Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Recommend a book?

sjmccu wrote:

Actually, the book is titled Missing in the Minarets. And I also highly recommend it to anyone wanting insight into the early days of the Sierra Club and the pioneering mountaineers who helped map and preserve the Sierras. And it's a cool mountaineering mystery story as well. Two thumbs up, definitely.

The Last Season is another excellent, well-reported journalistic-style book, with a similar theme, but gives insight into more contemporary aspects of the Sierras and the folks who help to preserve the legacy that Sierra Club pioneers left us with.

Either of these books would make excellent purchases/gifts for anyone who is considering or will be hiking the John Muir Trail, especially the southern half. Nothing specific about Mt. Whitney, as I recall, but nevertheless, reading these would likely enrich the experience of most anyone hiking anywhere near there.


David Ciaffardini

I agree with h lankford. "Desert Solitaire" (Edward Abbey) is a humbling book, calling into perspective our own impacts on the places we love (to death). Whenever I go to Whitney I reflect on the USFS unflappable ability to mismanage wilderness in the cause of industrial tourism.
At the grand canyon, people don't even get out of their cars settling for drive by pictures. We wouldn't spoil the cathedrals of faith but we have no problem trashing the natural cathedrals of earth in the name of accessibility.

I didn't think the Whitney area was so bad for that. Now Yosemite Valley on the other hand....

I am a great admirer of Edward Abbey and believe he has played a vital role in raising the consciousness of folks in regards to appreciating, preserving and standing up for our wilderness areas. But it seems his rebellious/antagonistic tone, while serving his purpose well, too frequently gives encouragement to others to be pessimistic and sour about the current state of our wilderness areas and not appreciate the progress we have made since, and perhaps in part because of, the writings of Abbey. There ARE some good things to report.

Last month I returned from hiking the John Muir Trail, from Yosemite Valley to Whitney Portal. After reading assorted griping on this forum, I am happy to report that as far as where I traveled, everything seemed to be very well managed. The trail was in great shape, camping areas appeared tidy, the rangers I encountered were friendly and helpful and seemed to truly care for the wilderness, the four trail crews I encountered were hard at work and expressed love for their job, there was very little trash to be found. A pair of British hikers I met on the trail told me of their great admiration for how well "we" maintained the parks.

And for the majority of the hike I encountered relatively few people, maybe 8 to 15 people per day, on many days, and I could have easily found absolute wilderness solitude for days at a time if I had ventured more than 1/4 mile from the trail. Even on the trail, especially the southern half, there were times I walked for several hours without encountering anyone.

The primary negative things I encountered were two used wag bags that people left behind, one at Guitar Lake, one at Trail Camp. (How can people do such a thing?!) But I can't blame the USFS for that.

All in all, from my limited, but hands-on perspective from hiking the trail, things seemed to be managed well. Not only was I a little surprised, I was very impressed. I can't speak about everyone who has a hand in managing the area, but there sure seems to be some very good energy being put forth by some folks that are overseeing things. And that includes in Yosemite Valley, which, although not really wilderness (nor has it been for decades), did not seem to be in the throes of being "loved to death" as we so frequently hear.

While constructive criticism may be warranted and helpful, and we should not let our guard down as far as protecting our parks and wilderness, I believe some heartfelt appreciation and kudos are in order as well. People have gotten wiser it seems and good things ARE happening.

The John Muir Trail, with Mt. Whitney as one of its highlights, as managed by the U.S. government, remains awesome. I think that is something worth writing and reading about.

What about Norman's (Clyde) book "Close Ups of the High Sierra". A great read...a great man.
And then there is Death in Yosemite and Death in the Grand Canyon. Two very interesting (but big) books.
If your library is small and does not own a book you want, you usually have the ability to borrow from other branches or of inter-library loans.
Good Reading!

Very well said David. and congratulations on your trip.

My favorite pastime, cross-referencing guide books to topos. But the two essential for the High Sierra would be; Clarence Kings's "Mountaineering In The Sierra Nevada" to reminde myself that I can allways crawl back from any situation and Farquhar's "History Of The Sierra Nevada" so that when camping along fast moving creeks like Wallace or Bubbs I can put names to those whispering voices.

The Bible is great reading for any occassion but to follow the current theme I will promote: "Coming Into The Country" by John McPhee and I'll second or third the nomination for "Desert Solitaire" by Abbey.

In August my only neighbors on Cottonwood Lake 4 was a father & son from Arkansas. This is one of the books I recommended to his son. I had discovered it at a university library. Although it's geared more towards younger audiences, pick up this book and see if you can discover a little nugget of wisdom for your life. It's amazing how this kid just leaps over obstacles that would of stopped a grownup. See how he gets his own corporate sponsorship for his global climbing trips.

