Excursion Guides Books

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Bill Bryson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Long, Slow Walk To Nowhere ... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Some things we never seem to learn, like judging a book by its cover. In this instance, the cover of "A Walk In The Woods" looks inviting enough, even exciting, with the picture of a bear staring you down.

False advertising.

If "A Walk In The Woods" had been a TV show, it would have been named Seinfeld, but without the humor, because it is truly a book about nothing. Two guys decide to walk the Appalachian Train for different reasons. However, they don't actually hike together, they don't meet a lot of compelling other people and they never see a bear, or a bobcat either. Huh?

Instead, the reader is subjected to lengthy prose about the stark glories and occasional majesty of the AT, the shelter accommodations for hikers, or lack thereof, and a pile of pages filled with administrivia about the history of the trail.

Yikes! Our reluctant heroes did not even reach their destination, or come close ("a detail").

So, what did we learn from this reading experience? Not much, although it did addle my brain in regard to my neighbor who has contracted every conceivable disease, some very serious, in his pursuit of walking sections of the AT. But, he has probably already read this book and given it a 5 star rating.

Editorial Review:

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf (

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The latest edition of the Sprout's top-selling guide is packed with new and updated activities, dozens of fresh photos, and a special Trailblazer Kids section for families headed to Hawaii's "adventure island." Popular among independent and active travelers, Trailblazer guides are known for their user-friendly format, readability, and sharp graphics. You'll find all the mountain ridges, tropical gardens, beaches, coves and lagoons, jungles, rivers, historic landmarks and cultural sites, coral reefs, ancient ruins, and coastal bluffs-all the places to get wet, muddy, and have fun on Kaua'i. Less energetic visitors will appreciate the book's driving tours, which hit the headliners along with the island's out-of-the-way charms. The authors have spent years exploring Kaua'i, and it shows. A Resource Links section gives visitor information and cultural contacts, recommended recreational outfitters, museums and attractions, Hawaiiana shops and hula shows, as well as a! hand-picked list of restaurants and places to stay. Safety precautions and traveling tips are not to be overlooked, and a Best Of section lets you select among activities to suit your mood.

119 hikes and strolls to mountain ridges, tropical gardens, beaches, jungles, coves, reefs, historic landmarks and ancient ruins, swamps, craters, forests, coastal bluffs and tide pools, towns, canyons, waterfalls and river valleys

- 68 beaches, including 22 reachable only by trail - 42 snorkeling pools, both the island favorites and hidden coves - 61 mountain bike rides along forest, coastal, and countryside trails - 27 kayaking waters: 13 rivers and streams, 14 bays and lagoons - 36 surfing spots - a special Trailblazer Kids section - 10 maps and 175 photographs - 4 driving tours, featuring heiaus, wildlife sanctuaries, cultural and historical sites,tourist attractions and natural wonders - Resource Links to recreational outfitters, stables, golf courses, camping, transportation, accommodations, local-style eats and shops - Appendices of Hawaiian words, place names, movie locations, hula performances, farmer's markets, weather, flora, history

No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks

Ed Viesturs, David Roberts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time.

For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing’s holy grail: to stand atop the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.

A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto, “Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.

In addition to the raw excitement of Viesturs’s odyssey, No Shortcuts to the Top is leavened with many funny moments revealing the camaraderie between climbers. It is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and his beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit.

Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook

Björn Kjellström

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Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent instruction and easy to read 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This book provides excellent instruction on land navigation. Even if you know nothing of how to use a compass or map when you begin reading, you'll have a good working knowledge by the time you're through with the book. It is well written, easy to understand and even includes a fold-out topographic map in the back (actually, about a third of a topographic map, but it gets the job done). The map allows you to work the exercises found in the book (which are quite helpful). The book was written some time ago and Hjellstrom does focus on the sport of orienteering, but as the entire point of that activity is navigation using a map and compass, I don't see this as a negative. As others have pointed-out he does not cover newer topics such as GPS or altimeters, but if you're buying it to learn to use a map and compass, that really isn't an issue either. This is a well written book that provides solid instruction and is certainly worth the purchase price.

Editorial Review:

Silva Tech has locations in Canada and the USA. Silva Tech is the leader in the development of digital outdoor instrumentation. Whatever your activity or needs Silva Tech will have the product you are looking for. Compasses are available for beginners as well as the experienced. Watches will surely meet your expectations, especially those who need to keep track of time. Live in the future now by using Silva Tech.

Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling

Alan S. Kesselheim

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fantastic for backpacking meals... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

As a boyscout leader, we like to outdo the scouts on our creative cooking to inspire their creativity. It is a great book, to show how to make creative meals without the weight of heavy food items. This has been great!! Thanks C>

Editorial Review:

" . . . a book that will appeal to everyone who has ever choked down the pre-packaged, bargain-basement camp food (or gone bankrupt buying the good stuff)." --Canoe & Kayak

. . . if you're on the lookout for a way to bring real meals to the field, [this book] might have the answer." --Field & Stream

Life in the outdoors revolves around food--cooking it, eating it, packing it, carrying it. We even fantasize about it, especially after a week of eating store-bought provisions. This book is all about fulfulling those food fantasies and avoiding those expensive disappointments. Trail Food tells you how to remove water from food, to make it lighter and longer-lasting, without removing its taste. Learn to plan menus and prepare meals just like the ones you left behind, using fresh foods from your garden or market, prepared and seasoned the way you like them.

Why fantasize when you can have the real thing?

