5 comments about Hiking Acadia National Park (Regional Hiking Series).

1. I found this book to be very helpful in planning my vacation in Acadia. I have 2 boys aged 5 and 13 and needed hikes that were doable for the youngest one. He turned out to be the best hiker of us all! This book gave me a good sense of what the trails would be like. We only did easy and moderate and one strenuous one (South Bubble Trail). You will need to buy a more detailed map (like from the AMC) but the trails are well marked. I liked the section on the authors' favorite hikes. We did most of our hikes from their recommends. Don't miss the Wonderland and Great Head trails if you go! Happy hiking.



2. For a party with kids, this book is just what we needed. The descriptions and difficulty ratings were right on. The directions to the trail heads were very clear (unlike in many hiking guides). Perhaps the best thing about it was the size. The book fit easily into my back pocket. No taking off my backpack everytime I wanted to check the map!



3. This guide is a scaled-down version of the longer "Hiking Acadia National Park" by the same authors. Included in this guide are 21 day hikes within the national park boundaries, some of which follow along the coast while others go to the more accessible mountains. Each hike contains directions to the trailhead, an adequate though not particularly detailed map, and a brief but adequate description of the hike. Length ranges from 0.5 mile to 5.8 miles, with the average falling at around 2 miles.
   
   There are a couple of things you should know before purchasing this guide. The book is only 84 pages long and only measures 6" by 4". This small size makes the book easy to carry, but at a cost. Specifically, only hikes on Mount Desert Island are included in this guide, with the rest being left on the cutting room floor from the larger version. So, if you are only planning a few days vacation to Acadia (like I did), this book will probably fit the bill. If you want a more comprehensive guide to Acadia hiking, you will want to look elsewhere.
   
   Second, the term "easy" in the title is relative. True, there are no multi-day backpack journeys described here, and the handhold rock climbs do not appear in this guide, but not everyone in even decent health will be able to hike all of these trails. For example, as an experienced day-hiker with average conditioning, I could have hiked any trail in this guide. However, my 60-something mother would have struggled on many of these trails even though she has no major health problems. My point is simply that not all of these trails are easy strolls on a level path, and I think you should know that before buying this guide. You may still need to choose a trail for your ability, and given the guide's size, your choices are somewhat limited.
   
   In summary, I gave this guide a good rating because I felt that it accomplished what the authors intended, namely a compact guide designed for short-term park visitors. However, depending on what kind of trip you are planning, this guide may not be for you, as I described above. So I recommend that you decide what kind of Acadia visit you desire and then use this review and others to choose the guide that will help you the most.



4. My wife and I just got back from Acadia. It was amazing. However, this book was useless for planning hikes. It has less information than what you can get from the park hand-out you get. We stayed at the Atlantean B&B and they had a book with a man and his 3 dogs on the front. It was excellent. I did not get the name/ISBM, sorry.
   
   However, we really enjoyed the extended Bubbles, Beehive and Goram (sp?) hikes. The beauty of this area rivals the Rocky Mts.



5. Good book and the descriptions are accurate.
   If you haven't been to Acadia, this is a good book to get.
   Acadia National Park is very big and has a lot of different areas with many options, so this book really helps you make informed decisions.

No comments about Fly Fishing Colorado, Second Edition (No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guides).

No comments about Moleskine City Notebook Boston (Moleskine City Notebook).

5 comments about Backpacking Pennsylvania: 37 Great Hikes.

1. Mitchell points you in the right direction to many well kept secrets in the Allegheney's!



2. Yes it's possible, in "industrialized" Pennsylvania of all places, to hike for days without seeing a single other person, and outdoor enthusiasts from throughout the Northeast should be more familiar with the Pennsylvania backpacking experience. I'm a native of the state who has been seriously hiking and backpacking for years, and I'm still continually amazed by the variety and extensiveness of Pennsylvania's long-distance hiking trails. Amid the state's surprisingly remote and wild areas are dozens of trails that exceed 20 miles in length, and several that surpass 100 miles. There is far more to Pennsylvania backpacking than the famous Appalachian Trail, which Jeff Mitchell accurately describes as one of the least interesting trails in the state. This book is not meant to be a true guide for any of the trails described, but summarizes the long-distance hiking opportunities available. Therefore, unless you really know what you're doing, following trails with this book will be difficult given its abbreviated travelogues and very non-detailed maps, so don't try to do an extensive trip *only* with this book. Detailed trail guides and/or maps are usually available elsewhere.
   
