Winter Hikes is a useful guide for all seasons. For the most part, the only thing that makes the hikes in this book "winter hikes" is their elevation. In reality the hikes in this book are enjoyable all year.

The summary information provided with each hike includes the distances, estimates trip time, trail type and other useful information such as the potential avalanche danger on the trail. It also includes the starting elevation and elevation gain of the trail so you can judge the potential for encountering snow.

The rating system takes some getting used to. Since many of the trails are in the lower elevations, don't expect jaw dropping views at every turn. Even highly rated trails will spend a lot of time in the woods.

Although I have said this guide is useful year-round, I think it is best for 3 season hiking. During the summer you should use other guides that provide better coverage of the high elevation trails.

Wrong Turn in the Fast Lane combines characters who are real and believable, most of which are quite lovable, with a story line that intrigues and causes the reader to examine his or her own feelings regarding sensitive subjects encountered in everyday life. Every young person should have the opportunity to get to know the students at Summit High and find out how they deal with the issues of relationships, suicide, pre-marital sex, basketball tryouts, and other real-life scenarios.

some very basic information on climbing Whitney. I bought three books for my climb this year and never used this book. This book just doesnt seem to contain much information or insight beyond what is readily available on the web.

This is the standard book in assisting novice Whitney hikers to the summit. If you have never hiked the main trail to Whitney, or if you want to try the alternate routes, then this is a a well-written guide, with insight from an experienced hiker and climber. There is ample information on how to secure a permit for the main trail, when to contact the Ranger Station and additional info on the annual May lottery.

However, there are some problems with the author's descriptions of various other trails and this is imperative to point out. For example, the Meysan Lakes chapter claims that anyone can summit Mt. Whitney via the Meysan Lakes trailhead. This is problematic at best, and a falsehood at its worse. There is a trail to Meysan Lakes, but there is *no trail* afterwards until you hook up with the main Whitney Trail. The author fails to mention that an any hiker attempting the middle sections of this trail must have developed route-finding skills and this section would be a class 3 hike. This is omited from the book and consequently, could cause hikers somes serious problems.

I also quibble with the author's assessment of what is difficult and what is not. I've summited Whitney many times and regard a time of 11 hours (when not trail running) as pretty swift. However, the author says that "standard" or average time in hiking Whitney is 10 hours for a day hike. This is a little elitist and only well-conditioned hikers make it in that time. This also presents novices with faulty information. When they struggle to get done in 16 hours, they might rely on this book's information and regard that time as pathetic.

So be careful with this guide and the information contained within. I still recommend it, and the elevation maps for each trail are interesting. I respect the author, who has summited Whitney via the various routes described and who has even done Everest. But check around with others before attempting any trail aside from the main one and best of luck.

This past summer, my boyfriend and I climbed Mount Whitney (via Route 9) following the detailed narrative descriptions and maps included in this popular guidebook. The author's attention to detail sets it apart from all other books on Whitney. This comprehensive tone has everything one needs to know for a first-time hike to the summit of Whitney or for exploring a more remote, less traveled route to the top of this coveted peak. Along the way, we used the author's meticulous route descriptions to explore off-trail and visit Sky-Blue Lake, one of the most beautiful spots in the entire Sierra Nevada.

I was concerned about altitude sickness before leaving for the trek. Although I experienced the affects of the high altitude for a day, I followed the advice contained in the guidebook and was able to successfully climb the peak with no further complications. We used the bear-proof food boxes noted in the guidebook but at several camps, where bear boxes were not available, we hung our food to protect against bears. If you use the correct method when hanging your food even the most-savvy street-smart bears cannot get your grub.

I highly recommend this guidebook, as it not only details the popular Whitney Trail, but 12 other treks that get you away from the crowds and lead you through spectacular mountain terrain you will long remember. I plan to return to Whitney again this summer to capture the alpenglow on Whitney's east face. I will have this guidebook in my backpack.

/s/ A Hiking Enthusiast from Northern California

The idea behind Summit Fever sounds promising - a writer with no climbing experience is invited to join a Himalayan expedition. Andrew Greig is given a few lessons on winter technique in Scotland and then it's off to the Karakoram with a motley crew of climbers and trekkers to tackle the Mustagh Tower, but money problems and discord nearly wreck the trip. There's enough here for a really good book, but the author quickly loses his writer's perspective in a growing desire to fit in with the 'bin-men'. I found the endless use of mid-80's British climbing scene slang tiresome (it's in almost every conversation once Andrew Greig reaches base camp), and instead of observing the climbers, Greig tries to think and feel the way they do, which tends to defeat the whole point of having a non-climber write about climbing. There are some highlights though, especially early on in the book when everything is a fresh experience for the author, and he sees the climbers through the eyes of a sympathetic and observant outsider.

