If you’ve done your civic duty and purchased Barb Egbert’s book about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, now’s your chance to see the clan in person at a series of free events at South Bay REI stores.

  • 7 pm, Thursday, April 3, at REI Saratoga, 400 El Paseo de Saratoga in San Jose; (408) 871-8765
  • 7 pm, Wednesday, April 9, at REI Mountain View, 2450 Charleston Road in Mountain View; (650) 969-1038
  • 7 pm, Tuesday, April 15 at REI Marina, corner of Imjin Parkway and 2nd Avenue in Marina (north of Monterey); (831) 883-8048.
  • Description from the REI publicity machine:

    In April 2004, Barbara Egbert, Gary Chambers and their 10-year-old daughter, Mary, set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada. When they reached the Canadian border in October, Mary became the youngest person to successfully complete the 2,650-mile PCT in the same calendar year. Join this intrepid family for slides and stories of their remarkable six-month adventure. Come learn tips on gear, planning and how to safely include a 10-year-old on an undertaking of this magnitude. Following the program, Barbara will sign copies of her new book, Zero Days: The Real-Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-Year-Old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail.

    Click here to buy the book from Kepler’s in Menlo Park if you haven’t already.

    (Note to shaggy commie haters of capitalism: I don’t have any deal where I get a cut of these book sales; I’m trying to help Barb out because she’s recently unemployed — I’m also making a point of linking to Booksense sites, which help keep local bookstores in business).