Within Reach: My Everest Story

'Walking Towards Thunder' - about hiking the John Muir Trail. Available from www.bradalanlewis.com - check it out when you have a minute. Or drop me an email: bradalanlewis@hotmail.com

Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey, Göran Kropp

Fantastic read. Amazing climb. One of the few times Everest has been climbed the "fair" way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt9X7Rk1WCw

I recommend Walking Towards Thunder also. It's a novelized, contemporary account of hikng the John Muir Trail, north to south, from a female perspective. It's a breezy, fun read with a good dose of humor that gives an accurate feel for what it is like to thru hike the JMT.

It's a fine book for psyching up to hike the trail, or as a gift for someone who is left behind and wants to get an idea of what you're experiencing on your hike. There's nothing much technical, or even historic to learn from the story, but hiking the JMT is not technical and history you can get elsewhere. For me it was a page turner, starting to read it about bed time and getting pulled along into the wee hours and getting excited about the prospects of my own JMT adventure.

The part about a hiking partner quitting part-way is right on, as I learned from several folks I encountered on the trail hiking solo who told me their partners had bailed on them, usually at Edison Lake or Muir Trail Ranch (about the half-way point.) Yes, some folks apparently do find the hike boring or too grueling and quit, while most of those who finish consider it an awe-inspiring trip of a lifetime they will forever hold dear. Reading this book beforehand might help you figure out where you're likely to fit on this spectrum. Thumbs up!

It's amazing that, as I scroll down the thread and am thinking of a book, voila, someone mentions it! I'll add my recommendations for "Seven Summits", "Into Thin Air", "The Climb", and "Closeups of the High Sierra" as well. I'll add "High Exposure", an autobiography of David Breashears, and "A Treasury of the Sierra Nevada", ed. Reid, which has some wonderful stories of the early visitors such as Muir, Hutchinson, LeConte, etc. And although I have only read parts of it, I have heard that Muir's "My First Summer in the Sierra" is an excellent book. In addition, "Annapurna, a woman's place" by Arlene Blum is a great read about the first 8000m peak climbed by a female climbing team.

I've got another one to recommend..one I just finished last night:

Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure by: Maria Coffey

It's a fairly sobering look at the toll that is taken on the families of those who do some of the riskier mountaineering trips. The author was dating Joe Tasker when he disappeared on the northeast ridge of Mt. Everest. The book weaves through many climbing tragedies and near tragedies and looks at what makes some of these high risk men and women tick..and how their families and loved ones deal with (or don't deal with) their "habit". A very good read...

Chris

I'll add my two cents, I just recently finished "Forever on the Mountain" by James Tabor. I really enjoyed the book and how he tried to ferret out the whole story.

The most impressive adventure book I've read during the last few years is
"The heart of the world : a journey to the last secret place" by Ian Baker and with an introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Seeking Shangri-La, Baker explores the Tsangpo Gorge of Tibet, which is three times deeper than the Grand Canyon. Because his journey is a spiritual quest, his book goes far beyond the usual travelogue banter of hardships and quaint customs of the natives. I want to stress that his journey is a first class adventure, a trek that few westerners will have the luck and means to experience.

Speaking of books, any good ones about Father Crowley? I can't find anything much on a google search, highest reference was Doug's book. Gotta be something a little more lengthy about this incredible person.

Searching for a "lightweight" paperback read for our July Whitney summit trip I found Sir Edmund Hillary's "High Adventure-The True Story of The First Ascent of Everest". I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ed's narrative. In 1953 conditions were abyssmal. Packs were heavy. Clothing and footwear were relatively primitive. And, they believed, no one had been there before them! My recommendation.
and thanks to all for sharing so many titles to seek out.

This'll bump up a thread that is always timely.

I recently read "Nature Noir" on the advice of Richard's post, and found it to be a gem. It doesn't hurt that the area that it is about is an area that I did a fair amount of hiking around in school.

I found it an interesting complement to "The Last Season", as it is written by the ranger, instead of about the ranger, and I think one perspective helps understand the other.

One of my favorite Everest books: Four Against Everest by Woodrow Wilson Sayre (Grandson of President Woodrow Wilson) Out of print, but Amazon does have a dozen copies or so.
This was an illegal light weight attempt in May 1962 by four climbers who used no oxygen or porters and circled around from Nepal to head into forbidden Tibet to attempt Everest from the North Col route. Caused alot of controversy especially since the big US attempt was being organized for spring 1963. (See Life Magazine March 13th 1963.)
This was reported to be only the 13th expedition to Everest and lst by an American team, although one of the climbers was Swiss. The whole trip was paid for by Sayre, costing only $12,000+, which he proudly claimed was Everest on $25. a day!
Although I never climbed or hiked with Woody, I did take part in a softball game with him and his Pomona College Philosphy Dept, where he taught in the early 1950s. I like this quote from the book: "when you have walked the feather edge of danger with someone, when you have held his life at the end of a rope. The deepest friendships spring from sharing danger as well as safety, failure as well as success."

CMC