Imagine yourself, arm chair climber that you invariably are, being invited by a well respected mountaineer to join an expedition to the Karakoram Himalayas to write a book about the experience. What would you do?

Well, if you are like Andrew Greig, notwithstanding lack of climbing experience, you find the invitation hard to resist, especially since the mountaineer who invites you, Mal Duff, is personally willing to put you through the paces on some of the local peaks to help you get into the groove of climbing. Before you know it, you find yourself on expedition in the Karakoram Himalayas headed to the Mustagh Tower.

This book is the author's account of how he found himself on a high altitude climbing expedition, what he did to train and get in shape for it, what he did when he got there, and what his perceptions were, as a former arm chair climber, of the expedition experience and climbing at high altitude.

His account is gritty, realistic, and he tells it the way he sees it, warts and all. Well written, it celebrates the roller coaster existence of being on a real live adventure ride that is the lot of expeditioners everywhere.

A wonderfull account of all the different perspectives on climbing by different people. Beautifully written, witty and a story that takes you right there. One feels part of the whole expedition, just as if sitting by the radio. As a reader you feel that you know the climbers and get to care about all of them. A moving introduction by Joe Simpson also adds to the book. It made me all feel alive.

Your enjoyment of this book depends on your expectation. I read it expecting a story about mountain climbs and backcountry experiences with a backdrop of a woman's struggle to overcome drugs and eating disorders. What I read was a book about a woman's struggle to overcome drugs and eating disorders that happened to have some mountain climbing info in it. This book is not for the serious climber looking for an inspirational book about mountains. The author spends so much time in self-diagnosis and criticism that the mountaineering pieces fade into the background.

This book is much deeper than it appears to be at first. On the surface, the author seems to be a self absorbed whiner. However, when you really listen to her and understand her struggles and her accomplishments, you will not be able to put this book down. She takes you step by step to the summits with her. You can really feel her pain and courage in each page. I applaude her courage and I am very thankful that I read this book. It really sends a message about the inner strength women possess. Way to go, Margo!

Margo is a special person who has given many people the inspiration to accomplish their dreams. This book was very difficult to put down. I'm now in the process of reading Margo's book again, just in case I missed something the first time around. The most stimulating reading for anyone who has dreams of accomplishing the challenges in their lives. Thanks Margo, for writting this book. Not only has your book inspired me,but it has also given me confidence that was beyond my wildest dreams!

I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS BOOK IN MY QUEST TO CLIMB ALL 50 STATES HIGHEST PEAKS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS A LIST AND SUMMARY OF ALL THE PEAKS, SOME OF THE INFORMATION IS INCOMPLETE AND/OR OLD. THIS IS PRIMARILY TRUE OF THE ROADS AND ROUTES LEADING UP TO THE CLIMB ITSELF. I HAVE CLIMBED SEVERAL OF THE PEAKS IN THE BOOK AND FOUND THE INFORMATION HELPFUL BUT BY NO MEANS COMPLETE. THE PRIMARY REASONS ARE THAT THE AUTHOR USES OLD ROUTE INFORMATION AND HAS NOT BEEN ON THE PEAKS HIMSELF IN SOME CASES FOR OVER 10 YEARS. THIS BOOK IS A GOOD PLACE TO START YOUR QUEST, BUT YOU MAY WANT TO GET MORE UP TO DATE INFORMATION BEFORE SETTING OUT ON YOUR TREK. (THIS REFERS TO THE 1998 EDITION 4-B)

Yes, it's a bit outdated -- but this is THE classic book on Highpointing. Paul Zumwalt used his skills as a surveyor for USGS to find many of the more obscure state highpoints, and writes in a warm and enjoyable manner about his trips with his wife, Lila.
Paul just turned 90, and still attends Highpointers conventions and climbs to the highpoints.
So, buy this book to enjoy some history. If you want the most recent information, Highpoint Adventures by the Wingers seems to be the most up to date. Start a library of highpointing books!

