5 comments about Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.

1. We were planning our first trip to Yellowstone and were new to Frommer's guide books, but we thought we'd give it a whirl. I'm glad we did, as it gave us great insight to places in Yellowstone we never knew existing! I would highly recommend Frommer's guide books to any destination, as it not only provides you with off the beaten places to go, but also suggests areas to avoid if you are short on time. From now on, we plan all our vacations with Frommer's.



2. This was one of many books I purhased for our first trip to Yellowstone and this was good for a general overview.



3. My family spent 2 weeks in Yellowstone, Grand Teton's and Jackson Hole, Wy in June 2005. We purchased this book months prior to our visit, highlighted the "MUST DO'S" and scratched off things we were not interested in--long hikes. This wonderul book helped us plan our trip so that we got the most for our time and money. I would like to see more resturant info but it was a very nice tool to have. If you get to Gardner, Montana this book recommends a 'hole-in-the-wall' resturant called Hateful Helen's. The book says 'not much to look at but wonderful food' and we agree! Best hamburgers you've ever eaten. We had a wonderful vacation. Thanks Frommers!



4. This book will be a great pocket guide because of its size and information. The book gives insite into the places to stay in the parks as well as dining and recreation. Very helpful!!



5. This book has been a great help in planning a family vacation to the National Parks. And the compact size (about 4 inches by 8 inches) means the book will be small enough to fit in a fanny pack for easy reference during the trip. Kudos, Frommer's.

No comments about Mountain Biking Jackson Hole (Regional Mountain Biking Series).

4 comments about Sky's Witness: A Year in the Wind River Range.

1. If you want to hike, back pack, and live in the Wyoming Wind River Mountains for one year, C. L. Rawlins will take you there in these 300 pages. You will not find a better companion: his writings proceed in a rythmn -- moving from intricate description of rock, snow, and lake, to insightful and stunning explanations of nature itself, followed perhaps by a down-to-earth philosophical reminder. His humor catches one off gaurd and he tests more than a few other emotions. I returned from a four-day back pack trip in the Wyoming Wind River Mountains August 1996. Several days thereafter, by happenstance I noticed this book. In the early pages, Rawlins and his companion, John are skiing with fully loaded packs on the exact trail. up the Big Sandy Opennings, that I traversed. This book was an extra treat for me. Rawlins loves to walk and hike. He writes: "Walking feels good. It helps me think. The Grail, Mecca, Lourdes, the Frontier, Everest -- all are simply good excuses for going." C.L. Rawlins might be considered the "Annie Dillard of the Wind Rivers." When enthralled with a certain spot in his mountains, Rawlins writes, "Words make no sense at all. Being here does." He is humble. His words do make undeniable sense.



2. Anyone willing to endure the physical hardship involved in self-supported mountain travel will appreciate Rawlin's extrordinarilly beautiful soliloquies on the mountain wilderness experience. Example: "But it wasn't the smell of the air that played in me so much as the light. The moon and sun lay opposite each other in the sky, exchanging their gleams, and the country was laid out below all rough and golden. The ridge was a strong point, the hardest rock in the range. On it you could meet the wind, face it, draw it in and breathe it out. And I felt a desire with no object or reason, except the land and the wild light."

   Clearly Rawlin's regards the essence of the mountain wilderness and the essence of himself as one. He writes of the experience of being alone in a small raft on a clear summer night on a high altitude lake in the Wind River Range. "I've touched this water, tasted it. I've caught and eaten its trout, scooped it into pots for coffee, mixed it with my blood, taught it to walk and tell lies, and pissed it back steaming onto the ground. The lake and I have more than a casual acquaintance, yet in the dark, it seems not to know me. I can't see my reflection. The water that has claimed a part of my life now holds me in a star-flecked indifference."

   I believe that all mountain travelers grapple with words to express their most intimate feelings about their mountain experiences. Rawlins gives these experiences expression with the skill of a violin virtuoso who is able to prolong the playing of a single note with haunting clarity and seemingly project it into eternity. So also does Rawlins project his love of the Wind River Range to a spiritual level. The drawings of Hannah Hinchman are exquisite!




3. I own six copies of this book (four are loaners). My life revolves around literature, and this is one of the best books I've read. It's definitely my favorite. Rawlins uses relatively simple language with a powerful, poetic effect. If you have any kind of interest in the environment, backcountry travel, or the mountains--and even if you don't--read this book. Rawlins' writing is beautiful and intense; overall, I think the writing carries more impact than even authors such as Ed Abbey or Aldo Leopold.

   Phrases such as "The cabin is a frozen skull" jump out, as do passages such as this: "At first you're a stranger to the forest. It's too quiet. You feel as if your every move is seen and judged. Then, without noticing a difference, you feel more at home here than anywhere else. It's as if your heart skips a beat and then begins on an older pulse." If you're not an environmentalist when you start the book, you might begin seeing things in a new light. If you were already concerned about the human impact on the world before you started it, you'll feel it more deeply.

   Richard Nelson, author and Burroughs Medal winner, might have said it best in his review of "Sky's Witness:" "A very fine writer...as lavish and varied as a jazz musician--lively, funny, sometimes outrageous; poignant, tender, engaging; richly informative; and deeply poetic. Filled with the joys of working on the land, Rawlins documents the subtle wounding of America's remotest wildlands, where rain and snow are tainted by the breath of distant cities."




