No comments about Recommended Country Inns Rocky Mountain Region: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming (6th ed).

1 comments about Along Wyoming's Continental Divide Trail (The Continental Divide Trail Series).

1. Having grown up camping and fishing along the Divide's southern point in Wyo, this book is especially dear to me, providing a spectacular photo record of some of my most favorite spots on the planet.

   As the trail slashes its way across the Cowboy State at a diagonal, the diversity of land and environment makes for unusual contrast of vegetation, mountains and water.

   The text compliments the simply outstanding photography of Smith, who one can tell who's been there the majesty and beauty of this country!

No comments about Greater Yellowstone National Forests (National Forests of America Series).

No comments about More Than Meets the Eye: Wyoming Along Interstate 80.

5 comments about John Colter, his years in the Rockies.

1. Other than the little mention of Colter in the Lewis and Clark Expedition journals, there is no verifiable material for this biography. His life is a mystery and remains so, inspite of considerable effort by Burton Harris. If you are interested in the life of J Colter, sorry, its just not known and this book is a waste of time.



2. Yellowstone...Colter's Hell...geysers...Indians.... I found this book a total pleasure to read. Couldn't put it down! Although it is true that Colter's life was somewhat obscure by a lack of more historical documentation, Harris does an exemplary piece of work with what there is to work with. Citing such references as William Clark, Thomas James, Brackenridge, Bradbury and others, Harris does make a justifiable attempt to back up his story. Required reading for those into this time period of the early American West when mountain men roamed the wide open spaces, high mountain valleys and peaks. It must have been a tough, but very rewarding way of life...if you survived the perils and hardships of that day.



3. John Colter was a member of the Louis and Clark expedition who ventured off with fur trappers. One winter he allegedly traipsed around Montana and Wyoming and discovered Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Little is known of Colter. He left no journals so most of what is known of him is second hand at best and thus whether he actually found what he's credited with discovering is questionable. Harris clearly believes he did discover Yellowstone although some of his evidence is very questionable.
   
   This book is an entertaining and fast read. Read it with a grain of salt as little is know about the Colter. Make sure to read the introduction as it corrects some important errors in Harris's book. I disagree with the reviewer who says this book is a waste of time. It isn't. This is an ambitious work about an important explorer about whom next to nothing is known. There are no historic documents to source other than the ones Harris used. By default half of what he says has to be speculation.



4. John Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting primarily as a hunter (Clark praised his prowess in bringing in game). Before the expedition returned home to St. Louis, he was relieved of his duties whereby he joined two trappers heading to the Rockies. After a year trapping the headwaters of the Missouri, Colter left his partners and rafted down the river; but again before reaching civilization he encountered Manuel Lisa and returned once again to the Rockies to trap and trade with the Indians. It was while the party wintered on the Big Horn River that Colter undertook an "epic winter journey" over the Tetons and into Yellowstone Park (the first white man recorded by history to do so) and finally over to the hot springs and hot tar pits (since known as "Colter's Hell") along the Shoshone River (now mainly under Buffalo Bill Reservoir near Cody). Harris spends a good deal of space plotting and attempting to detail Colter's route during that winter trek, for getting over the Rockies in winter (in 1807-08 no less) is no mean feat. Colter must have had a high tolerance for discomfort and hard living because after this ordeal he had numerous run-ins with the Blackfeet, once being wounded, another time being captured, stripped, and forced to run for his life, which he did successfully, making his way 250 miles to Ft. Lisa on the Big Horn in 11 days. Even after this he returned to the Three Forks (Blackfeet) area TWICE (each time getting attacked by the Indians) before finally calling it quits and settling just west of St. Louis where he died in 1813.
   
   Harris's book is probably the definitive book on Colter, despite its 1952 publication date (in 1977 he added a chapter with updated information which doesn't add to or change much of the original work). It is historically detailed and soundly written and is a superb account of Colter's life and adventures. Highly recommended.



5. The book arrived promptly, long before the deadline. Was in excellent shape, just as described.

No comments about WYOMING.

No comments about Bridger-Teton National Forest, Pinedale Ranger District and Bridger Wilderness travel map, Wyoming, 1996 (SuDoc A 13.28:B 76/10).

No comments about The Wyoming Camping Guide.

2 comments about The Wyoming Guide.

1. A very informative book. I enjoyed the history included. I am very impressed with the information included in this guide.



2. Add another travel guide to Wyoming's burgeoning outdoor-activity series. "The Wyoming Guide" by Sierra Adare (Fulcrum Publishing, $17.95 paperback, 256 pages) is better than many of the destination-oriented books that have been recently published for the Cowboy State, with lots of "factoids" and user-friendly breakouts among the well-organized listings. It divides the state into six distinct regions, then subdivides those regions by major attractions, listing unique and interesting sights, history, fun things for families, restaurants, lodging and more. The amount of information is wide, but not deep.

   My own town's listings, for instance, aren't much different from most other guidebooks' listings. They hit the high points in Gillette, Wyo., cursorily (Dalbey Fishing Lake, McManamen Park, coal mines, golf, etc. Unfortunately, the new book lists the closed Goings restaurant among the city's six eateries, even though the Goings was closed long before the book came out -- and a new one opened long after. And it touts the city pool as a great place for water sports, but completely omits the Campbell County Recreation Center. Perhaps worse, the only accommodations listed for Gillette are a single bed-and-breakfast.

   Sierra Adare, who lives part-time in Rawlins, is a capable travel writer, and her "Wyoming Guide" is a good book to pick up if you take family day-trips or like to give guidebooks to help your out-of-state visitors ferret out interesting Wyoming places. It's impossible to keep track of the marketplace in a state where businesses come and go faster than January snowstorms, but there remain many sights and travel resources that are often unlisted. So far, the elusive comprehensive Wyoming guide book hasn't been written.

No comments about Hiking The Yellowstone Backcountry.