachment,’ the kind most of us flag as hippie nonsense, weren’t entirely wrong. Who knew that stripping life down to ‘walk, eat, sleep, don’t die’ could reboot something in your brain, making the noise of modern life fade like a patchy cell signal several miles past the last trailhead. The result? A raw, ridiculous, and surprisingly insightful mash-up of life lessons only a trail could teach—served with enough sarcasm to make a monk snort-laugh.

Warning: This book contains unsolicited life advice—sprinkled with sarcasm, absurdity, several dusty Zen Buddhist detours, and some philosophical a-ha moments earned after too many miles on the trail.

In other words, this isn’t your typical trail memoir or thru-hiking guidebook. It’s more like a middle finger to hustle culture. Packed with existential meltdowns, unwashed hiker-trash camaraderie, and deeper insights that only make sense after walking 2,650 miles, this book is for anyone who’s ever:

- Googled “how to quit adulthood” at 2 AM

- Figured out the simple math: miles walked ÷ Snickers bars = sanity

- Wondered if ‘inner peace’ probably smells like dust, sweat, and the hope that the next trail town has a laundromat

Here’s what you’re not getting:

- Another “How I Conquered The Wilderness & Became A Badass Guru” tale.

- Tips on cutting your toothbrush handle to save 0.05 ounces.

- Yet another step-by-step trail guide to thru-hiking.

Instead, expect to get some deeper insights, absurdity dipped in, and moments of clarity that’ll smack you in the face when you least expect them.

©2025 Yonatan ‘Raven' Weiss (P)2025 Yonatan ‘Raven' Weiss

Profound, Hilarious and Totally Unexpected

I didn’t expect to be this hooked by a book about hiking the PCT—but it completely surprised me in the best way. Not only did it make me laugh out loud, it also made me pause and reflect on why we’re drawn to these kinds of long, soul-testing journeys.

This isn’t your average trail memoir. It’s sharp, sarcastic, and somehow manages to be deeply moving without ever feeling heavy-handed. One of the most refreshing parts, for me, was how the author ties in elements of Eastern philosophy—Buddhism, Zen, Taoism—and connects them to the thru-hiking experience, all while keeping the tone light and funny.

If you’ve done a long-distance hike before, a lot of what’s said here will click in a visceral way: the post-trail haze, the hunger, the dirt, the odd clarity that comes when you're surrounded by nothing but wilderness. But even if you haven't, there’s a kind of raw honesty here that’s easy to connect with.

It’s rare to find a book that blends humor and depth this well. I’d absolutely recommend this audiobook to experienced hikers or anyone who’s ever dreamed of hitting the trail.

Miles, Meaning and the Messy Middle

This is by far the most honest (and sarcastic) hiking book I've read. I have to admit that I really enjoed this audiobook as it pulls off mutiple things at once - and does each of the well.

It's a trail memoir sure, but also a sharp personal exploration of why we feel stuck, what happens when we finally walk away from it all and do so in the form of a Thru-hike along the PCT throughout 2650 miles of wilderness.

The humor and deeper reflections are spot-on : dry humor, sarcastic, and brutally honest. I have to admit that the author has a gift of alling out the absurdity of modern life withut sounding preachy or self-important. At times he even manages to waeve some parallels from far eastern wisdoms into the experience of a long distance hike such as the Pacific Crest Trail - not as theoretical inserts but a lived experience of hiking long enough and stripped your regular comforts and needs down to the basics in the backcountry.

If you've ever fantazied about quitting your job, walking into the unknown, or just needed something that feels both real, deep and uplifting without the sugarcoating - this one's worth your time.

Unfiltered, Funny, and Profound: The Perfect Listen for Outdoor Enthusiasts

I went into this book expecting a quirky PCT thru-hiking memoir—and got something much more layered. Blisters, Bears & Bliss starts as a story about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail but quickly becomes a sharp, funny, and surprisingly deep reflection on what it means to disconnect, slow down, and truly pay attention to life. The author blends trail hiccups with quiet, often profound insights drawn from Far Eastern philosophy.
The result is something much more than a travelogue—but a refreshing combo you don’t see that often.
What I loved most? Raven doesn’t just tell you what happened—he shows you how it felt. The joy, the trail camaraderie, the boredom, the epic faceplants, the moments of “Why am I doing this again?”—and those deeper, self-reflective layers that sneak up on you when you’re not looking after so many miles in the wilderness.
If you’ve ever thru-hiked, plan to, or simply daydream about leaving it all behind to wander in the mountains, this book will hit home. And if you’re not a hiker? Don’t worry. The storytelling is strong enough to carry anyone along for the ride.