4. The books you have read in your life likely fall into one of several classes ranging from extremely poor to unsurpassed worth. On that worthy end of the spectrum, there have probably been those books that caused a pause in you upon reading the final sentence; a pause followed by a nod of thanks to the author for having given you so much pleasure. And then there are those even more rare instances where you reach that final page and feel that sense of want for more. Its a mixed feeling of love for what you have just read combined with the emptiness that follows upon closing the pages for that final time. It is as if you have lost a friend. Rawlins hit that chord in me with Sky's Witness. The Wind River Range is probably my most favorite place to wander, and I was led to this book after searching for all I could find written about it. But one does not have to go to The Winds or appreciate their grandeur in order to be captivated by the author's writing style here. His ability to describe thoughts and places and to reflect on their nature is almost a gift of magic. He covers a lot of territory, both physical and emotional over the course of a year. It has been about five years since I read it, and I still miss the times it gave to me. If I were to have any reservations it its regard, it would only be the put-offish nature that his personality occasionally evokes in his writing and some of the personal encounters that he describes. Put simply, he is certainly not one to be with when he is in a foul mood. But in praise, this again also speaks to his ability to convey all those elemental spokes of our humanity. If you are one who loves the outdoors, this book will go a long way for you. But even if you are not inclined to the rugged nature of the backcountry, this book will still bring rewarding moments to you during that time spent in that soft leather chair.

1 comments about National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA: Topo Map (Trails Illustrated - Topo Maps USA).

1. This is the essential topographical map for hiking in Grand Teton National Park. Like other Trails Illustrated maps, this one comes with all sorts of practical information on the back side of the map. None of this will be new to you if you've read the guide books above, but it's moderately useful having it repeated here.
   
   This map lists some trails but the information isn't full enough to be really useful. Be sure to have a trail guide.

No comments about The Rocky Mountain States: Smithsonian Guides (Smithsonian Guides to Historic America).

2 comments about Wyoming's Wind River Range (Wyoming Geographic Series, No 2).

1. Joe Kelsey's love letter to Wyoming's Wind River Range finally brings pictures to match the mountains. An acknowleged expert on the peaks and valleys of the Winds, his selection of photographs is perfect counterpoint to the crisp, slightly awestruck descriptions of the range. This is the perfect book for those long winter nights spent waiting for the mountains to open up again.



2. The Wind River Range is spectacular and lonely, and this book takes you there -- nature, history, glorious photographs. I can't recommend it enough, both for the arm chair traveler and for the visitor to Wyoming.

1 comments about Kip Carey's Official Wyoming Fishing Guide.

1. The keys to any successful (self-guided) fishing trip are research and common sense. Kip's book has lots of small snippets on locations of lakes and streams...and some information on types of fish, sizes of fish, and overall rating of the fishery. This book is best used with the Wyoming DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer, which shows specific streams, lakes, highways, roads (and camgrounds). Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can not wait until this summer to check out some of his recommended locations.
   
   One (minor) drawback of the book is his lack of labeling the photos...I like to know which picture goes with which stream or lake. Another (minor) drawback is his use of terms "fair" ... "decent" ... "good" ... "noteable" ... and "very fishable" when describing fishing quality. This is where your 6th sense of fishing comes in to play. Is the author tipping his hand?...or just wetting our whistle?
   
   Other good books on Wyoming Fly Fishing include: Wyoming Blue-Ribbon Fly Fishing Guide, by Greg Thomas...The most complete guide to Wyoming fishing by John Baughman...and the Flyfishers Guide to Wyoming by by Ken Retallic. Each of these books compliments the other (and sometimes contradicts).
   
   Whenever planning a trip DO RESEARCH. Research comes in several forms, the most effective being advice from a trusted friend (who's been there), conversation with fly shop owners and guides from the area you will be (they will usually only provide snippets), and lots of reading. Since becoming a "serious researcher" my trips to the Rockies have been VERY productive and more memorable.

No comments about Yellowstone: A Visitor's Companion (National Parks Visitor's Companions).

2 comments about Great Trails for Family Hiking: The Tetons.

1. This book was the most well used and helpful of the several that we took along on our Teton vacation. It was absolutely exact in everything from its trail descriptions, to which forks to take for what results, to whether or not insects would bother us on a particular hike. We used it daily to plan our upcoming adventures. I appreciate having a hiking book geared toward young families, and this one surely enabled us to enjoy many great and unforgetable hiking experiences with our 3 children. I love the off the beaten path and hidden places that the author so expertly describes. Many times we felt that we were the only people in the park.



2. I bought this book as a last minute item before our trip to the Grand Tetons. We traveled with our 7 and 10 year old children. We had the best family vacation and I contribute much of that to this guide. Each day we explored a new place and we were never disappointed. On our last full day in Wyoming, we found String Lake and it was breathtaking. After that find, none of us wanted to go back home. The author's description of every trail turned out to be true. We loved it. We didn't get through half of the trails we wanted to see so next year we will return with this trusty book in hand and continue to explore this beautiful part of our country. If you want to hike with your kids, this book is worth the money!

No comments about Hidden Wyoming: Including Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks.