2 comments about Travelers Guide: To The Geology Of Colorado Plateau.

1. This is another of Donald Baars' series of excellent geology books. Centered on the Four Corners, the Colorado Plateau displays some of the most varied and spectacular geology found anywhere.

   To make reading and understanding easier, the author divides the Plateau into seven smaller units, e.g. the Paradox Basin. Each section begins with an explanation of its geologic history then identifies every rock formation seen along what appears to be every road that crosses it. This latter is done at a level of detail I've seen only one other place (Roadside Kansas by Buchannan and McCauley).

   If you enjoy knowing just what you're looking at when you drive through this area or, like me, have a developed a hobby of collecting rock samples, this is a marvelously useful book.




2. The guidebook is useful in some ways, but woefully lacking in others. The organization uses precise mileage, which is helpful in finding the features Baars mentions. The geological cross-sections are clearly diagrammed and the prose is accessible to the layman. However, the photos are poor (mostly taken under the high-angle mid-day sun) and the lack of an index is absolutely unacceptable. Once you are on the road and have found the chapter, then it is easy to follow, but it is frustrating when trying to find a specific area or topic while reading/researching at home since there is no index to refer to.

3 comments about Southwest Circle Quest - A Walkabout in the American Outback.

1. This isn't just a book, it's an adventure you can enjoy again and again. Brett's journey is a soulful evolution through the most magical land in the USA. It shows what the culmination of dreams and the human will can co-create. This man WALKED through 1400 miles of the American Southwest, recording his thoughts and personal unfolding. It is a journey not to be missed. If you enjoy philosophy, the desert, or just pure adventure, you will love this book.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Brett's book about his amazing adventure into the wilderness of the Southwest. It is a well written and exciting story and I found that I did not want to put it down. I read the whole thing in two sittings. Few people have the courage to undertake what Brett did. The book has inspired me to live simpler and closer to my heart and to cherish the beauty of this Earth.



3. This book would get five stars from me for being a compelling story of a walk through the southwestern desert (most of the locales well-known to me) if that's all it purported to be. But I downgraded it to three because it purports to be a spiritual quest but is almost empty of the kind of personal questions, thoughtful reflections, and insights you would expect in that kind of book. It seemed to me that he covered a lot of ground but never got anywhere. If you want hearty on-foot adventure and survival, though, your money will be well spent. Everything long-distance hikers have nightmares about: You'll sweat with him through a harrowing time when a friend forgets to send money at an agreed time to an agreed place and the author has no cash for food, and another time when his boots fall apart, the endless and sometimes frightening search for water. You'll wonder why he started his trip through the desert during the hottest time of the year, and it is never explained. Still, he's got guts and determination and these qualities see him through.

No comments about Moab South, Utah Trail Map.

2 comments about Hell or High Water: James White's Disputed Passage through Grand Canyon, 1867.

1. The interest in the seemingly never-ending myths and legends about river trips through the Grand Canyon continues to grow. One of the enduring controversies that continues to surface among Colorado River historians is the question of who really was the first to travel the river through the Grand Canyon. Historically, the credit is given to John Wesley Powell for his amazing feat in 1869. However, there is, and always has been, a dispute about whether or not a Colorado prospector named James White may have actually made the first descent two years earlier than Powell, in 1867. If this is true the legend and accolades surrounding the Powell trip, while significant, will have to be revised to take into account White's accomplishment.
   Eilean Adams is the granddaughter of James White and has written the first complete account of the controversy surrounding her grandfathers claim to have traversed the river through the Canyon in eleven days, two years prior to Powell's trip. It is an amazing story that was originally widely believed and publicized. White had been prospecting with another man near the San Juan River in Colorado when they encountered hostile Indians. His partner was killed and White claims to have fashioned a raft and began an eleven-day journey down the Colorado to eventually wash up on the shore at Callville, Nevada.
   In a highly readable, absorbing manner Adams has written a compelling account of White's life and journey that is meticulously researched and provides a plausible and compelling case that White did in fact accomplish the unbelievable. The story will appeal to the reader favoring a good mystery as well as those hooked on historical events and legends. The book is well documented with chapter notes; references, sources, and other related documents that provide the reader with the first comprehensive account of a story that will not die. Was James White really the first person to traverse the Grand Canyon via the Colorado River? If so, why do historians insist on giving the credit to John Wesley Powell? The answers to these and other questions make this book a first rate addition to the literature of the West.



2. Western history says that John Wesley Powell was the first man to boat through the Grand Canyon, but this book is PROOF that that is incorrect. After reading this well-written, insightful, thoroughly researched, extremely readable examination of the James White story, I am convinced, now more than ever, that James White was the first man to raft down the Colorado. Eilean Adams's writes well of the people, throughout history, who worked to discredit James White's story, and in turn (justly) discredits them.
   James White supposedly built a raft and took to the Colorado River to escape some Indians, and my only problem with this book is that she didn't examine why he didn't get off his raft farther down the river, where the canyon walls opened up--at a place like Lees Ferry, for example.
   Aside from that though, this book is first-rate. Even if you know nothing of his story, or of Western history, the book is a thrilling adventure tale I would recommend to anyone.

