Awfully chatty, but a good first guide to Washington State hiking

books:


	• 100 Classic Hikes in Washington: North Cascades, Olympics, Mount Rainer & South Cascades, Alpine Lakes, ... Ira Spring, Harvey Manning Mountaineers Books, 2006 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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Not for the casual hiker

This is a beautifully illustrated book - I'll certainly give it that. I didn't get into the prose, though, because as I thumbed through the summary description of each hike, I was disappointed to find how few of them are accessible to the casual hiker.

I'm going to Seattle in mid-May and I wanted to take a few hikes while I was there. Of the 100 hikes listed in this book, less than 5 of them are accessible in May, and all of those are either on the coast or east of the Cascades. The weather isn't the authors' fault, but one would hope there would be a few "classic" hikes that would be accessible at other times than mid-summer.

The other disappointment was that a very large percentage of the hikes involve trips of multiple days. I'm sure they're gorgeous, but this borders more on camping trips than hikes.

I found Foghorn Outdoors Washington Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 400 Hikes (Foghorn Outdoors) to be a much more useful guide.

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Awfully chatty, but a good first guide to Washington State hiking

100 Classic Hikes in Washington is one of the nicer-looking books on trails in the area, and is not a bad first guide to discover hiking in the Cascades, Olympics and Mount Rainier.

Written by Ira Spring and Harvey Manning, I get the sense the guide is a local favorite, although I personally don't like the chatty style and lack of consistent structure in the trail descriptions. For some people, notably armchair readers, or area residents seeking local color and history, this style would be considered a bonus.

As a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, I would forgo knowledge of Ira or Harvey's personal experiences on the trail, in order to quickly reference, say, driving directions. A more user-friendly book would have that information teased out from the chatty text, so the navigator can easily tell the driver which exit to take before they pass it.

What is nice are the smooth-feeling clay-coated pages (more water and tear resistant for taking on the trail) and the full-color layout. Lots of photos show off alpine lakes and mountain passes, with attractive, although very basic, trail maps.

Spring and Manning take the time to provide information on aspects of conservation and environmental protection for each area - and in most cases, within each trail. The authors make no bones about telling you which lakes it would be immoral to camp at - those either overused or very fragile, mostly.

I also appreciated the information provided on spur trails and the portions of the trails past the intended dayhike destination. I would like to have seen expanded trail descriptions, though.

This trail guide is certainly a step up from some guides that are mainly a collection of trail descriptions lifted straight from the Forest Service handouts.

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Opinionated guide but great in all respects

I have read countless hiking books but never have I encountered a preface like this book. Authors Spring and Manning spend many pages going into a diatribe about how the Forest Service has ruined many Washington trails and how ATV's and encroachment has destroyed much of the pristine beauty of the state. I agree with their comments wholeheartedly, but wonder if such "strident" opinions (to some people) are really suitable in a hiking guide. For me, the political opinions were not a distraction, but I want to mention them in case you are expecting simply a typical guidebook with no ancillary commentary.

Now, to the book itself. Washington is a magnificent and beautiful state to hike. Even without the magnificent hikes in and around the Seattle, there are plenty of other trails to explore and enjoy. This book does it all! It is an exceptionally well-designed book for hikers across the spectrum. Whether you're a neophyte or have climbed Denali, this book contains all the essential information you need to tackle the hikes listed. The photos are all in color and are breathtaking! You really get a sense of what each hike will look like before you undertake it. Every hike also has a brief map to accompany the text description. The maps are easy to follow and instructive. There are also black and white photos of each trail, with two color sections.

Equally pleasing is that the authors take the time to describe each hike in extensive detail, though they are never wordy. They list the elevation gains, give succinct but necessary directions to each trailhead and provide ample analysis of the strengths/weaknesses of each trek. The book is small and light enough to carry in your backpack, if you feel the need to consult it while on the trail.

I have over 50 hiking books in my library and it would be hard to imagine a more complete, more photographically stunning or better written guide. From desert to mountains, Washington has it all. I enthusiastically recommend this gem with the small warning about the authors injecting personal opinions about the Forest Service.

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By far the best hiking book I have ever read

"Ira and Harvey," as my hiking partner and I fondly refer to the authors, are probably the best hiking writers / photographers I've ever encountered. Yes, the book is opinionated; there is no doubt about that. However, that is what makes it special. If you want a book with 1000 hikes and a short listing of facts, this book isn't for you. However, the authors have pulled together their favorite 100 hikes and feel free to tell you exactly why they think they're great. Ira (Spring) was a famous photographer in his day, and I enjoy drooling over his photos of the sites I'll see on the way to hike. We usually preface our hikes from this book by reading the hike description aloud and laughing over Manning's excesses.

My edition is one older than this listing, and in it, as another reviewer remarks, the authors do rail against motorized vehicles. Anyone who's been asphyxiated by a 4-wheeler and coughed for minutes after its departure can appreciate and agree with their rants.

In the edition I have, there is no negative mention of dogs or horses. In fact, Harvey references hikes with his dog fondly. I have noticed in later editions of Mountaineers books anti-dog writing which bothers me - a lot. However, I have never seen that in this book.

If you can only own one hiking book for Washington, this is the one. It's entertaining, informative, recommends fantastic hikes, and has great photos.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Based on their more than 100 years of combined experience in Washington's backcountry, Spring and Manning have selected their favorite trails for this compendium of classic hikes. Full-color photographs throughout supplement the authors' first-hand descriptions of the trails they have hiked many times over. Featuring spectacular views, flower-filled alpine meadows, lakes and streams, ancient forests, animals and birds, and solitude, these trails will give hikers a taste of Washington's best. Infused with a strong conservation message, this guide not only introduces hikers to Washington's gems but encourages them to become active participants in an effort to preserve and, in some cases, reclaim the remaining wilderness.

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