Hawaii The Big Island Trailblazer: Where to hike, snorkel, surf, bike, drive

Jerry Sprout, Janine Sprout

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Subjects -> Travel -> United States -> Regions -> West -> Pacific
Subjects -> Travel -> United States -> States -> Hawaii -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A guide for families and outdoor adventurers alike, the new and completely revised 2007 Trailblazer takes you to all of the Big Island's famous attractions, as well as its hidden spots. Nearly twice the size of the rest of Hawaii combined, the Big Island presents a challenge to adventure travelers with limited time. Trailblazer comes to the rescue with its trademark organization and clear directions for . . .

156 hikes and strolls: the peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, the shores of Waipio Valley and Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, rain forests and tropical gardens, waterfalls, petroglyph fields, and the Kona Coast
75 snorkeling and swimming spots including remote hike-to specials
39 surfing spots: boards, bodyboarding, and body surfing
24 bike trails for adventure cyclists: mountain, coastal, forest, pasture
25 campgrounds and rustic cabin hideaways

Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer also includes . . .

9 maps and more than 200 photographs
A Trailblazer Kids section for adventuring famiies
A Best Of section that lets you pick the right activity for the right day
Resource Links with hand-picked accommodations and restaurants,recreational outfitters, transportation, and visitor information
Hawaiian culture and history
Museums, attractions and shopping
Driving tours to the Parker Ranch and Kohala Coast, Hilo and the Heritage Coast, and Kona coffee country
Safety tips and trip-planning advice

Pacific Crest Trail Data Book: Mileages, landmarks, facilities, resupply data and essential trail information for the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Couldn't Be Better 5 out of 5 stars.
31 of 34 people found this review helpful.

I can't think of anything this guide has left out. It provides not only thorough trail descriptions and maps for each segment that are detailed and clear, but also a history of the trail, both natural and historic, advice on planning your trip, and a complete list of agencies to contact for trail permits. I appreciate the details regarding flora and fauna, as well as advice from everything to supply stations to how to deal with bears. I don't believe that I have ever seen a more thorough and complete trail guide.

Editorial Review:

The essential, cut-to-the-chase handbook to the Pacific Crest Trail, based on the comprehensive Wilderness Press guidebooks to the PCT, has been updated for 2005. Packed with trail-tested features, it's useful both on and off the trail. Use this indispensable tool for:

• Pre-trip planning for resupply stops
• Setting daily on-the-trail mileage goals by knowing trail gradient and the locations of campsites, water sources, and facilities
• Easily calculating distances between any two points on the trail
• Planning both north-bound and south-bound hiking trips

Whether you're hiking the entire PCT or just sections of it, the first step of the journey begins with this book.

Maui Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Paddle, Surf, Drive

Jerry Sprout, Janine Sprout

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Subjects -> Sports -> Water Sports -> Surfing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A guide for families and outdoor adventurers alike, Maui Trailblazer 2006 covers all of the island, and includes day trips to the neighboring islands of Molokai, Lanai, and Molokini.

Clear directions and concise descriptions lead to all of Maui's well-known attractions, as well as to hidden discoveries that Trailblazer readers have come to expect.

137 different hikes and strolls to tropical rain forests and remote valleys, coastal bluffs and lava caves, Haleakala crater and the Hana Highway, cascading waterfalls, beaches, ridgetops, towns, whale-watching perches, historic sites, and archeological ruins.

Among the 44 snorkeling spots are hike-to coves and the secret places that tour boats go.

Kayakers can pick from about 20 put-ins.

Surfers can select from 38 beaches and decide whether to boogie, board, or body surf. Onlookers will find the best places to watch the surfers, windsurfers and kite-boarders ride the big ones.

The text is complimented by 10 maps and 240 photographs. Driving tours-nine of them-take readers to all the attractions, natural wonders, and historic sites.

A Resource Links section provides numbers for free visitor information and recreational outfitters, as well as hand-picked accommodations and local restaurants to suit every budget and taste bud.

A Best Of section lets you pick the right activity to suit your mood and the day. Appendices include free hula shows, farmer's markets, what to pack, climate, history, fauna, and a Hawaiian glossary.

This new and completely revised second edition for 2006 includes a Trailblazer Kids section for adventuring families.

The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)

Dan White

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Too bad the cactus didn't eat him 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

OK, I love books about long distance hiking. I collect all books concerning the Appalachian Trail. I hike whenever I can. I work for a major outdoor retailer. That said I really disliked this book because I found Dan White to be a very dislikable person. Oh sure there are a few chuckles in the book but not enough. His humor is High School and sophmoric at best and the way he treats his girlfriend it's a wonder she did not leave him sooner. I had high hopes for this book based on the publishers blurb but my dislike for White grew so much that I could barely finish the book. His lady friend deserved better.

rmw

Editorial Review:

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents—among others—thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed "the Lois and Clark Expedition" by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail—and one delicious-looking cactus—test the limits of love and sanity.

The Backpacker's Field Manual, Revised and Updated: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills

Rick Curtis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Don't Leave Home Without It 5 out of 5 stars.
86 of 87 people found this review helpful.

This book was written by Rick Curtis, director of the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University, one of the most succesful college outdoor programs around. It's not the kind of book you sit down and read, rather it's a good reference to keep handy when you have questions about things. Here's a bit of what it covers:

-backpacking equipment
-cooking and nutrition
-hygiene and water purification
-"leave-no-trace" hiking and camping
-weather
-safety and emergency procedures
-first aid
-trip planning

Every backpacker knows that space is limited and you can only carry the essentials- which definitely includes this book. In 10 chapters, a mid-size font, and 440 pages, it covers it all and will be the only backpacking guide you'll ever need. Hikers suffering with plantar fasciitis might also be interested in The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution.

Backpacking 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is good for someone that wanted to get started hiking and backpacking. I feel that it has good source of information for starting out.