Hiking Light Handbook
Backpacker Magazine
By Karen Berger
Mountaineers Books
176 pages,
$16.95 ~ Soft cover
There's an old adage that goes something like this, "Suffer the hike, enjoy your campsite. Enjoy the hike, suffer camping." The premise being that lots of gear makes for miserable hiking but comfortable camping.
In "Hiking Light Handbook", author Karen Berger points out that doesn't necessarily have to be true. You can pack for both comfort and function by carrying less. But, you'll need to know how to do it right. The author, who has hiked the Triple Crown (the Appalachian, Continental Divide and Pacific Crest Trails), shows you practical and rational ways to lighten your load. And she weighs out for you the pluses and minuses to whether you should take it or forsake it. Most of the time itÕs just a matter of modifying what you take and getting more miles out of your gear by having it serve multiple purposes.
Like other volumes in the Backpacker Magazine hiking/how-to series, the information in this book will appeal to a wide range of hikers, but it will be of particular interest to new backpackers. Perhaps sparing them the suffering that most of us went through when we began by schlepping everything just short of the kitchen sink.
Field Guide to the Cascades & Olympics
Second edition
By Stephen R. Whitney & Rob Sandelin
Mountaineers Books
320 pages,
$19.95 ~ Soft Cover
Any inquisitive and appreciative western Washington hiker will want to know what they are looking at along the trail. What kind of flower is that? Is that tree a fir? Do snakes live in this habitat? How about wolves? The Field Guide to the Cascades & Olympics by local naturalists Whitney and Sandelin will satisfy that curiosity. This book covers a broad range of topics, among them: ferns, flowers, trees, butterflies,
reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. This eliminates the need to carry multiple field guides.
But a book this broad can't be comprehensive. It's not meant to be. It's just a good all-around guide that will satisfy most hikers' interests. And I believe most area hikers will be well-served by thisvolume. Although I found the first edition informative, this new edition will serve me better. For one thing, all of the pictures are now in color making identification easier. The book itself is easier to pack. Its size has been reduced, but its construction is more durable. Good thing too, for I'm constantly rifling through the pages learning new flowers and birds that embrace our beautiful and diverse mountains.
100 Classic Hikes in Oregon
By Douglas Lorain
Mountaineers Books
256 pages,
$19.95 ~ Soft Cover
If you've dreamed of hiking in our neighbor to the south, 100 Classic Hikes in Oregon will woo, excite and inspire you. If you've been hiking the Beaver State your entire life, then this attractive book will warm your heart, allowing you to retrace some of the most scenic trails within the entire Pacific Northwest. In keeping with Mountaineers Books' 100 Classic Hikes format, great descriptions, maps and profiles accompany each hike. And, the entire guide is in color.
And what about the hikes? What makes them classics? Author Lorain, who has logged over 16,000 miles in his home state, picks out his absolute favorites - hikes that are ripe with good scenery and spectacular views. And his choices capture the full richness of the state Ð from coastal dunes to snow-capped volcanos; from high-desert canyons of the empty southeast to the tranquil and well-settled Willamette Valley in the northwest. You'll have a hard time putting this book down, unless of course, you're heading out the door to hit one of its trails. |
