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To the Gorge: Running, Grief, and Resilience & 460 Miles on the Pacific Crest Trail
A riveting narrative of love and loss, grief and joy, as one woman embarks on a quest for a fastest known time on the Pacific Crest Trail. When Emily Halnon lost her beloved mother to a rare uterine cancer at just 66 years old, she wanted to do something epic to honor the person her mother had adventurous, fearless, inspiring. Emily’s mom had taken up running in her late 40s; she ran her first marathon at 50. She learned to swim at 60 so she could do triathlons, and she did long bike rides even after she was diagnosed, still going for walks as she could in the short months from diagnosis to her death. Emily’s mom had even once jumped out of a plane. It was going to take something special to pay tribute to such a remarkable, life-loving spirit. Emily, an already accomplished ultrarunner (inspired to start running by her mother), decided to try to break the record for the Fastest Known Time by a woman, running the Pacific Crest Trail’s 460 miles across Oregon. As she laid out plans for her run she began to Could she also break the men’s record? To the Gorge takes the reader through those 7 days, 19 hours, and 23 minutes, covering nearly 60 miles a day on foot over mountainous terrain, and battling all the issues that could arise during such a monstrous hammered muscles, golf ball-sized blisters, sleep deprivation, hallucinations, cougar encounters. The hardest run of her life while she simultaneously battled through the profound grief of losing her living inspiration and best friend. Interwoven with Halnon’s eight-day effort are her remembrances from her mother’s life and death, exploring the complicated experience of grief—and what shines through it. To the Gorge will resonate with anyone whom life has hit with a hardball and who has had to dig deep as they wonder how they will get through it. Filled with adventure and heart, To the Gorge invites readers to consider what our greatest losses have to teach us about how to live the one life we get.
- GenresMemoirNonfictionSports
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2024
About the author
Emily Halnon
4 books14 followersEmily Halnon is a writer, trail runner, and mountain athlete out of Eugene, Oregon. Some of her most notable runs include setting the FKT on the 460-mile Oregon PCT, placing in the top 10 at the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run, and finishing 100 milers across the Cascades, Siskiyous, and San Juans. Emily’s writing, which often explores the intersection of running and the human experience, has been published in outlets including the Washington Post, the Guardian, Salon, CNN, Runner’s World, Trail Runner Magazine, and Adventure Journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 6, 2024
I’d give this book 100 stars if I could. It is so very good / so very sad / so very inspiring in so many ways. Having lost my own mom to cancer in my mid-30s, like Emily, and being a long time endurance athlete, like Emily, and being raised and loved by a brave and wholehearted mom, just like Emily, this book resonated so deeply and strongly with me. I followed Emily’s FKT attempt on the PCT in real time back in 2020, donated to her fundraiser for Brave like Gabe, and voraciously read her updates during her 8 days on the trail - I could not get enough and was so excited for and proud of her (a person I’ve never met but feel so connected to!) when she achieved her monstrous goal. The minute I heard she was writing this book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it (and my sister-in-law pre-ordered it for me for Christmas). The minute I received it, I couldn’t put it down and it was a powerful read from cover to cover. You do not have to be a runner or a motherless daughter (or a dog lover!) to appreciate this book - there are so many amazing takeaways for everyone. I loved it and will be listening to the audio version (read by Emily) once it’s available. Add it to your TBR if it’s not already there!
May 5, 2024
I preordered this book months ago. Before my dad died. I will always read a running book, but I couldn’t have foreseen how this book would feel as I sit in my own grief. Emily Halnon is a beautiful writer and honors her mother’s legacy beautifully. My heart breaks for her and her brother; how much loss can people endure? Its unfair. But the book is beautiful. The running community is second to none. It’s a book about running but it’s a book about love, family and loss. Thank you Emily for sharing your heart so openly.
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May 21, 2024"The trailhead is a gyrating wall of sequins, feathers, and metallic silver."
For a book about running and grief, there is a surprising amount of sequins, feathers, and metallic silver. And gyrating. And that's why I love Halnon's storytelling. I've been following Halnon's running adventures for years via her blog and social media, and I've always loved how her writing, and her adventures, are full of grit and joy. TO THE GORGE is a beautiful example of Halnon's ability to weave together the pain and beauty of being human.
