Yogi's GUIDE BOOKS

HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?

My email address is seen at the bottom of each page on this site, please send me an email.

Yes, I live in Kansas. And, yes, I'm aware that Kansas is flatter than a pancake.
No, I do not hike in ruby slippers, but I did have a dog named Toto when I was a kid.

ARE THE HANDBOOKS AVAILABLE IN DIGITAL FORMAT?

The Handbooks are not available in digital format. It turns out that electronics often fail/break on the trail, so the Handbooks are only available in printed format.

HOW DO I PLACE AN ORDER?

Go back to the main page, select the products you want, then click [Add to Cart]. To complete your order, scroll up to the top of the main page, click [View Cart], choose the proper shipping (USA, Canada, or International), click [Check Out], and keep following the prompts.

WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENT DO YOU ACCEPT?

We only accept payments via PayPal.

US SHIPMENTS - WHAT MAIL SERVICE DO YOU USE?

Orders $30 or less are shipped USPS First Class Mail.

Orders $31 or more are shipped USPS Priority Mail.
This is the only shipping method available.
We do not ship overnight, FedEx, or UPS.

The USPS states that USPS Priority Mail usually takes 2-3 business days.
Please note that this is an estimated delivery time.
Often the actual delivery time is twice the estimated delivery time.

US shipments are mailed within 2 business days of receipt of your order.
We do not mail packages on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays.
Ship Station will send you an email when your package is shipped. That email will have tracking information.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS - WHAT MAIL SERVICE DO YOU USE?

Orders $30 or less are shipped USPS First Class Mail.

Orders $31 or more are shipped USPS International Priority Mail.
This is the only shipping method available.
We do not ship overnight, FedEx, or UPS.

The USPS states that USPS International Priority Mail usually takes 6-10 business days.
Please note that this is an estimated delivery time.
Often the actual delivery time is twice the estimated delivery time.
Sometimes international shipments take two or more months to arrive.

International shipments are mailed within three business days of receipt of your order.
We do not mail packages on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays.
Ship Station will send you an email when your package is shipped. That email will have tracking information.

Postage to non-US addresses is expensive.
USPS International Priority Mail is the least expensive TRACKABLE mailing method available.

HOW OFTEN ARE THE HANDBOOKS UPDATED?

Hard to say. They are updated when there are a sufficient number of changes to warrant a new layout. The latest revision on the PCT Handbook was March 2013. The latest revision on the CDT Handbook was January 2012. An extraordinary amount of work went into these editions. The Colorado Trail Handbook premiered in February 2012.

We print in small quantities. This allows the books to be updated more often. This also keeps the printing costs relatively high. You see, printers give quantity discounts; we choose to not take advantage of the cost savings of printing thousands of copies at one time. Sure, it would be cheaper to print enough books to last 2-3 years, but then the books would be drastically outdated by the time hikers purchase them.

IS THE INFORMATION IN THE HANDBOOKS GUARANTEED TO BE ACCURATE?

We work extremely hard to keep up on the changes to trail, town, and planning information for the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Colorado Trail. However, it never fails that as soon as a new edition is sent to the printer, something major changes. You might purchase your book in November for an April-to-September hike. In July, a resort closes where you had planned to send a resupply box. There is no way we could have foreseen something like that happening. Just be prepared for some glitches. We do try to keep both books current, but they will never be 100% correct 100% of the time. No guidebook can promise you that. We can promise you that we make every effort to provide hikers with accurate information. Things will not always work out as planned. Get used to that.

HOW CAN I MAKE SURE I HAVE THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION?

We will post update files to this website approximately April 1st of each year. You can print the update file and either make the changes by hand onto your Handbook pages, or you can take the printout with you on the trail. That's your choice. You are in control. To find the Update Files, go to the "LINKS" page. Click and print!

HOW DO YOU OBTAIN THE INFORMATION FOR THE HANDBOOKS?

