About Snowbound: Hiking the PCT in 2023’s Record Snow Year
Riley Riffel
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 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, the agony of loneliness, and the quiet beauty of Leavenworth. This is a story of reckoning, resolve, and rising again.
This is not just a trail memoir: it’s a story about coming home to yourself in the most unforgiving year on record.
About the Author
Riley Riffel is a writer, endurance hiker, and outdoor storyteller. After years of burnout, heartbreak, and hiding behind a version of himself no longer fit, he made a promise: he would walk the Pacific Crest Trail and reclaim the life he was meant to live.
In 2023, during the highest snowfall the trail had ever seen, he kept that promise. What he found in those mountains wasn’t just pain of triumph, but presence.
Riley now lives in Toronto and shared his journey to help others confront their own stories, find stillness in discomfort, and remember the power of choosing their own path.
Book Information
Categories: Hiking / Personal Memoir
Release date: September 15, 2026
6 x 9 inches, 600 pages
Booksellers can order this title through Ingram.
When purchased from the publisher directly, 30% of the cover price will be donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