For a book about running and grief, there is a surprising amount of sequins, feathers, and metallic silver. And gyrating. And that's why I love Halnon's storytelling. I've been following Halnon's running adventures for years via her blog and social media, and I've always loved how her writing, and her adventures, are full of grit and joy. TO THE GORGE is a beautiful example of Halnon's ability to weave together the pain and beauty of being human.
May 6, 2024
This is basically three amazing stories in one. Grief and loss, tied with ultra achievement and the love of dogs. Amazing stuff. Great storytelling and great writing.
May 13, 2024
This would have been hard to read at any time, because it is so open and raw. Reading it at a time when I'm already raw from grief and loss just made it hit that much harder. Sobbing while reading. But I'm so glad I did. I've been following Emily's journey since her Ironman/blogging days, and even though I knew on a high level all of these things that happened, reading her words and details.. just ripped my heart open. Especially Brutus. And within all of that grief and sadness, a truly inspiring ultrarunning journey, which would have been fascinating to read about just on its own, but which was made so much more meaningful as it was framed.
June 20, 2024
This book is well written and gets you through All emotions
May 16, 2024
Emily Halnon has been one of my favorite writers for years in a multitude of formats, but I was almost afraid to read this when my pre-order arrived having lost my own mom six months ago. This is both a memoir and a rallying cry, examining the wildly unfair amount of loss she and her brother endured in a short amount of time alongside the wildly amazing record-breaking run she did across the state of Oregon’s PCT. This book was only going in one direction and, even though I came in knowing the ending, its raw truth and beautiful language about awful things did what I think it was meant to do: I cried and I got angry and I was also wildly inspired by Halnon and her stunning mother to go find joy and adventures and hard things alongside my grief. Definitely one I’ll go back to again and again.
July 7, 2024
Slow start for me because this story brings to light two areas of life that are not fun to revisit— falling out of the habit of running and the loss of a parent. Halnon grew up in the town where I teach and one of the English teachers brought this book to my attention. Memoir is a strong genre for me as I look for advice and insights in the lives of others. While half of the text is set in Oregon, the other half surprisingly happened in my own back yard. Halnon is an exquisite story teller and her words began to speak to me, until they wailed, and reverberated… and inspired.
May 24, 2024
This is my favorite book I’ve read in a long time. It holds a lot of value to me right now as I live in the area, am preparing for an ambitious Oregon hike on the PCT, and I can see my own world and friendships in the incredible crew Emily has. The spirit of Oregon ultra running. I cried so many times. Emily is an incredible author and I can’t wait to read and find more from her.
May 30, 2024
You know those movies you pick to watch when you need a good cry? This book is exactly the same. It’s beautifully written and the most wonderful tribute to Emily’s mom. It’ll inspire you to plan your next big adventure and dream big, even when in the messy middle of life.
May 17, 2024
I just couldn’t put this book down! I’m a fortunate 76 year old runner who has read two fantastic books recently. This is one while the other is The Good Life. There is overlap between the two. To the Gorge expands the notion of the importance of relationships and thus dovetails with The Good Life which keys in on relationships. I plan on giving To the Gorge a second read with the addition of deeper reflection. Hopefully I will gain even more than I did on the first read!
May 23, 2024
Beautiful, vulnerable, filled with so much love and grief.
July 4, 2024
So good. All the feels. Nothing like a cathartic cry on the 4th of July? lol
May 26, 2024
Ultramarathoner Emily Halnon tells the story of running the Oregon stretch of the Pacific Coast Trail and earning the fastest known time (FKT) as a tribute to her mother, who died of a rare form of uterine cancer. She shares details of her 460 mile journey alternating with stories of her mom's pre-cancer marathoning days and her subsequent valiant fight against the aggressive disease. Well written, it felt as if I was on the trail with Emily. I also felt her emotional pain as she struggles with the memories and loss of her mother. While there are some really sad moments here, there is a lot of joy too. Between her friends who helped her accomplish her goal and wouldn't let her quit and her social media followers who helped her raise over $34,000 for the Brave Like Gabe charity, I found this a very hopeful and engaging read!