   What makes this book a real winner is an outstanding introduction concerning various backpacking issues and challenges, and excellent geographical info for each trail described, especially in terms of trail conditions, locations of trailheads, and contact information. I have completed several of Pennsylvania's long-distance trails, especially in the central and north-central regions of the state, and given Mitchell's knowledgeable and accurate writing I can attest that he has either hiked these trails himself or has talked extensively with people who have. For this reason I am confident about his descriptions of the trails I haven't yet tackled, and you should be too. So if you're in Pennsylvania but are unaware of the adventures in store, this book is an outstanding introduction to our vast backpacking opportunities. [~doomsdayer520~]



3. Jeff Mitchell's dusty boots had already covered new ground when he wrote "Hiking the Endless Mountains" - the first hiking book to explore the beautiful forests and creeks of Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains. Written by the Pennsylvania native, "Backpacking Pennsylvania, 37 Great Hikes" has now established Mitchell's books as the most current and definitive guide series for hiking and backpacking throughout Pennsylvania. In "Backpacking Pennsylvania", Jeff travels beyond the Allegheny Plateaus to provide concise and well-written trail descriptions. Just enough information is provided for each trail system and Mitchell leaves it to the reader to put his book down and to just start hiking!
   
   Jeff Mitchell's Preface in "Backpacking Pennsylvania" is a righteous testamony to those special places which are rapidly disappearing in the 21st Century. "By respectfully visiting and experiencing these places, we can appreciate and protect them" and "Backpacking reintroduces people not only to nature, but also to each other".



4. Backpacking Pennsylvania does exactly the job the title leads you to believe it will do. 37 major trails are described and made accessible to the the Pennsylvania Backpacker.
   
   Each trail narrative is preceded by a chart summarizing 13 "want-to-know" items for the trail: its length, approximate time needed for the trip, a difficulty rating, typical terrain and trail conditions, blazes, water supply, area vegetation, trail highlights, maintaining organizations, sources of maps/guides/contact information, and trailhead directions.
   
   The trails are divided into seven geographical regions, with a map for each region showing the counties and general layouts and locations of the trails there. For each of the 37 trails, another map shows the local roads, towns, creeks, parks, and potential campsites and vistas. The narratives are sufficiently detailed that backpacker armed with this book would be able to save the purchase of many individual trail guides and maps, though these would offer more in-depth information on the history, geology, or other particulars.
   
   This book is a great guide for planning backpacking ventures of appropirate duration, difficulty, and location in the Keystone state. I most recently backpacked the Bucktail Path and found Jeff's summary to be quite on-target. It should be in every Pennsylvania backpacker's library.



5. I did not know that PA had so many trails that can be day hiked or for weeks on end. This is a good place to start if you want to see if you can handle it before trying to hike th AT all the way.

No comments about Time Out San Francisco (Time Out Guides).

3 comments about The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Signet Classics).

1. This book is not a novel. This book is an excerpt of the version of the Lewis and Clark journals edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites in 1903-04. Thwaites's version was based on material from the paraphrased Biddle version of 1814. There is an excellent modern non-paraphrased 13-volume version of the journals edited by Dr. Gary Moulton based on original Lewis and Clark materials--also available through Amazon.com. I recommend this book and Dr. Moulton's books.

   Bakeless chose entries that reflected the broad scope of Captain Meriwether Lewis's mission. Captain Lewis was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and Congress in 1803 to conduct an official army expedition across the North American continent to search for a practical trade route. He was to sail up the Missouri River, cross the Rocky Mountains, and sail down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. This feat had never been done before, and Lewis and his army detachment were the first citizens of the United States to cross all the way across from the land east of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

   Bakeless's selection of journal entries gives the reader a very balanced sense of the expedition. We can appreciate the mundane day-to-day activities such as guard duties, court-martials, hunting expeditions, weather reports, as well as exciting entries such as when the men were chased by grizzly bears, nearly fell over cliffs, were nearly drowned, or when confronted by unfriendly westerners (only twice--most of the Native Americans were exceedingly helpful to the expedition and many times, the expeditionaries lives depended on the Native Americans help), and even when Meriwether Lewis was accidentally shot. We even find out which Captain liked to eat dog meat.

   Considering the wealth of information that the Captains brought back from their journey, Bakeless did an excellent job of choosing what we should read to get a balanced picture of the enormous job those men undertook in one small volume.

   This is an excellent "beginners" Lewis and Clark Journal. Once you read this book, you will feel compelled to read more. When you do, I recommend editor Dr. Gary Moulton's 12 volume set.

