No comments about Day Hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon & Washington.

5 comments about 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon (Second Edition).

1. This book is a superb guide to a wide variety of hikes in Northwest Oregon. The first edition was my bible for hikes in this area---it's tattered and torn from all the use! This edition is better than ever--with accurate updates. Every hiker in Oregon should own it!



2. I bought this book prior to a trip to Oregon in hopes of finding some beautiful hikes. This book was a valuable tool in my search. Every hike was accurately described from details on finding the trailhead to distances traveled including the level of difficulty and points of interest along the way.



3. I bought this book two years ago to add to the many guide books in my library. After two years of hiking many weekends in northwestern OR and southwestern WA, it's become clear that this is the book that get's used the most. Most of the trails are suitable for the whole family. We've hiked into the crater of Mount St. Helens, eaten wild huckle berries in Indian Heaven Wilderness, hiked every slope of Mt. Hood, visited water falls in the Columbia river Gorge that we didn't know existed and more.

   Many of the trails are suitable for the occasional dry weekend in the winter months as well. Sullivan provides many low elevation trails which extend the hiking season year round.

   If you live in southwestern Washington or northwestern Oregon, you should own this book.




4. Over the last several years, I've hiked most of the trails described in "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon." Sullivan's diving directions, trail descriptions and maps have always been perfect and immensely helpful.

   The trail descriptions are both concise and crystal clear. Sullivan does not meticulously describe each detail, which leaves much to discover on your own and allows for a more personal hiking experience. He writes eloquently, and often includes great tidbits of scientific and historical information that add context to your hike. For example, he might briefly describe how a specific area was geologically formed, and point out some evidence that you'll find along trail.

   Sullivan's practical advice is invaluable. If he tells you that a trail passes poison oak, you better wear long pants! If he tells you that a trail is open from July to October, don't show up without snowshoes in March! Clearly, he knows these trails well. Readers should not overlook the preface, where he provides an equipment checklist, low impact camping guidelines, contacts for trail conditions, and other useful information.

   The one downside of this guide is that so many people use it. If a hike is within an hour of Portland, and is featured in this book, you can count on a crowded trailhead on a nice weekend. Plenty of the featured hikes are off the beaten path, and still consistently provide solitude. Just plan on driving for awhile.

   Anybody who hikes in Oregon should consult "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon," or one of Sullivan's other books. I also frequently use his Oregon Coast and Central Oregon guides, and they too are first rate.

   Just a quick additional note: When you do hike, always leave no trace! If you see trash, pick it up! Always be respectful of our Earth, and all of its creatures.




5. I moved to Oregon 6 years ago without any backpacking experience. Sullivan's were a perfect resource for me as a backpacker in need. This series has all the info you need and nothing you don't. I have particularly enjoyed photos(included with every single hike), 3d maps, well written directions and even background geologic/plant/wildlife info. Very useful and one of the best purchases I've made.
   
   A word of advice: heed EVERYTHING he says. If it says its bug filled in May, or a small car shouldn't drive a certain road, BELIEVE IT! As someone who's taken 30+ backpacking trips based on Sullivan's books, I can tell you that you will not be disappointed by these recommendations. It's like a good friend who gave you his personal recommendations.

1 comments about Oregon Wine Country.

1. If you want an easy to read overview of Oregon wineries, this book is it. It's organized by both viticultural areas and by wine types. The book strikes a nice balance between enough information to be useful but not so much you that won't finish it. The photos are striking and show the breadth of the Oregon wine industry. A nice touch are the side bars introducing the winemakers and pioneers of Oregon wine. If you're into Oregon wine, I highly recommend it.

2 comments about Of Men and Mountains: The Classic Memoir of Wilderness Adventure.

1. When I first read this book several years ago, I was truly inspired by it. This is a delightful story of a boy that overcame the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of paralysis (if memory serves, induced by polio) by forcing himself to walk in the mountains of the great Northwest, and eventually becoming a United States Supreme Court Justice. Finding his strength and his soul (and his paralysis cure!) in the wilderness, he would often retreat to the great outdoors. This is a story of his lessons, and his adventures. A wonderful read.
   
   There is a problem with it, however. It isn't true. For one thing, Douglass never suffered from paralysis as a child as he claimed in the book. He sufferred from re-occuring intestinal colic. He also stated that he lived in poverty with his mother. As it turns out, his mother was typically middle-class. He claimed to have graduated second in his class from law school. Again, a lie.
   