4 comments about Foghorn Outdoors Utah Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 300 of the Best Hikes in the Beehive State (Foghorn Outdoors: Utah Hiking).

1. A disappointing hiker's guide to Utah. Lists lots of hikes, gives a 1-5 dificulty rating, 1-10 "appeal rating", length of hike, location, cursory instruction to get to trailhead. Hikes are organized by 6 regions in the state. The hike's description lacks info on altitudes (Does it climb 600 or 6000 feet? Does it start at 6000 feet so I need a coat?) The book's only map is a state map showing location of all the hikes - no individual maps of trails or roads to trailheads. Almost every hike suggests where you should go to buy a topo of the area. Why repeat this boilerplate for every hike? The trail descriptions don't explain the reason for the appeal rating. (Is it great red-rock vista, or a nice stream, or just developed campsites that make the hike a "7"?)



2. My biggest problem with this book besides no maps and scant detail on hikes is this... No pictures! Notta, nil, nothing. This book desperately needs a major revision.



3. So many hikes in this book covering all regions of the state. What I initialy liked about this book, and which is its strong point, is each trail's length, physical difficulty rating, and beauty rating. Such a nice way to lay out a hiking book, thus you can ask 'where could I do a two night backpacking trip at a certain elevation in a certain part of the state?' Trouble is, for example, at least one late spring a couple years ago, I found a hike in the La Sals starting near Castle Valley/Moab which sounded perfect (moderate elevation- snow melted but not hot desert) but the beginning of the hike was on private cattle property- the trail was difficult to follow and closed by multiple gates! After a couple hours I had to head back to the car and rethink my mini-vacation. I've had similar trouble with a couple other trails- difficult to know what you're supposed to do in these situations; keep going and hope for the best?



4. I'm not sure what the other reviewers were talking about (esp. since this book has maps AND pictures), but I found this guidebook to be indispensable when I was planning my hiking trips in Utah. I found the ratings system simple and informative, especially since there's a short explanation of the system in the book's beginning. It's a first-rate guide and I recommend it highly.

No comments about in pictures Glen Canyon-Lake Powell: The Continuing Story.

No comments about Ancient Treasures of the Southwest: A Guide to Archeological Sites and Museums in Arizona, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

4 comments about Glen Canyon: Images of a Lost World.

1. Anyone will find the pictures breathtaking. If you have an interest in the southwest rivers and canyons you will especially enjoy this book. If you are interested in seeing what they stole from us by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam then this book is required reading. Hayduke lives!



2. This is the best collection of photos I have seen on the now drowned Glen Canyon. Unlike some other books covering the area, this collection was clearly taken by a professional photographer. These pictures could easily be mistaken for Ansel Adams and I believe Mr. Nichols lists him as a big influence on his work. If you are like me and a lover of canyon country, it will definitely make you a little wistful thinking that this area has been lost--probably irretrievably. I just wish there were a comparable collection of color photos of Glen Canyon to supplement this wonderful work.



3. I have been researching Glen Canyon and Lake Powell for years now, for a book I'm working on, and my wife had always taken a very passive interest in what I was doing. She'd listen to me talk and add a comment or two, but it wasn't until I got this book that she realized just what I'd been rambling about.
   The photos are just like that.
   The black-and-white photos of sinuos, twisting, sandstone places like Dungeon Canyon and the Cathedral-in-the-Desert will take your breath away; they will make you ache to see the places the photos are of, and then they will break your heart when you realize all those places are currently underwater.
   Whatever your position on Lake Powell and Glen Canyon is--whether you think that Glen Canyon Dam is a giant, concrete Satan, or that it's a great source of employment, water, and electricity for the people of the West, you will have to admit these photos are beautiful, and of a beautiful place, and that something irreplaceable has been drowned and hidden away.
   By all means, get this book.
   And get Eleanor Inskip's full-color "The Colorado River through Glen Canyon: Before Lake Powell." Both books are excellent.



4. Tad Nichols (memory eternal!) left us a treasure: powerful images of a beautiful canyon now buried under water and mud. The art is amazing, very much in the tradition of Ansel Adams. The loss is stunning: it's difficult to imagine how even hardened landwasters could have condemned this wonder to a watery grave. Now all that's left to us are photographs and memories ... of a world most of us will never have the privilege to see. Enjoy!

1 comments about Peaceful Canyon Golden River: A Photographic Journey Through Fabled Glen Canyon.

1. David Gaskill's photographic journey through Glen Canyon is a real treat. The photographs are stunning and the book's design is both professional and attractive. Gaskill's book provides a wonderful glimpse of one of Colorado's treasures. A perfect coffee table book.

1 comments about Compass American Guides: Utah, 6th Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. This is a smart and fun packed book with lots of full-coloured photos, maps, history, tips, and tidbits. It reveals the culture and character of may places in Utah that I find amazingly beautiful.
   Zion National Park
   St. George
   Bryce Canyon NP
   Capitol Reef NP
   Moab-outragous mountain biking
   Arches NP
   Canyonlands NP
   
   It also talks about Utah's geology, the first Utahns, the early explorers,
   the mormon pioneers, Salt lake City, Mountains and Dinosaurs, the Great Basin, Southern Utah, and practical information for Utah like food and lodging, Public lands, useful websites and much more.