Comment

Comment by Sandra on July 13, 2010 at 2:20pm

Never heard of that one, Eric. Will have to keep my eyes open for it. Sounds pretty comprehensive. Maybe the shop at Sequoia NP will have it.

Comment by Eric W. Heauser on July 13, 2010 at 12:30am

I just received a copy of "The Laws Field Guide To The Sierra Nevada
It looks to be a great field guide ! It is very thorough and covers Fungi, Trees, Shrubs, Mammals, Wildflowers, Insects, Fish, Reptiles, Stars, Weather, Scat and Tracks, as well as Fish.
It is Illustrated and written by John Muir Laws with the California Academy of Sciences.
I actually won this book in a contest from REI, but if I were buying a book like this, this is worth the money !!!

Comment by Matthew Juntunen on October 6, 2009 at 2:17pm

A must have book is : Mountaineering Freedom Of The Hills Edition 7. This book is the most comprehensive guide to high altitude mountain survival In existence. Detailed instructions include; Outdoor Fundamentals/first steps/clothing and equipment/camping and food/physical conditioning/navigation/wilderness travel/leave no trace/stewardship and access, Climbing Fundamentals;Basic safety system/Belaying/Rappelling, Rock Climbing;alpine rock climbing technique/rock protection/leading on the rock/aid climbing, Snow, Ice, and Alpine Climbing; snow travel and climbing/Glacier travel and crevasse rescue/alpine ice climbing/waterfall ice and mixed climbing/expedition climbing, Emergency Prevention and Response;leadership/safety/first aid/alpine rescue, The Mountain Environment; mountain geology/the cycle of snow/mountain weather. This just scratches the surface of what this book has to offer. There are diagrams for every instruction. If I could only own 2 books, it would be this and the bible.

Comment by Sandra on August 6, 2009 at 3:03pm

Those must be fascinating books, Brent. I just picked up a few backpacking books -- The Backpacker's Handbook (Townsend), The Ultralight Backpacker (Kestenbaum), and Backpacking California (Wilderness Press, various). I would like to read about the old-timey campers like Rutstrum, back in the woodcraft days. In spite of all of the new, hi-tech modifications to backpacking and camping, I tend to like the older, more basic camping skills. In fact, that's what a lot of my "wilderness survival" skills are all about -- the skills that go back hundreds of years. Going into the woods with nothing (or perhaps just a knife) and being able to live is such a fascinating subject to me and has always been for some reason. Remember, the early native Americans and even some early settlers had no word like "camping" -- to them it was all just "living".

Comment by Sandra on August 4, 2009 at 12:15pm

Nope, I didn't know there was one. I'll have to look for it -- I enjoyed Hey Ranger so much -- it's the perfect camping trip read.

Comment by Bobby Garmon on August 4, 2009 at 9:25am

Have you read Hey Ranger 2?

Comment by Sandra on August 3, 2009 at 4:54pm

I have a bunch of books about survival skills. I find it fascinating to read about what to do in a survival situation. One of the better ones is the US Army Survival Manual.

Comment by Sandra on August 2, 2009 at 9:04am

A real funny book to read is "Hey Ranger!" about all the crazy encounters a park ranger had during his career. You may have to order it, but it makes a great, easy, fun camp read.

Comment by Sandra on August 1, 2009 at 4:44am

What are some of the best books about camping that you have read? What one or two books would you recommend to others? Include the author too, so that if people want to go get it they will be able to tell the book store clerk who wrote it.