Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) Review

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Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) ReviewThe 7th edition of this book, like its predecessors, is essentially a guide to the Valley and southern half of Yosemite National Park. Originally conceived as a hiking resource for the old 15' topo maps of the Sierras, this book offers 25 fabulous dayhikes which range from 1 to 16.5 miles. The nice thing about this selection is that you can even experience brief moments of solitude on many of these walks, even on the Yosemite Valley Floor; not an easy trick. With its companion volume to Tuolumne Meadows one has a pretty good guide to the park. Schaffer also throws in 5 nice backpack trips for those who would like to further explore the backcountry.
There are, however, many hiking guides to Yosemite. What makes this one stand out is that Schaffer has done more original field research into the geology and topography of the park than virtually all other guidebook authors combined. His conclusions are that the Sierras are far older than previously thought, and that glaciers had only minimal impact in shaping the Valley as we see it today. Rather, the Valley's stunning cliffs are the result of millions of years of weathering and breakage along fault and joint lines. Much of his research is condensed into this volume and following his trail routes is also incidentally a natural history lesson on the origins of this stunning place. For this alone it is worth the read and well worth a five star rating.
But this book is also quite valuable for its maps. Schaffer has lent his expertise to the maps in several Wilderness Press titles, including the 3 volume set on the Pacific Crest Trail and the guide to the Tahoe Rim Trail. The map included in this volume is far more accurate than the old 15' topo maps, or even the new 7.5' maps insofar as the trails are concerned. Between the fascinating text and the separate folded map, this book is a bargain and deserves wide readership.Hiker's Guide to the High Sierra Yosemite: The Valley and Surrounding Uplands (High Sierra Hiking Guide) Overview

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Best Hikes With Children San Francisco Bay Area Review

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Best Hikes With Children San Francisco Bay Area ReviewThis seems to be a great book for giving you ideas of where to go hiking with your kids. But the user should beware that as far as
I can tell, the information is at least 10 years out of date. I have gone on three of the hikes so far and they were all incorrectly described in the book. The first hike (Lookout Loop) described the parking lot to start from. But it turned out that the actual parking lot was CLOSED to the public and could only be used if you had previously made a group reservation. So we had to park on a twisty mountain road and walk to the closed parking lot. On another hike, the Palo Alto Baylands, the hike entails a long walk out on the catwalks over the marsh. As a local resident, I know for a fact that those catwalks have been closed to the public for AT LEAST ten years!! The descriptions of Shoreline Park are also out of date in that they describe duck blinds that have been gone for at least several years. Given all of this, I find the phrases "entirely updated" and "completely revised" that are on the back of the book very misleading. This is a good book to give you ideas of where to go. But be prepared for surprises because you are reading a hike guide from the early 90's (or even earlier)!Best Hikes With Children San Francisco Bay Area Overview

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Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes Review

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Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes ReviewFocusing on the Santa Monica mountains and Griffith Park, this book contains a number of very nice short hikes. For longer hikes or hikes in a larger variety of areas, I'd suggest Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County.
One very nice feature of this book is the simpliflied map which accompanies each hike. Each hike's map is zoomed in to cover only the area of interest, with important landmarks identified. I did find one small mistake on one of the maps, but it was easy enough to figure out what was intended.
The descriptions of the hikes are very brief, and there isn't any detailed information about what to look out for, but all of the hikes go to very interesting places. Again, the book Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County can fill in many gaps, as that book lacks the nice maps, but has great descriptions of many of the hikes in this book. I recommend buying both. Read the long descriptions in the bigger book, then carry this book with you on the trail as it has more useful maps.Day Hikes Around Los Angeles: 45 Great Hikes Overview

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Play Around the Bay: A Guide to Bay Area Outings for Families with Young Children Review

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Play Around the Bay: A Guide to Bay Area Outings for Families with Young Children ReviewThis book includes listings of every park, playground, museum and activity of interest to children 10 and under. As an adventurous mother of three, I couldn't live without my copy!Play Around the Bay: A Guide to Bay Area Outings for Families with Young Children Overview

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75 Hikes in California's Lassen Park & Mount Shasta Regions (100 Hikes In...) Review