July 9, 2024
As a disclaimer, I know Emily. She is a local friend and former colleague. That said, while Emily went through what was wrecking her life, I barely knew what she was experiencing. My wife and I were in our own health crisis -- a 4.5-year slide downhill amid a hard-to-diagnose neurological disorder that almost took her life before she got a proper diagnosis and life-saving treatment. Reading "To the Gorge" following my wife's successful treatment has really helped shape how we view our own lives now.
Emily's book is simply fabulous. Throughout, she intertwines daily details of her record-breaking, breathtaking run on Oregon's portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, through the heart of the Cascades and past Oregon's majestic volcanoes, with her unrelenting dealing with the cancers that would, within months of each other, claim her beloved mother, her sister-in-law, and her fabulous dog Brutus. Her run was a tribute honoring her mother, who died just months before she hit the trail.
Read this book. Learn about her endurance run from California to the bridge spanning the Columbia Gorge to Washington state. Experience her cross-country travels, by air and car, to be near her mother and brother in their worst of times. Expect to be shaken to your core. And experience the thrill of Emily's running victory. She is and should be an inspiration to all runners.
Emily's book is simply fabulous. Throughout, she intertwines daily details of her record-breaking, breathtaking run on Oregon's portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, through the heart of the Cascades and past Oregon's majestic volcanoes, with her unrelenting dealing with the cancers that would, within months of each other, claim her beloved mother, her sister-in-law, and her fabulous dog Brutus. Her run was a tribute honoring her mother, who died just months before she hit the trail.
Read this book. Learn about her endurance run from California to the bridge spanning the Columbia Gorge to Washington state. Experience her cross-country travels, by air and car, to be near her mother and brother in their worst of times. Expect to be shaken to your core. And experience the thrill of Emily's running victory. She is and should be an inspiration to all runners.
July 10, 2024
If I had had any editorial input into To the Gorge I would have suggested that it contained the framework for a fabulous book. At 200 pages it is a quick read, but I finished wishing there was more to it. It really reads more like a trail journal rather than a memoir. For a reader like me that doesn't know much about ultra or trail running, I would have loved to hear more about how Emily got to the point where she could race 100 miles never mind being prepared for 460 miles in 7 days. I found myself looking up terms that just weren't addressed sufficiently in the book. (Apparently there is a whole world of trails for which there are FKTs - fastest known times. Tell me more! Why the Pacific Crest Trail?) I also thought we just didn't hear enough about the life and good times of the author's mom. The reader gets a glimpse of what sounds like one amazing woman, but there was room for more celebration of what she was.
August 5, 2024
Listened to the audiobook and found the authors voice easy to listen to. To me it seemed her mother’s illness and her run were two totally different books. NO connection at all. I did not care for the run chapters. I’ve listened to many PCT books and ultra marathons stories and enjoyed many of them however the author seemed to truly despise every single step of her run. All I read were her complaints and whining. I don’t think she took one second to really focus on her journey. Seemed as if she just wanted to finish and get it over with. The chapters about her mom and her cancer were the ones I connected with because I lost my young spouse to cancer suddenly. The grief is devastating and life changing.
May 26, 2024
So much to say but I don't want to ruin it for potential readers. This book made me very emotional as my experience parallels Emilys - just two years after her mother passed from cancer, my mom also passed from cancer. Emily is able to describe my exact sentiments regarding a daughters love for her mom and expressing the grief of losing our biggest cheerleader. I loved the format of the book too. Emily is an outstanding author, runner...and dog mama. I encourage everyone to read this because death touches every single of us at some point and we need to talk more about out struggles with grief and making it more acceptable.
May 9, 2024
Incredibly well written book, weaving two story lines of losing her mother and the inspiring undertaking of running the Oregon PCT to celebrate her tenacity. It was a hard book to put down, so be sure you have a tissue box with you for this one, because it is a powerfully written and you will probably tear up more than a few times. While the inspirational feat Emily accomplishes on the trail is hard to comprehend, the universal themes of navigating grief, supporting community, and living wholehearted are relatable for anybody. Can't recommend highly enough!