   This book is not a "childrens" book. It is a nonfiction book for adults or young adults that can appreciate real life adventure.

   The bottom line is, do you want to buy this book? Yes, you do.




2. Lewis and Clark's descriptions of their epic overland journey is a deserved American classic. So many students must memorize the Gettysburg Address or the Preamble of the Constitution, but too few are ever introduced to this magnificent trilogy, told in Lewis and Clark's own words. They were the first white men to lay eyes on the interior sections of the Unites States, when the land was unspoiled, unpolluted and obviously quite spectacular. In great detail, they relate their indescribable amazement to see giant Sequoia trees, grizzly bears and endless miles of barren desert.

   Lewis and Clark's experiences are the stuff of legend, but the question that begs to be answered is: could they write? The answer is a resounding yes! The narrative flows smoothly, the descriptions of the animals and landscape come alive with their vivid use of language and metaphor. Perhaps the most vivid sections of the book revolve around their numerous encounters with Native Americans. This book should be required reading for anyone with an history in the history and exploration of the United States.




3. In my reading I found some things I liked and some things I did not like.
   The introduction that John Bakeless added in was great. Although it is long, I would recommend people to read it before they read the book. The introduction does as it should, by giving a sense of purpose and background of the expedition before it starts.
   I liked how the book was written in a journal format by giving the date above the passage. The date helped give a sense of time in the book. The journal format also made the book seem easier to read. It gave the book a more realistic feel. I would not recommend this book to people who are looking for grammatically correct sentences. The sentences are taken down in log book form and are often not written grammatically correct.
   I was sometimes confused on who was writing the journal entry. In some entries it was established who was writing it, but in others you had to find a clue in the passage to find the author. I often found myself skimming down the passage looking for hints to know who wrote it.
   Because the book was edited by John Bakeless, it contained several footnotes. I found the footnotes extremely useful as I was reading it. They gave a definition and background to certain things that if it was your first time reading about Lewis and Clark you otherwise would not know of. For example you find out that one of their favorite foods was beaver tail.
   In the beginning of the journey I started to get bored of it because it listed routine day-to-day activities like court-martials, hunting expeditions, and weather reports. But as I got farther into the book it became mildly exciting such as being chased by the grizzly bears, nearly falling off cliffs, almost drowning, or when they faced unfriendly natives.
   Overall I did not like this book. I came in to reading this book thinking that this whole book was going to be filled with exciting events that took place during their expedition. I was disappointed and found only a few exciting events. If someone was to read this I would caution them that there are not many exciting parts and most of it is filled with mundane activities.

5 comments about Foghorn Outdoors California Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 1,000 Hikes (Foghorn Outdoors).

1. I really like how the hikes are each rated for difficulty and overall quality. I realize these are subjective, and I have found myself from time to time disagreeing with the ratings on hike quality a little, but in general I couldn't ask for better on that count. I would love to see a No. Calif.-only version, just to increase the number of hike listings in that region.



2. This is a great book and if you're a pure hiker it's a perfert 5 stars but i'd love to know where campgrounds are as well. If it had types of campgrounds locally to the trail it would be amazing.
   
   Not to mention though that the commentary is well written and sometimes pretty funny.



3. I have had my old copy of this book now since 2000 and have used it and abused it. It is the definitive "gold standard" guide book for hiking in California - there are none better or more detailed. I keep this book on a shelf next to my computer so I can use it to look up on the internet the places in the book. The situation is that this book has far better coverage and information and more factual material than I can Goggle on the internet.
   
   I have hiked dozens of the suggested trails in the book and have found the information about the hiking trails to be factual and fairly up to date considering my version of this book is 7 plus years old. (I need to buy a new revised copy this coming year)
   
   I have found trails that have taken me to water falls, scenic views and places where wild life can be observed. I have gone to places that i would have never discovered on my own. The research is obvious and much appreciated by this reader!
   
   if you were going to own but just one guide book for your hiking in California then there is no question that this one is the only one to consider - it is that good! I personally give this book my highest endorsement!



4. This is my hiking trail bible. Tom Steinstra has appealed to all levels of hikers with this book, and to date, I have yet to disagree with either his trail difficulty rating or scenic review. He knows California like no other, and his writing is humorous and engaging, not dry and uneventful like so many other writing hikers. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of Tom's books and his occasional column (as I am not in the SF area).
   
