Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category

Have you ever had that one book that you’ve always wanted to get, but never found the chance to get it?  Well thanks to my brother and his wonderful gift card, I finally bought that book.  That book is the Appalachian Trail Food Planner.

For most hikers that have experienced the joy of the AT, they realize that it takes careful planning to resupply their larder of goods and equipment.  You can not rely on finding a store or a ride to said store anymore.  So a wonderful alternative is a process called Mail Drops.  The concept is that you will send yourself a package in advance of your arrival at a predefined post office and then hike to that office, picking up your package.  It takes a bit of future prediction, but if you design it right it will make your time hiking and your food stores much easier to plan and resupply. 

The Appalachian Trail Food Planner is the book that helps you accomplish that planning.  The book begins with a quick lesson on how much food to take with you, explaining how much (per pound) food you should take, and how many calories you should ingest each day.  This is a valuable part of your planning, as taking something weight-intensive (i.e. canned goods) will cause your pack to be too heavy and leave with you with lots of large trash to hike out.

The next section is perhaps my favorite; recipes.   I will admit, as I am a pseudo-ultralight backpacker, these recipes are rather large, and use a vast amount of water.  I guess these recipes would be good if you’re just planning a trip that will last a week or under, but I would think that perhaps you should read these and rethink the water and amount ratios, otherwise you will be carrying quite a bit of water to do your cooking. I’ve tried several recipes already and they came out rather well, with a little doctoring. 

The last section of this book contains mileage charts on each leg of the AT.  The best part of that is it also contains the distances between trail legs and the closest post office.  How could you make that chart even better?  They’ve included 3 columns, based on how much you hike a day, and the days until your next leg, and post drop pickup.  Wonderful!

If you are thinking of hiking the AT, or any leg of it, I would seriously recommend that you read this book before hitting the trail.  It will educate you on what to expect, and give you a better bearing on how to plan.

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From the moment I opened the cover, until the moment I fell asleep, then woke up and finished it, this book was nothing but a thrill to read.

This book should be considered the “Bible of Backpacking”.   It covers just about any issue you could possibly think of, plus it is full of awesome tips and tricks to make your hiking life easier.  From blisters to backpacks, everything is covered in this book.

Karen Berger, the author, is an experienced hiker with over 10,000 miles of bragging rights, and a hilarious sense of humor which comes out in each page.  Her jokes keep the reading fun, and also gives you a fantastic method to remember important facts and tips. 

Out of all the backpacking and hiking books I’ve ever read, this is by far the best one to date.  By the time that I was done reading it, I was left with a pleasant feeling of “Well then…” which only comes when a book has completely satisfied your curiosity. 

So stop reading this, get in your car, and go buy this book.  Right now.  You won’t regret it.  Why are you still reading this?  Go!  Shoo!

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If you had $5.00, what would you do with it?  Let me think of some fun things that I would do.   I could eat a fine cheeseburger, see 3/4 of a movie, or even change it all into pennies and toss them at cars going down the road.  All of these would be just dandy.  Let me tell you something that you should NOT do with $5.00, and that would be to purchase this book.

To be fair, I will tell you that I give all hiking and backpacking books a fair chance.  All are equal in my eyes, that is, until I am done reading them.  Until this book, I had never found myself disagreeing aloud with something that wasn’t consisted of at least 99% meat.

I started my path to dissension and righteousness around tip #13.  That section describes clothing.  I remember an old hiking phrase that states “Cotton kills”.  Words to live by in my opinion.  This book however thinks that your base layer should be a nice tight cotton shirt.  I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I think that’s a horrible idea to give to beginning hikers.

The book does contain a few helpful sections; how to pack your backpack efficiently, and… well I can’t seem to find any others.

The book also contains a few sections that I found myself giggling like a teenage girl who has had too much sugar.  These sections are as follows:

• Reading Maps:  Yes, it actually tells you that the “blue” spots on the map is water.
• Difficult Terrain:  With beautiful images showing you how to “go around a hill” instead of hiking UP it.
• Dangerous Animals:  Literally it just says “Don’t go near them, they’re bad.”