May 15, 2024
Have the tissue box handy. Emily weaves a story about her incredible grit and resiliency of tackling the Oregon PCT FKT alongside grappling with losing her mother to cancer. While I never officially met Andrea her online presence was an incredibly positive, supportive and honest. Emily captures her Mom's love of life brilliantly. Emily is doing her Mom proud! Grief is in many ways indescribable and shows up differently everyday. Thank you Emily for being vulnerable and for sharing with all of us.
June 19, 2024
It takes a certain kind of writing talent to weave a tale of loss that is at the same time also beautiful and relatable. Emily Halnon does this deftly in To The Gorge. Each narrative thread exposes the rawness of life in a way that's compelling and makes the reader reflect on their own journeys with grief and loss. Yet somehow, there's plenty of levity to cushion the dark moments. Emily's days spent running through majestic mountains while she reflects on the life of her mother somehow assure us that both she, and WE, will survive her loss and our own, both past and future.
May 13, 2024
Beautiful in every way! Emily intertwines her incredible journey on foot across the state of Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail with her emotional journey of losing her mother to a rare cancer. Her writing is truly magical, giving the reader a rare and intimate look into both endurance running and loss. 10/10, would recommend for anyone looking for inspiration to live life to its fullest potential, just like Emily and her mother Andrea.
May 27, 2024
A must read if you’ve ever gone through profound grief and loss. The sentence, “the maternal excitement that had greeted me every single time I’d seen her for years was nowhere to be found” captured the experience of slowly losing your mother perfectly. The journey along the PCT is nicely woven with memories that will haul you through a spectrum of emotions. I loved getting to know Emily and Andrea, Jameson and Jess, Ian, Brutus, Dilly, and the entire crew.
June 28, 2024
4.5 stars!! A beautiful memoir from one of my favorite ultra runners and writers. Emily Halnon mines the grief of living her mom to a rare cancer at 66 and in her honor runs across the state of Oregon on the PCT. On her way to the OVERALL RECORD, she reflects on life, love, and her mom’s legacy. Running is moving meditation and so is this book. Brought me to tears numerous times with the lovely prose. Highly recommend!
July 2, 2024
This book had me genuinely crying crocodile tears in the first chapter. As I sit with the ambiguous grief of a parent’s terminal illness and a passion for long distance running, this book…. It just… I don’t even know how to describe it. It captures every feeling I could have of the anger and love and passion and calmness that running brings even in horrible times. Bravo Emily. I’m proud of you. I hope to have your immense strength within me one day.
July 12, 2024
What a beautiful book. Though my life experiences and losses are not the same as Emily's, I so related to her lovely words and deep thoughts. As a runner, I was inspired by her perseverance and desire to achieve a running goal (that is bigger than any I will probably ever accomplish!). This is a book that so many can appreciate, regardless of your exact passions or situations for at its core, it is about love, family, friendship, loss, and dedication. Highly recommend!
May 10, 2024
I loved this book! I’m not a runner, but I like reading their stories. Emilys story about running the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a wonderful tribute to her mom. I felt her pain of grief and her pain in running this challenging and difficult trail. Her writing is almost like poetry, so beautiful and raw. Highly recommend reading it!
May 10, 2024
I expect this will be a book I’ll return to for years to come. This beautiful memoir is an insightful and inspiring reflection on loss, love, and deciding to keep moving. Halnon’s writing is powerful, vulnerable, and clear. She stares down the barrel of her grief and invites the reader to do the same. It’s possible to carry that pain while continuing down the path.
May 14, 2024
This book has brought out every feeling I have inside of me. The book spoke to me and made me reflect on grief as felt by Emily Halnon, and how we all navigate our own world shattering losses. This was a book I could not put down. I wanted more, never wanted it to end. Any one who ever experienced loss must read it.
June 3, 2024
This book is fantastic from start to finish. As soon as I finished it, I went for a run. It's such an inspiring story about an (insane) adventure, but it is grounded in the author's goal to navigate grief. I didn't think I would be able to relate to a record-setting ultra-marathon runner, but I felt a connection to the author throughout.
Incredible book!
Incredible book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews