Ash, Rope & Ridgeline — Paperback (Pre-order)

Pre-order now. It goes out when print copies are ready. Pre-orders are 10% off through December 31, 2026. The discount is applied automatically at checkout, no code needed.

Ash, Rope & Ridgeline: 36 Miles in 3 Days Around Mount St. Helens, a memoir by Aaron Holden.

Most hikers do about 33 miles. They did about 36. Three days, two friends, and an active volcano.

The Loowit Trail circles Mount St. Helens. Most people who hike the loop cover about 33 miles. With the approach and the detours the mountain forced on them, Aaron Holden and his hiking partner Ryan Thompson walked about 36, with 6,660 feet of elevation gain, in three days.

On paper it was a long weekend. On the mountain it was fog so thick the trail markers vanished, rain on and off all day and night, lava-rock fields, a few washed-out trails, one washed-out bridge, a suspension bridge snapped on one side and blocked off, and places where the trail simply ended at a drop and the only way on was down a rope or a cliff face. They hiked 14 to 15 hours a day. Water was never where they needed it.

Told with humor and packed with full-color photos from the trip, Ash, Rope & Ridgeline is a true story about friendship, stubbornness, Bigfoot-themed diners, and what it takes to finish what you started. Don’t use it as a guidebook. Use it as a reminder to carry more water than you think you need.

The paperback

• 6 × 9 in paperback, 48 pages
• Premium full-color interior with photos from the trip
• Trip photos by Aaron Holden
• Published by Endless Pursuit Publishers, Boise, Idaho
• ISBN: 979-8-9824662-3-5

Prefer digital?

Pre-order the ebook for $3.99. It delivers on release day, Tuesday, November 24, 2026.

Backing Red Moon on Kickstarter? The campaign launches Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Every backer who pledges $100 or more gets the Ash, Rope & Ridgeline ebook free. See the Kickstarter.

Good for all ages

Strong language was left out. There are real cliffs, ropes and dehydration in the story, and an Adventure Warning page: it’s a story, not route guidance.

Delivery

The ebook is out Tuesday, November 24, 2026. The paperback is still in print setup, so it may not be ready on that day. It goes out when print copies are ready. We’ll email you a firm date once they’re printed. Arrival dates are not guaranteed.