That Area-51 may be the most secure airfield (or whatever field) on Earth, but it gets visited routinely in novels like "Forbidden Summit". Not since the 1970's with shows like "In Search Of..." has the link between native americans and ufo's gotten any real fleshing. And it doesn't here either unfortunately. Author Harrison is working on a smaller scale than he had with "Thunder of Erebus" and his story doesn't get much farther than an elaborate chase story as a grizzled USAF officer nearing retirement and his impromptu girlfirend get swept up into a cross-country chase.

Unfortunately, Harrison never fleshes out the story of the UFO conspiracy besides taking it very seriously. That's a mistake - even the X-files knew to set their funniest episode inside Area-51. Harrison, on the other hand takes it seriously, but allows a few gaffes that require serious belief suspension - like the security force for this government cabal being unable to nab our heroes, or even realize that their top-secret base isn't as secure as they imagine (a crazy old hermit knows just how to get in and out). Worse, the author's sense of gullible readers spill onto his own charachters, and it takes very little for suspicions to turn towards UFOs. Finding rectangular indentations on the desert floor may mean a great many different things to different people, but Harrison's hero can come to one conclusion (we're not alone! ) with the gravity that's supposed to equal that of the apes at the monolith in the opening of 2001. There actually is an ironic twist in this book, only it's a shame that it relies on our being distracted by trite plot ideas and contrived coincidences (the hero's nemesis is the same officer who's been making his career a hell for years) and gullible charachters.

TOTALLY based upon the success of 'Storming Intrepid' & 'Thunder of Erebus' I picked up a copy of 'Forbidden Summit' even though I immediately had reservations because it was a dramatic departure from what Harrison had done before (and done well, I might add). This wasn't a techno-thriller...it was more of a combination of Robert Doherty's 'Area 51' books and very serious episodes of the 'X-Files'. Since Harrison is such a good author I gave him the benefit of the doubt and decided to give it a go.

I have to say that while being very good, and giving us a great 'what if' story regarding the Governments 'possible' involvement with alien technology it had its moments which made me go, 'C'mon! You don't REALLY expect me to swallow THIS do you??' Like a few other readers, the so-called defense of America's most Ultra-Secret base is simply ludicrous. I can suspend my belief quite easily while reading almost ANYTHING, but considering how 'realistic' Mr Harrisons works in the past had been, he seemed to have made my expectations a bit too high in his previous works only to have it dashed with a few descriptions here. However this notwithstanding, 'Forbidden Summit' is STILL an entertaining look at a very popular and oft-written subject of the so-called, 'Area 51' base. If you are a fan of Harrisons earlier stuff (far superior in MY opinion) this will still grant you some hours of fun reading, but don't expect it to be nearly as realistic as his first two novels.

An interesting interpretation of Bob Lazar's revelations concerning the truth behind Area 51! A NORAD officer spots four unidentified aircraft on his radar, but why is he told to keep quiet? He sets out to find that in true X-FILES tradition, the truth is out there! Excuse the cliche, but who needs Mulder and Scully?! Suspenseful action scenes, great military research and flashes of imagination are abound in this one. Read it for yourself and enjoy!

Unless Edmund Hillary can produce definitive evidence that A.) George Mallory and Andrew Irvine did not reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924 or B.) that Tenzing Norgay was not actually the first to set foot on the summit, he cannot truthfully bill himself as "The First Person to Conquer Everest."

I found this book a pleasant surprise, after having read a few mountaineering adventure books. If you are looking for one, look elsewhere; Hillary climbed Everest, but did not have any major mountaineering accomplishments thereafter. Instead, we see the picture of a simple man, a very likeable and sincere one, with flaws and virtues.

We can see his sneakiness in going for the south pole despite orders not to, we can see his dedication to the people of Nepal, we can see his somewhat estranged relationship with Tenzing and the tensions that arose after Tenzing said he had reached the summit first. The discussion is a futile one, but it seems to put a damper on the relationship.

In this book we also follow his life, not just his great conquests. We see the backstage of the lecture circuit he went through after Everest, then the honors he received and his attempt to maintain some normalcy in his life. Overall, it is a very good life book, and despite it being filled with adventures, we see the character of a person that is much more than simply an adventurer.