Luckily, it is a very small book, and short bus short in height.  It reads fast, and made me giggle nearly to the point of urination.  It is almost as if you had just watched a very fascinating NOVA special about frogs, and then someone told you to write a book on frogs with your newly acquired complete knowledge of them.  Besides saying “they’re green, and sexy” you would have a difficult time.

This book reads in that similar fashion.  I would strongly recommend reading this book, just not purchasing it.  It’s very easy to read, and does have a few scattered good points that I agree with.  It is the type of book that needs to be read while sitting in the comfort of the bookstore enjoying a hot spiced pseudo soy-based coffee-like beverage, not sitting on your own couch with a receipt next to you.

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Alright, if you were to walk up to me and ask “What do I need to know about backpacking?” I would simply walk to my shelf, grab the recent issue of Backpacker, and smack you with it. This edition of Backpacker Magazine is the most informative book to hit print since the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

I sat welded to each page and after several hours and a short nap, I felt a bit more educated.

This edition of Backpacker reviews this years new gear, packs, tents, mats, bedrolls, you name it! Each section of the magazine is appropriately labeled based on what item they are going to review. Under the header, is a full page schematic of the item, labeled with every important point and feature, plus a description of the benefits. I cannot tell you how helpful this is to beginning backpackers, and even veterans.

After the educational section, they then review roughly 32 of the items, giving each one a breakdown, description, price, features, and rating. I do not exactly agree to some of them, but that’s why we’re not a hive-minded society, I’m allowed to have an opinion.

This edition is fantastic for many reasons. If you are considering purchasing ANY new gear, and want a breakdown of good/bad for ALL of the big brands out there, find this magazine and read it. It will help give you a better understanding of the design, pros/cons, and functionality behind whatever item you are thinking of buying.

The downside to this edition? There’s a few car ads. It essentially throws off my grove while reading.

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Well, I’ll begin by saying that I have not done much traveling around the United States. That being said, the Backpacker Magazine offered me a free PDF book called The Best Trails in America as part of purchasing my soul for their subscription. Gleefully, I obliged.

The book contains quite a bit of information on hidden gem trails located in several states. At first I asked myself “Crazy man, do you believe them?” and after wondering why I was talking to myself, I came to the conclusion that I did. I turned to the Michigan section and read the only entry for that state. I was instantly impressed. I had never heard of it! It was a wonderful gemstone of information regarding the Trap Hills in the Upper Peninsula. What an amazing hike that could be! Beautiful cliffs, waterfalls, old mines, abandoned tramway… sounds like a Scooby Doo episode!

So all in all, I would recommend leafing through this book and turning directly to your state. There just might be some great information that you’ve never heard of!
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If you’re from Michigan, and you have even a mild interest in hiking and backpacking, there is but one book you need to read: Backpacking in Michigan by Jim DuFresne.  When I first began hiking I purchased the earlier version of this book and fell in love with it.  There are so many trails around Michigan that most Michiganders have never even heard of.

This book begins with a few valuable hints and tips that every backpacker should know, and is tailored to Michigan specifically.  After the quick course on backpacking, he leads into numerically organized trail maps and descriptions.  The trails range from populated areas of the lower peninsula, to desolate areas of the upper peninsula.  Each section contains a trail map with symbols placed on every important location of interest.  The maps also have distances placed from leg to leg, and a recommended route based on how many days you wish to spend hiking it.

At the beginning of every trail description there is a summary which includes total distance, days required to hike, and general difficulty.  DO NOT be fooled by the difficulty ratings.  I assure you from personal experience, just because it says “Moderate” difficulty, does not mean it won’t kick your butt.

I recommend this book to everyone who ever plans to hike in Michigan, on either upper or lower peninsulas.  His descriptions paint an accurate picture of what you are to expect, without giving away the feelings and emotions associated with actually being out on the trail.  Enjoy this book!  I know I have!

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My first attempt to find a good book on trail cooking was a book that seems to be all over the Internet regarding hiking and backpacking.  This book was Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling. I couldn’t really justify buying it new, and about the time I was going to search for it on Ebay, Kelly and I found it used at a local Gander Mountain for $6.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic and purchased it immediately.

