Books

[rup]

Anyone have new / good 'hiking' book ideas for the holidays? Santa wants to know.

 

[summitseeker]

Dear rup and Santa,

"Snow in the Kingdom" by Ed Webster is a good read. "Escape from Lucania" by David Roberts is another decent nonfiction read. I have to admit that I never finished "Escape from Lucania" ,but it gives an interesting account of the lives of Brad Washburn and Robert Bates.

I hope this helps,

Z

 

[Scubahhh]

4000 Footers of the White Mountains!
I never carry my AMC Guide, but always lug this big, heavy tome around!

Forest Forensics
Reading the Forested Landscape
Two great sources on understanding what's happened in the woods over the years

Wilderness Navigation
Great for learning or re-learning how to use a compass and natural navigation cues

Robert Frost: Collected Poems, Pros, and Plays
Never leave home without it!

 

[Becca M]

old White Mountain Guides from ebay - always fun to check old descriptions and trails and see how they've changed

 

[hikerbrian]

Jon Krakauer is, in my opinion, the very best nonfiction outdoors writer, all of the following are highly recommended:
Into the Wild
Into Thin Air
Eiger Dreams

Others that get a full fledged two thumbs up:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (by Cheryl Strayed) - Actually, I like her writing as much as I like Krakauer's, which really is saying a lot.

Minus 148 degrees: The First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley (by Art Davidson)

A Walk in the Woods (by Bill Bryson) - really pretty funny

Touching the Void (by Joe Simpson)

Here are also some very good instructional books, depending on one's aspirations:

Allen and Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book, Revised and Even Better!: Traveling and Camping Skills for a Winter Environment (by Allen O'Bannon and Mike Clelland)
Glacier Mountaineering: An Illustrated Guide to Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue (by Andy Tyson and Mike Clelland)
Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue (by Andy Selters)
How to Rock Climb (by John Long)
Climbing Anchors, 2nd Eddition (by John Long)
Performance Rock Climbing (by Dale Goddard and Udo Neumann) - I like this one because it addresses the topic of fear, which can apply to other persuits as well.

And then there's this list, which is from Outside magazine. Several in there are on my short list, but I have not yet read.

Enjoy!

 

[Raymond]

You won’t read a better book than ‘‘Following Atticus’’ by Tom Ryan, unless it’s ‘‘Strength in What Remains’’ by Tracy Kidder.

The latter isn’t a hiking book, but there is a lot of walking in it.

This subject of this thread comes up every year or three. ‘‘Alone’’ by Admiral Richard E. Byrd may be a book I forgot to recommend previously. ‘‘Endurance’’ by Alfred Lansing and ‘‘The Long Walk’’ by Slavomir Rawicz are two I have mentioned before.

 

[jean miller]

The Last Season by Eric Blehm is great. True story about a very accomplished backcountry park ranger that disappears in the Sierra's

 

[backpackingengineer]

I can recommend a fair amount of hiking books. However, I recently read a trail running book which was fantastic. Even if you are not a runner, you might enjoy it. Here is my review of the book: http://www.backpackingengineer.com/blog.php/58

 

[Still Steppin']

This "good books" theme came up on another thread here a few months ago and I intended to reply, but let it slip by.
In the same camp as "Alone" by Byrd --- re: survival in a cold environment --- but better written and hauntingly memorable is "A Dream in a Polar Fog" by Rytkheu.
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Polar-Fog-Yuri-Rytkheu/dp/0977857611.

 

[Amicus]

Just out and a perfect Xmas gift for many - the great Brent Scudder's New Hampshire Roadside Viewing Guide. Using the same painstaking methods he perfected in his White Mountain Viewing Guide, his new 320-pager includes 152 diagrams covering over 100 views, with accompanying text and photos. This will be an excellent acquisition for those of us who have family members or friends who can't or won't hike to the summits but would like to know what they're looking at. More info at this website.

 

[roadtripper]

It certainly ain't new, but it's a must read: Desert Solitaire

 

[Cristobal]

I'm re-reading "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" by Eric Newby - a classic.

 

[roadtripper]

A new one that I highly recommend is Mountain Voices: Stories of Life and Adventure in the White Mountains and Beyond . Liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

 

[peakbagger]

I made a plug elsewhere, but a gift subscription to Northern Woodlands magazine is nice gift.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

I'll throw out another vote for The Last Season by Eric Blehm . It's probably the best book I have ever read.

Another hiking book I liked was Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman. He can get a little "preachy" at times but his reasons for hiking the Appalachian Trail are something that I think all hikers can relate to in one way or another. The book is really more about the interesting people he met on the trail more than about hiking itself which is what I think makes it an interesting read.

 

[roadtripper]

I'll throw out another vote for The Last Season by Eric Blehm . It's probably the best book I have ever read.

Whenever people use the word "best" I'm compelled to give it a shot. Just ordered it on half.com for $0.75 + shipping =)

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Whenever people use the word "best" I'm compelled to give it a shot. Just ordered it on half.com for $0.75 + shipping =)

WOW! Can't beat that price even if you don't like the book.

Obviously everyone has different taste. Usually whenever I am reading a book, no matter how much I like it, there comes a point where I want to hurry up and finish it. With this book I had no such desire. In fact I purposely slowed my reading down to continue my enjoyment for as long as possible.

 

[rup]

Thanks. Seems the theme has changed from 'Tall Trees, Tough Men' or 'Peak Experiences' of the recent past.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Has anyone read 'Lost in the Wild: Danger and Survival in the North Woods'?

 

[Peakbagr]

Forest Forensics ad Reading the Forested Landscape - spectacular. I had Forest Forensics but Audrey suggested the latter. Both are great.