   Last summer, on the way to a family reunion, my daughter said she likes to explore caves. I pulled out the book, looked up our region, and lo, there was a listing for a trail that included a cave! It took us only 45 minutes out of our way, and was a huge surprise, as it was a naturally-formed ice cave, with walls of ice in the middle of our 100 degree day!
   
   I especially appreciate the little notes that Tom includes about the history, or special aspects of a particular hike, since this helps me to decide which trails to take.
   
   I have purchased this book for all of my hiking friends. This book is a must for every California hiker out there, regardless of expertise.



5. I have no questions and hesitations when it comes to Tom Strienstra. I regard his ratings highly and the information provided are very helpful.

5 comments about Tucket's Travels: Francis Tucket's Adventures in the West, 1847-1849 (Books 1-5) (Francis Tucket Books).

1. This was a great story!!! I loved it! If you are looking for a book, this would be the book to read!!!



2. I LOVE ALL THE GARY PAULSEN BOOKS. THE francis tuckets are some of my favorites because i've always wanted to go back in time to the western days and these books took me there.
   
   travis l. blue.



3. It's a good thing they are all five together. This book was so good even I (mom) didn't want to stop reading it! I even cried at the end. My son (9 yrs) and I read this together. It is a very good book to read aloud because you can explain things if you need, and you (as an adult) can really add some drama with your voice. One night my son had a friend stay overnight (8 yrs) and he wasn't excited about having me read to them (especially in the middle of the book and all) but he was hooked after one chapter. I think this would be a good book for those who "hate" reading because the story just pulls you in and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. There is even a little bit of historical information and things to learn (but don't tell the kids!) I would recommend it to grades 3 and up. My 6 yr old had trouble sitting still for it.



4. I have already read both of the Misadventures of Maude March books. My grandmother bought me thiese books because I kept looking for more westerns. These Tucket books are very good but something is missing. Partly girls. Partly a lot of other people. Still I can't cut off any stars.



5. This series of stories about about Francis Tucket is chocked full of encounters with Pawnee Indians, thieves, ruthless Comancheroes, sadistic murderers, and rattlesnakes. But the stories are also populated by such wonderful characters like Lottie and Billy, Jason Grimes, the one-armed mountain man, Garcia, and Iktah. Paulsen who has the deserved reputation as a great storyteller has created a series that will entertain as well as educate. You are given a glimpse of just how harsh conditions were for early settlers in the West but the stories also re-affirms our hope that there are truly good people out there as well.

5 comments about Backcountry Adventures Utah: The Ultimate Guide to the Utah Backcountry for Anyone with a Sport Utility Vehicle (Backcountry Adventures).

1. I have found this title to be very interesting, and very informative at the same time. It provides a great deal of background information and historical facts for each of the trails it details. The book also provides some historical and other information on the state of Utah, including info on the types of wildlife and plantlife that can be found in the different climate of Utah.
   
   It includes many trails, all over the state. As the title suggests, mosts of the trails are ones that give you an alternate route, or backcountry route, to or through a city/town. The only reason that I didn't give it five stars is that I would like to see some more maps of the smaller, shorter off road trails in Utah.
   
   Overall, this is an excellent resource to have, and I have found it very enjoyable. There are great trails and wonderful details in the book. I would say it is worth the buy.



2. If you like to travel the back roads this is the book for you. It has excellent information, along with maps, GPS and history. Well worth the money.



3. Backcountry Adventures are the best guides of their kind out there. Odometer references, descriptive text, and (especially) GPS coordinates make these easy and foolproof to use. The map and index for the respective areas, Southeast, Central, etc., make planning your route easy as the different routes are color coded with their page numbers referenced. Good sampling of human interest content also, giving some history, flora and fauna, and geology information.
   
   My only criticism is that these guides should be spiral bound, and pages removable. This would allow the book to lie flat and pages and/or sections could be removed to make it more concise for use on a motorcycle or bicycle. These guides are the size of a mid sized phone book and are too big and heavy for anything but automotive use.



4. I've got a lot of Utah guides but this one is the best by far. Very good maps at different scales. Trail diagrams with loads of point of interest. Detailed trail logs with turn by turn directions, scenic ratings, difficulty ratings. A great historical section about the people and places of Utah. This one has it all. We leave in one week!!



5. Here is the situation, you want to do some exploring and follow a certain dirt track and need to know the condition of it, length, and what you can expect for scenery, also, can your pick-up right from the factory handle the trail?
   