Upon spending an afternoon drinking Earl Grey and reading through this book, I found myself flipping through the pages trying to find a recipe in a backpack quantity.  The book contained very interesting recipes, and even blueprints to make your own homemade dehydrator, closet size!

In my opinion, this book is very good for getting ideas, and especially good if you are into Kayaking or multi-day canoe trips.  Basically, if you are planning a trip that does not concern weight, this book is good for you.  On the lighter side (pun intended) it does give quite a few handy tips and tricks to dehydrating your own fruits, vegetables and meats.

Point in case, if you can find this book on sale, or at a used book market, then pick it up just for the dehydrator information and the recipe ideas.

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So I had mentioned in my previous post about Freezer Bag Cooking™. I remained skeptical for several weeks before I gave their site another chance. This time, however, I watched the videos…
My “role” if you will on the trails is Camp Chef. This has to do partially with my mother being an accomplished cook, and also with my neurotic obsession with cooking. Just because I feel I have to cook everything however, does not justify hiking all of that weight out on the trails. I watched the videos starting the charming Ms. Sarah Kirkconnell, and it was then that I had been convinced to give this a try. I ordered a copy of the cook book, as well as a cozy for myself and one for Kelly.

Less than a week later, I had my new toys! Anxiously, I ripped open the package as a child does on Christmas morning. The cozies were both very beautiful and well sewn. I sat down and began to read through Freezer Bag Cooking™: The Cookbook.

After just over an hour, I had completed the book. It is not a terribly huge book by any means, but good things come in small packages. Even with my background in cooking, this book is what I had been looking for. It gave me ideas! Who would have thought of couscous for breakfast?! Genius! The book had sated my lust for new and exciting hiking food! Granted that the meals contained therein were neither cheaply made, nor expensive. Most of the weight involved in these recipes come from the 5oz to 7oz pouches of chicken, tuna, and various seafoods, but that is a reasonable weight to burden. After all, you are packing very minimal kitchen gear now. The beautiful thing about the freezer bags, is that once finished, you can seal them up to reduce the scent in the air, and they weigh virtually nothing! Plus no dishes to do!

I would strongly recommend this book to others who have an interest (or frustration) in trail foods and preparation. Check it out!

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Recently I received a small PDF handbook from the Backpacker magazine called “The Ultralight Handbook”. It’s a very good little book. I would say it’s one of the very few books that are 90% information and 10% fluff. The book reads quickly, with only 20 pages or so, but the tips and hints it gives are worth their weight in digital gold.

One interesting snippet was a breakdown on alcohol stoves. I have a friend who makes his own out of 2 aluminum pop cans and standard rubbing alcohol. I suppose everyone has their own views… and I would rather keep my Pocket Rocket and boil water in 1 minute, than simmer water in 8.

Another interesting snippet I will pass along is Fozzil bowls. The concepts behind these are neat as hell. I can not exactly wrap my brain around how they don’t leak, but every review I’ve read has been positive. Hikers use them for bowls, plates, cups, and sitting pads to keep your butt dry. The problem that I found with these, is trying to find a place to buy the darn things! I searched the internet for hours upon hours trying to find a “set” without having to buy them each individually. Every vendor that I found that sold sets, wanted anywhere from $8 to $12 in shipping! I paid less to ship my sleeping mat, and it weighed more! So I was just have to give these a virtual thumbs up, as unless I come across them in a store, I’m not going to pay that much to ship them to me.

The last interesting factoid that I will post has to do with a website called Freezer Bag Cooking. This concept of this is that you will have assembled your meal before hand in a freezer bag. Once mealtime on the trail, you would bring the required amount of water to a near boil, then dump it right into the bag! From there, put it in a cozy (which she sells as well, and are BEAUTIFUL) to let it set and soak up water. After it’s ready (roughly 10 minutes) grab a spork or foon, roll down the bag, and eat away! I’ll explain more in another post later on, and you can check out her website with the above link, or from my “Links” section on the right.

So all in all the Ultralight Handbook was worth getting, if even just for information on those few things. If anyone has any questions about this book, I “may be able to help you find a copy” by emailing me at freak_critique@hotmail.com .

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