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Title: 55 Hikes Around Snoqualmie Pass: Mountains to Sound Greenway by Harvey Manning, Ira Spring ISBN: 0-89886-777-0 Publisher: Mountaineers Books Pub. Date: May, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: good book for cool hikes
Comment: ... theres a map , thats easy to read, for each hiking spot, so if you ... dont need dumby directions to get to a hiking spot, and can easy read the map!
MOST OF THE HIKES ARE WITHIN 15 MILES of each other, ...! i mean thers a map that has I-90 by each hike, and it DOES HAVE EXIT NUMER, and the road to get to the parking lot of the beging of the hike, the full milage of the hike, elevation gain/loss, land marks on the way up, other hikes that cut cross and connect, u get a picture of where each hike goes, months open, what more could you want!
even for someone whos an outta stater could easily find the hikes, its so simple! ...
Rating: 4
Summary: A good book with a tight focus
Comment: I must strongly disagree with the previous reviewer. He gives this book the lowest possible rating because of what he thinks are unclear directions to trailheads. I have read the book in detail, and only find a handful of the problems he describes. For instance, as far as I can tell, only one hike description (#2, Squak Mt.) fails to give directions from an I-90 exit. I agree that this trailhead may thus be difficult for some people to find. However, all of the others should be easily found as long as a person has either a normal state highway map or a rudimentary knowledge of the I-90 corridor between Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass.
Also, I don't particularly mind being referred to other hikes for parts of the driving directions. For a group of ten Middle Fork Snoqualmie hikes that all rely on I-90 exit #34, it makes sense to spell out the shared directions in the first trip, and then repeatedly refer to that trip in the descriptions of the others. Saves paper, cost and trees. Occasionally, the authors overdo it with the cross-references, and things are not as clear as they should be. However, on the whole, they do a great job. Written directions are almost always completely understandable, and are supplemented by good maps for both the driving and hiking portions.
I feel well qualified to judge the book, because I have hiked extensively in the area of coverage with friends and with four outdoor clubs. I have personally done 40 of these 55 hikes, and know other people who have done most of the rest. I find the trips to be well described, and think that just about all of them are worthwhile. I am glad that the Mountaineers have put out a book highlighting the I-90 hikes, which are some of the most convenient to Seattle. Many are spectacular, and nearly all are within an hour's drive of the city. The only reason I am not giving the book a higher rating is because many of these trips are already described in other Mountaineers books, such as "100 Hikes in Washington's Alpine Lakes." Many of the people who are potentially in the market for this book may find it redundant. However, for people who want to start hiking in the region, who don't already have a shelf full of local hiking guides, and who don't want to go too far from town, this book should be a great way to get into motion.
Rating: 1
Summary: Author Can't Give Directions
Comment: Neat hikes - but don't rely on this book to get you there. The directions for about half the hikes are poorly written and sometimes lack information.
Often the driving instructions start in the middle of no-place, and then refer to other hikes for further detail - "Drive the Middle Fork Road to the Taylor River (Hike 16)". In at least one case you have to consult three different hikes before you can construct a trip plan.
Highway exit #'s are frequently left out. Other times the exit # is mentioned, but the direction of travel from the exit is not.
Sometimes the direction is given in terms of a landmark - "drive 436 AVE NE towards Rattlesnake Lake"- which is fine if you know the area in detail - but then why would you need directions in the first place?
I don't so much blame the author - as the editor - who should've caught and corrected this kind of problem before going to print.
Besides that - the book seems OK. But, if you can't get there - what's the point?
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