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75 Hikes in California's Lassen Park & Mount Shasta Regions (100 Hikes In...) ReviewThe old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" simply does not apply to this new edition of '75 Hikes' by John R. Soares. Indeed, the cover photo of Mt. Lassen reflected in the pristine waters of Lake Helen is almost worth the price of the book itself. If that photo doesn't sell you on the joys of the southern Cascade range, nothing will. As soon as I saw the cover, I was already dreaming about another visit.
Just as Mt. Lassen dominates the cover of this book, trails in and around Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park dominate the text. Although the book has 5 chapters, each corresponding to a specific area, the first two make up almost 2/3 of the hikes described here. This is as it should be. Mt. Lassen is probably the most accessible of the major peaks in the Cascades. The rest of the park is also heavily geared towards hikers: numerous lakes, peaks, meadows, cinder cones, waterfalls, and thermal features invite hikers to linger in this remarkable place and Soares does an excellent job of describing short and long hiking opportunities for these destinations. Most of the routes he suggests make for pleasant day hikes but he also includes numerous backpacking options.
The material for Mt. Shasta and Lava Beds National Monument is understandably more limited. The main thing I got out of this section is that if I want to climb Mt. Shasta I should sign up with a guided expedition. I have lots of hiking and backpacking experience at high elevations, but none with ice axes and crampons on glaciers. Judging by Soares's descriptions, this is an absolute necessity for a successful climb on Shasta. Soares does list several options for hikers not intent on bagging the summit.
On the whole, this is an excellent guidebook. If you are interested in hiking northeastern California, '75 Hikes' is a good starting point. All the classics are included: Burney Falls, Captain Jack's Stronghold, Bumpass Hell Themal Works in Lassen Park, and many others. Nice black and white photos accompany the text which is well written and moderately humorous in places. In all, this book is a worthy investment for any vacation in the region.75 Hikes in California's Lassen Park & Mount Shasta Regions (100 Hikes In...) Overview

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Top Trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone Review

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Top Trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone ReviewYou might think that a book promising the to list the "top trails" in the Sequoia and King's Canyon, arguably two of the finest parks in the Sierra, would focus exclusively on those two parks. Indeed, that is what I expected after picking up this new book from Wilderness Press. I was hoping to relive some of my fondest memories from my first two summers in California when I worked in these two parks and perhaps find a new route or two to explore. But Mike White's interpretation of his topic includes numerous eastern Sierra trail heads that either barely enter the boundaries of these parks or stay exclusively in adjacent wilderness areas. Indeed, almost half the hikes (23 of 50) start outside the park. Nonetheless, after carefully reading the book and giving full consideration to the author's goal of "beautiful scenery, access, trail quality, and diversity of experience" in selecting the hikes for this guide, I have to conclude this book is indeed a great listing of "top" trails in the southern High Sierra.
Although the parks are managed as a single unit, this book considers Sequoia and King's Canyon separately. Four chapters discuss each park from eastern and western approaches and the book provides 50 hikes. The vast bulk of these are day hikes though several could be made into pleasant overnight backpack trips. I have hiked the vast bulk of the routes White describes in the western regions of the park and have no complaints about his selections. In the eastern Sierra, the book is rather heavily weighted towards King's Canyon, with the trail heads in Onion Valley and outside Bishop commanding more attention than those in the Golden Trout wilderness.
I found very little to fault in this book. I might have included a few more short walks than White did. I was amazed the book did not include Moro Rock, one of the quintessential hikes in Sequoia. I might also have included the Huckleberry Loop as another example of a fine walk among Sequoia trees with little in the way of crowds. But what really surprised me was the lack of trails entering Sequoia from the south. If we can accept the premise that a "best of" hiking guide should include 23 trails that do not originate within the park, then surely Owens Valley trail heads are not the only ones we should consider. The Giant Sequoia National Monument and Mountain Home State Demonstration forest offer spectacular hiking that access the park from the south. Hopefully some book will eventually give this area its due. In the meantime though, one can hardly go wrong with the 50 hikes author Mike White has provided in this book. He is a solid writer and these parks deserved an extended visit.Top Trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone Overview

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Assembling California Review