   You swing into the "Poison Raven" shop and ask the senior manager, you have socks older than this kid but it's this or nothing, and you ask for info; Is the scenery worth it? " Yaahh, its awesome back there, Rad."
   IS the trail passable , are there washes with mud or water in them, can a stock short bed make the trail, is there alot of scramble, boulder moving, or is it a trail an 'old man' of 40 can handle in an Escalade?
   
   The answers are " Yaahh, its Rad. most is lame, but some is gnarly, no prob in your hummer dude, rock on and git er dun"
   
   When you leave the manager turns to an employee and says, " Oh, Wait, was that old dude talking about the Yellow Cat or Hell's Backbone?...oh, dude, I screwed that up big time..." and they laugh and you end up screwed...big time..
   
   Instead of that scenario buy this book and stop only for gas, water and a shovel, and "git er dun" on your own.
   
   Even if you only have a stock SUV you will love this book, it will open up more areas to you than you will believe, even in places you think you already know.
   
   Having explored canyon country in Utah for many years we bought this book and then went out and followed every track we always had wondered about.
   
   It is not perfect in every way, but it gives you a great idea of what to expect, take the time to read the entire route description and then go out and follow one and see how things line up.This will also get you in line with how the authors are thinking and writing, understanding that things here change day by day, and year to year, but a trail that is a Difficulty 2 or 3 won't become a 6 and a scenery rating of a 10 doesn't become a 4 either.
   Keep in mind this guide can not tell you it rained like hell yesterday and the washes are a foot of mud, or that there is bad trail damage from the ijits that went through ahead of you and tore hell outta the crossings and kept on going.
   But , that said, it will tell you how long you will be in a wash, how many washes there are to cross, how many rivers or creeks, and gives a rough idea of the scenery you can expect and most importantly to us, the difficulty of the trail.
   
   At 4 times the going price I'd still buy these gudies, they are a fantastic shortcut to exploring, and also takes the worry out of wondering where a track ends up, and if it does connect to another track how bad is that one?
   
   Bottom line also-- this is NOT the beaches on D-Day----you don't HAVE to keep going, we can go back and call it a day.
   
   Many of the trails that we decided from their rating were too much for our truck or suv we planned on hiking on foot, or mtn bike, without the guide we probably wouldn't have ever turned off onto these trails to begin with. Worth every penny and then some.

5 comments about Rock, Gem, and Mineral Collecting Sites in Western North Carolina.

1. The info in this book is good. It gives directions and GPS info and other good info. BUT in this day and age there is really no excuse for just having black and white pictures in this kind of book. In black and white all the rocks look very similiar to me. If they would just add color pictures I would rate it 5 stars instead of just 4. I still recommend this book but not as your only one for this area. Get it to compliment others.



2. I purchased this book after having visited a mine or two in the state. It is written in a manner that makes one eager to take a weekend and do nothing but mine. That is what I am going to do soon, with this book in tow.



3. This is a fantastic book but unfortunately, many of the sites are now closed to collecting. I agree with the other reviewer that it needs color photos. I have used to to dig at a couple of sites with good results. Unfortunatley, the success of this book coupled with a few overzealous collectors (out of the thousands that are good and follow rules) are probably whey these sites are now closed. I just wish that I would have found the book a couple of years ago. It's still worth buying, just be sure to check the internet first before travelling or hinking all the way to a site to make sure that it is still open to collecting.



4. Crossing western North Carolina from southwest to northeast are several branches of the Appalachian Mountain chain, including its highest peaks. The Appalachians, of course, are the product of numerous continental collisions and retreats, the latest of which appear to have occurred about a quarter of a billion years ago. Since that time, erosion of all forms has worn those Himalaya-sized peaks into the gentler mountains of today. That process has stripped many miles and layers of rock away, leaving deeper, older rocks now exposed to the surface for the first time.
   
   Because the miles of rock now removed exerted enormous heat and pressure, as did the colliding continental masses themselves, many freakish, beautiful, and frequently valuable gems and minerals may now be found. This book clearly and precisely describes where, how, and when to seek them, and what you can hope to find at each of the 53 sites described. The reader and user should SCRUPULOUSLY OBSERVE the book's recommendations for good manners in dealing with the people who are kind enough to open their property for rockhounding.
   
   The maps and directions are very good, but I was distressed that all photos were in black and white. I know there are limitations, but rock hues may have many nuances that black/white simply cannot capture. Even with this, the book is very good, and it will be glued to my fourth rib the next time I venture down that way. Highly recommended.



5. Lots of good suggestions for future adventures for gem hunting. Love to read and plan before trips