   Apparently, discerning the reasearch I have done on Douglas, this book was politically motivated by a man who wished to paint himself as wholesome as possible in order to obtain his life's ambition - the White House. Studying more on this man is revealing. He left his wife of 28 years for a series of younger women. He left his third wife for a high school student. 24 months later he married a college student that he met waitressing at a cocktail bar. His own children thought him "scary" who only spoke to them when "press photographers wanted a picture." There is also a controversy about his military service - if he ever did actually serve, and if he deserves to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery (where he is buried.)
   
   The book itself, as I said, is a delightful read. If it were true, I would give it five stars without blinking an eye. Read and enjoy this piece of masterful, self-revisionist fiction.



2. This book is a wonderful and gentle journey of one man who loved to be in the mountains! As an adult I started backpacking the very areas Douglas talks about in the book and have grown quite fond of the southern portion of the Cascades. Names like Darling Mountain, Fryingpan Lake, Fifes Peak, Old Snowy Mountain and Conrad Meadows - I've been to most of these places!
   
   Through Justice Douglas I get to see how it was so long ago! Very well written, you get to hear about the adventures of young men growing up and doing the things that young men did in the early 1900s. And while specific to the Wallowas and the south central Cascades, the story is told as if the forests he visits were the forests closest to you. Each little lesson he learns, he shares. Tips on cooking and fishing and surviving - and how to be a little less afraid and a little more inspired. These are the forests that are visited by wise scholars and simple horsemen and everyone in between.
   
   The book is definitely not a work of fiction - you couldn't possibly describe these places in the way that he does without having been there. The book is about real places with real people. Don't take my word for it - drive to Tampico near Yakima in Washington and hike up to Darling Mountain. Then go down to Conrad Meadows and to the Tieton Basin. Walk across Highway 12 and up Indian Creek trail to the Blankenship Meadows and then up to the top of Tumac Mountain. When you're tired looking as far as the eye can see, go down to Twin Sisters Lake for bit of fishing and a night of rest before the long journey to Bumping Lake and then on to Goose Prairie where Douglas once lived. These are a few of the places that Justice Douglas takes you to.
   
   If you want the controversy of William O. Douglas read "Wild Bill: The Legend and Life of William O. Douglas". If you want to read about men and mountains, then I highly suggest this book.

1 comments about Oregon's Best Swimming Holes.

1. Too bad they never did a revision on this. The very best guide to swimming holes ever!

5 comments about The Oregon Trail (Dover Value Editions).

1. The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman is an account which further enforces the history of the Oregon Trail we had learned about in [U.S. History] class. The book portrays what it must have been like to travel on the Trail, never knowing what the next day would bring. The buffalo hunting which took place throughout the book became monotonous and boring after the first exciting few, but other than that repetitiveness, the journey was well depicted. I especially enjoyed Parkman's in-depth descriptions given to the reader of the people he meets on his journey and his observations on their actions as well. His vivid imagery of scenes from nature such as animals, prairie landscapes, and the weather, place the reader right next to Parkman in his adventuresome expedition. There are some dull, repetitive points in the observations made by the author, but aside from that his autobiographical telling of his journey is unforgettable.



2. In a day when "historians" make comment on the long dead or events from the confines of their apartments, Francis Parkman is the person who actually experienced the history he wrote about. There is no political correctness in Parkman and he describes savages, French, frontiersmen and Mormons exactly as they were without apology.
   This work is a masterpiece everyone should read and be a guidebook to modern historians who spend more time working a political end and getting in the way of history rather than letting history tell it's truthful tale.
   Parkman is not just the historian or recorder of events. He is the bard of Sioux myth, the geologist, biologist and countless other things describing flora, fauna and weather. He is complete in having that air of Boston social elite in beginning his journey and returning from the plains an American having tasted, smelled and breathed the savage world and revealed the eastern thoughts on how that world would evolve for the next 60 years.
   Parkman is remarkable and the best compliment for this book is to recommend that readers search for other Parkman histories to read as they are real.
   I am currently in his wonderful Montecalm and Wolfe series on the history of Canada which actually created America. If you have children, share Parkman's history with them as he will make it come alive for them.
   As you can see by all of the lengthy reviews, Francis Parkman invokes a great deal of thought and emotion in his histories which transfers to the reader.