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Assembling California ReviewIf anyone tells you "science destroys beauty," respond by handing them a McPhee. Any of his works will suffice, but this one is a special treasure. It's the completion of a continent-wide tour across the United State. McPhee escorts a succession of geologists who have explained to him why the theory of continental drift requires revision. The modifiers are local geological conditions, each region telling its own tale of lithic activity. In California, the story becomes almost bizarre. John McPhee might well be considered the only writer of science who could present the story in understandable fashion. Perhaps, but he would counter that in Eldridge Moores, he enjoyed a tutor of exceptional value to guide him.
The idea of plate tectonics was a revolution in viewing the earth. Previous thinking was nearly all limited to regional, often arcane, activity. Plate tectonics was the first truly global image of the planet's workings. It was elegant, universal, and it explained so much, so well, that fitting it to conditions was almost simple. Plates move, crunch one another, raise mountains, often with spewing volcanoes, and end their career by sinking below the crust. Look at a map of California [easy to do, since there's one at the front of the book]. It all seems so manifestly organized. Parallel mountain ranges running north-south, separated by logically placed valleys. But the Sierra Nevada stands in lofty majesty compared to the Coast Range standing west across the Great Valley. It shouldn't.
According to Moores, that's symptomatic. By plate tectonics' definition, it should be the Coast Range that should rising in reaction to the pressure of the continental movement. And why is the Great Valley so wide if a whole continent is trying to crowd the Sierra Nevada west? Moores suggests that it's because the real western boundary of the North American Plate is around Salt Lake City. The Mormon capital as a Monterey or Santa Barbara requires some reflective thinking, but Moores knows how to read the rocks. And McPhee knows how to tell us what he sees.
What Moores sees could be compared to a geologic highway accident where a string of vehicles reduce order to chaos. Plate tectonics is too simple because it fails to take into account wandering island chains. These are micro-continents with a wanderlust. Moores sees the likelihood of three island chains pranging the West Coast at different times. Each time, instead of being pushed aside by the mass of the North American Plate, they simply attached themselves like limpets. The extra pressure and mass pushed up the High Sierras and the Coast Range. Positioning, erosion and subsidence left the Great Valley, one of the flattest places in the United States, but rich with alluvial soil. The soil produces the world's best wine grapes, and McPhee and Moores justifiably pause in the Sonoma Valley.
McPhee moves from Moores' analysis of mountain building to the study of earthquakes and fault lines in the Golden State. Moores' view of California's disorganization is reinforced by the many directions faults take around the state. Garlock, Hayward, White Wolf are names that impinge on the notoriety of San Andreas. San Andreas, for all its fame, is not a fault, but a melange of fault structures, due to those impinging island arcs. McPhee's timing was fortuitous. As he was preparing the text, the earth was preparing a fitting conclusion to his story. In October of 1989 the earth moved and presented "an invoice of six billion dollars for a few moments of shaking." McPhee, like a diarist recording a life, follows the 'quake from its origins through the state. It's more compelling reading than any mystery novel. Wherever you live, you will come away from this book with an enlightened view of what the earth can tell you. And you will seek out more McPhee.Assembling California Overview

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Top Trails: Yosemite: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone (Top Trails: Must-Do Hikes) Review

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Top Trails: Yosemite: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone (Top Trails: Must-Do Hikes) ReviewWilderness Press originally conceived of the 'Top Trails' series as a set of hiking guides to the best trails in an area. This purpose sets these volumes apart from typical hiking guides which tend to fall into two categories: comprehensive guides to all trails in a region, or descriptions of short day hiking opportunities in an area. The idea was to give visitors to a region quick access to the best hiking and to facilitate ease of use. Perhaps no area of California needs a 'Top Trails' guide as much as Yosemite and very few authors are as qualified to write one as Jeffrey Schaffer.
This book is divided into seven chapters: one for each region of the park. Each chapter lists 5 to 8 hikes ranging in distance from the 1/2 mile walk at Bridalveil Falls to a 33 mile excursion among the High Sierra Camps. Obviously, some of these trails are more suitable for backpacking, a feature that distinguishes this book from others in the 'Top Trails' series. All the great hikes are included. Readers will find route descriptions for Half Dome, the Tuolomne Grove of Sequoias (my favorite grove in the park), Clouds Rest, Hetch Hetchy Resevoir, Glacier Point, and many more. In all, there are 45 trails and routes described here.
What makes this book so good are the standard features found in other 'Top Trails' guides and the expert commentary of Schaffer. Each chapter begins with an overview of the region, a trails summary page listing distance, difficulty, and some highlights of the trails, followed by detailed trail descriptions and carefully drawn maps. Schaffer is one of the top cartographers in the west and his maps are second to none. But in addition to these standard features, Schaffer also offers an extended commentary on the geology, geography, and plant and animal communities found in the park. His theory that Yosemite Valley's rock walls were formed by faulting and vertical fracture planes, not solely by glaciers, is explained in these pages, along with the evidence for it, so that non-specialists can easily understand what they observe as they hike. This sort of expert commentary adds immeasurably to the joy of hiking. That is why I strongly recommend this book by Schaffer. It can enhance any vacation to Yosemite.Top Trails: Yosemite: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone (Top Trails: Must-Do Hikes) Overview

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100 Classic Hikes in Northern California Review

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100 Classic Hikes in Northern California ReviewI just got this book. It is the most beautiful hiking guide I've ever seen. There are nearly a hundred full-color photos, and even the maps are creatively colored. We leave it on our coffee table for easy perusal. It's an updated edition of 100 Hikes in Northern California, and it has thorough descriptions of all my favorite hikes, and many others my wife and I are planning to do this winter (in the Bay Area) and next summer (in the Sierra Nevada and maybe in the Trinity Alps). We have two other hiking books on Northern California, but this one is definitely our favorite. If you are only getting one hiking guide for the north state, this is it.100 Classic Hikes in Northern California Overview

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