Hillary is not just your average mountaineer. Being first on Everast gave him some opportunities that are not given to everyone else. However he has made the best of them, and has given a lot of time, energy and money back to the people who made it possible, the Nepalese. What a strange journey it has been. If you like Mountaineering books, ("it was a difficult bit, but we got over the top", you'll like this one.)

This book does not compare to Ginger Summit's previous books on gourd crafts. The material lists are incomplete and the instructions are poorly written. It was extremely frustrating, particularly to construct the thumb piano, to have incomplete parts list and the book assumes that the user has a fairly extensive knowledge of tools. I do NOT recommend this book to anyone who wants a quality folk type instrument. I have constructed four instruments and found the general directions poor. It was interesting from a historical folk instrument aspect but was not functional for helping one learn to create gourd instruments.

This book gives wonderful history and inspiration to anyone interested in crafting musical instruments from gourds. Having crafted several instruments myself, I found the real, usable information in this book rather limited, especially if you're looking to build a quality instrument. I would suggest the gourd crafter check out the book "Making Wood Folk Instruments" by Dennis Waring. The instructions are much better and in many cases can be altered to use gourds rather than wood.

A fantastic companion to "The Complete Book of Gourd Craft" (by the same authors). The history lesson on each type of instrument is wonderful for both adults and children. The photos of both ancient and new instruments are a pleasure to look at and an inspiration to get going on a project while the instructions for making the instruments are basic enough to get started and then let your imagination run wild. If you need more help with basic gourd craft, just refer to "The Complete Book of Gourd Craft" Happy Gourding!

This was a fascinating book to read, particularly after having just reread Herzog's original Annapurna. However I didn't find the book to be as well written as some of David Roberts' other works which I have enjoyed a great deal (The Lost Explorer, The Mountain of My Fear, Deborah, Escape Routes).

The author does a great job of pulling together information from a variety of sources and debunking much of Herzog's orginal and revised takes on what happened on Annapurna in 1950. Much of this information had already been revealed a few years back when controversy arose in France about the veracity of Herzog's accounts but Roberts manages to put all of that information in one place and makes it clear that Herzog was tooting his horn a bit too much at the expense of accurate information and fairness to his teammates.

What bothered me a bit about the book, however, was that, at times, the author seemed to be all over the place. One minute he's telling you about the expedition, then he's telling you about each of the climber's early upbringing, then he's debunking more of Herzog's story, then he's telling you about what the team members did after the expedition was over, then he's debunking more and then, and perhaps most frustrating, he's throwing in references to his own climbing experiences which I didn't think bore much relevance to the story he was trying to tell. This jumping around made it hard to follow what he was trying to do at different points in the book. It simply was not as cleanly written as many of his past works.

Nevertheless, the book is a great read and definitely worth adding to one's collection of works on the history of moutaineering. Finally, I agree with an earlier reviewer in that one should go back and read or reread Annapurna before tackling Roberts' book so you understand the story Roberts' is trying to debunk.

I read and enjoyed the classic climbing book Annapurna. While reading it, it did seem that the author was putting himself in the most positive light, and downplaying the roles of his team. Howver, it was not until reading this fascinating book that I realized how the author of the original Annapurna had manipulated the story to take full credit for the climb.

Herzog became a national hero in France, while no one even remembered the name of the climber [Lachenal] who accompanied Herzog to the summit, and who sacrificed his fingers and toes to the ordeal, only to die in obscurity.

Roberts' s research sets the record straight, no only on what really occurred during the climbers' ordeal; he also meticulously researched how Herzog, the team's leader, controlled access to the press, so that only his version would be told for over 40 years.

This is a must-read for fans of "climbing" literature.

True Summit is an amazing book, both as a climbing book and as a work of historical scholarship. It exposes a web of dishonesty surrounding the classic account of the first ascent of Annapurna. Some scenes are provocative of outrage, as when Roberts describes the editorial notes -- "Wrong", "This must be changed" -- made by Herzog and Devies on Lachenal's diary. Throughout, Roberts intersperses scenes from his own mountaineering career, which add immediacy and human interest. One nitpick I had was that, as a writer of history, Roberts should really have given a definitive list of sources and referenced his quotes. More importantly, I felt that he never really sums up his arguments. Why was Herzog's Annapurna the whitewashed version that it apparently was? Were the reasons nationalistic, class (amateur versus guide), personal? What can these events tell us about mountaineering as a whole? These are questions which Roberts does not really address. Still, this is a fascinating book and I certainly recommend it.