3. Parkman's travelogue on the Great Plains is a major work of life among the Native Americans. His descriptions are honest and capture a society that was fading even while he was writing. The book had a major impact on the way that non-westerners saw the Great Plains. This was both good and bad. Parkman wrote through the lens of a Boston aristocrat and was full of prejudices against those who did not meet his standards. This was dangerous in that many who read about the "backwardness" of the Native Americans used this as justification for "civilizing" them. Although this was probably not Parkman's intention, it was a consequence of his writing. In addition, he promoted the hunting of buffalo for sport, which led to the decimation of the buffalo heards on the Plains.
   
   Another major issue with this book is that, in spite of its title, it is not about the Oregon Trail. Parkman went no further than the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and he did all in his power to dissociate himself from the pioneers moving along the Oregon Trail. If you are looking for a history of the trail, this book will not satisfy your needs.
   
   However, in spite of the misleading title and the prejudices that surface throughout the book, it is still a fine piece of writing that opens up a world that has been lost to today's readers. Read it and enjoy your travels into another time and place.



4. I ordered this book based on the film, " The Oregan Trail," which I enjoyed watching. The book is a good follow-up to the movie, making much of the content even more real for me.



5. This is an excellent book giving the reader a first person view of the Frontier in the 1840s. The details make the reader feel as if they were living the adventure themselves.
   
   If you are looking for a book that tells of a journey on the Oregon Trail, this is NOT the book for you. A better for the book title might have been "A Summer On The Frontier: Life Among The Indians and Explorers." The author follows the Oregon Trail until he reaches Fort Laramie, and then spends the rest of his time among the indians who inhabited the plains and badlands at the time.
   
   If you are looking for vivid picture of life among the indians, buffaloes, and explorers, this IS the book for you!

3 comments about Hiking the Great Northwest: 55 Greatest Trails in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Northern California, British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies.

1. it encompasses the hikes that every avid hiker must do before or during death.



2. The hikes cover some of the best hiking over a large area.



3. I have the first edition of this book and it has been an invaluable guide to the incredible hiking in the Northwest. Living in the east and only getting to the west when business or a vacation take me there (for relatively short periods of time) I've always tried to make the most of the time I did have to hike. I have done about 1/3 of the hikes in the book and have yet to be disappointed. I have other, more detailed, hiking books for these areas but I rely on this one for selecting my hikes. I just wish this type of book were available for other areas of the country.

1 comments about Moon Oregon Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping (Moon Outdoors).

1. This is a wonderful, easy to use book. It is divided into regions, with guide maps within each region. All sorts of camping sites are listed, from freeway accessible RV parks, to primative National Park facilities. Scenery ratings are given for each, along with available services and driving directions.
   I've used AAA camping guide books for years, but found this more thorough and easier to use. I am ordering the Washington equivalent. Sadly, none of the other Western States are covered yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

No comments about Oregon Off the Beaten Path, 8th (Off the Beaten Path Series).

2 comments about 120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast (100 Hikes In...).

1. Bonnie Henderson's hiking books are consistently good. This one highlights some lesser-known hikes along the Oregon Coast. My parents live on the coast, and many of these hikes were pleasant surprises to them. Difficulty is accurately noted. The author, an Oregon resident, really hikes all the trails in her books. This book would be a great gift for anyone living or travelling the Oregon Coast.



2. Two of my favorite activities, reading good books and hiking good trails, merge in this Oregon Coast hiking guide. Bonnie Henderson was raised in Portland, and lives in Eugene now. Not only does she know these trails, but she is also savvy to all the flora and fauna along the way. Her guide is organized by hikes along Oregon's North Coast, North-Central Coast, Central Coast, South-Central Coast, and South Coast, and also includes interesting information about, among other things, puffins (pp. 40-41), skunk cabbage (p. 51), bald eagles (p. 62), estuaries (p. 73) and silverspot butterflies (pp. 76-77).

   I spent a week hiking many of the trails in this guide, including most of Henderson's own recommended favorites (pp. 26, 57, 96): Indian Beach to Ecola Point, Seaside Beach, Crescent Beach, Haystack Rock, Hug Point, and the Yachats 804 Trail. I especially liked the Cape Falcon and Cooks Ridge-Gwynn Creek loop trails. Rocky beaches. Loud waves. Waterfalls. Mossy trees. Old-growth forests. Foggy days. Muddy trails. The Oregon Coast is a hiker's heaven, and Henderson's wise, old trail guide contains some of heaven's best-kept secrets.

   G. Merritt