All the information is first-hand knowledge either from Yogi hiking the trails or from other hikers sending updates to us. As of October 2012, Yogi has hiked the PCT 3 1/2 times, the CDT 1 1/2 times, and the Colorado Trail once. Yogi has personally visited every trail town along the PCT, CDT, and Colorado Trail many times to verify town services. This is first-hand knowledge; it is not swiped from other guidebooks.

CAN I HIKE THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL USING ONLY THE HANDBOOK?

No. The Handbook is supplementary.

If you hiked the Appalachian Trail, you probably didn't use maps. Things are different on the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. You need maps on these trails. Seriously -- you *need* maps.

If you are hiking the PCT, you need either the three Wilderness Press Guidebooks or Halfmile’s maps. I highly recommend also carrying the Data Book.

Yogi's PCT Handbook works in concert with the Data Book, Wilderness Press Guidebooks, and Halfmile’s Maps. There is a section in the Handbook which explains how to easily organize the pages from each source into a handy data bag.

CAN I HIKE THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL USING ONLY THE HANDBOOK?

No. The Handbook is supplementary.

If you have the slightest desire to stay found on the CDT, you must have maps. Two great mapsets are: Jerry Brown's Bear Creek Survey maps and Jonathan Ley’s Map CD.

There is a section in the CDT Handbook which explains which maps are needed for each trail section.

CAN I HIKE THE COLORADO TRAIL USING ONLY THE HANDBOOK?

No. The Handbook is supplementary.

Jerry Brown's Bear Creek Survey Colorado Trail maps cover the Colorado Trail.

There is a section in the Colorado Trail Handbook which explains which maps are needed for each trail section.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE TWO SIZES OF HANDBOOKS (CDT AND COLORADO TRAIL)?

Continental Divide Trail – Section one is the “Planning Guide” (8.5" x 11"), section two is the “Town Guide” (4.25" x 5.5").

Colorado Trail – Section one is the “Planning Guide” (8.5" x 11"), section two is the “Town Guide” (4.25" x 5.5").

The two sections are bound separately because the two sections serve different functions. The “Planning Guide” contains information pertaining to the planning of your hike. The large size of this section allows you to make notes on the pages. This section remains as a whole book (pages are not ripped out).

The “CDT Town Guide” and the "Colorado Trail Town Guide" sections are half the size of the “Planning Guide.” This section is designed to be dismantled (rip the pages out). You will only carry the pages which pertain to the portion of the trail you are currently hiking. Carrying the entire book at all times is silly, and adds unnecessary weight to your pack.

Pacific Crest Trail - The PCT Handbook is one book. However, the "Trail Tips and Town Guide" pages are printed on perforated paper, so you can easily remove them from the bound book. Pretty neat!

CAN I PURCHASE ONLY ONE SECTION OF THE HANDBOOK (CDT AND COLORADO TRAIL)?

Nope. Although the two sections are bound separately, they always have been and always will be considered to be one book. The two sections are not sold separately. Each section contains excellent information which will aid you during your hike.

I'D LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT EDITION OF THE HANDBOOKS. HOW DO I DO THAT?

We always welcome updates from current hikers. It's all those little snippets of advice from former hikers which help out the next year's class. If you have advice which pertains to the Planning section, please send that via email (see the bottom of this page for my email). For advice/changes to the Trail Tips and Town Guide section, the best way to get that information to us is for you to make the changes directly on your Handbook pages and then mail those pages to us here:

Jackie McDonnell
PCT-CDT Handbooks
PO Box 860573
Shawnee Mission, KS 66286

If you'd rather not mail the pages to us, shooting us an email would be perfectly fine, but please refer to places by their mile point or town name, NOT by the Handbook page number. Please use the email address found at the bottom of every page on this site.

DO YOU OFFER AN ELECTRONIC VERSION?

Nope.

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?

No returns. All sales are final.

WILL YOU BE OFFERING AN APPALACHIAN TRAIL GUIDE?

Ain't no AT guide in the works. Step back.

I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE! WHO BUILT IT FOR YOU?

Well, that would be my buddy d-low.