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Summary: A fabulous guide to outdoor activities in Alpine County.
Review: About a decade ago, before I started an academic career, my wife and I reviewed travel guidebooks. We published several books on the subject, the last one covering about 3,000 books. I mention this only to underline the fact that I have looked closely at a lot of guide books, including myriad hiking guides. With that in mind, let me underline my overall opinion: Alpine Trailblazer is as good as they come. The amount of thought and hard work embedded in this book is amazing. Alpine Trailblazer is more than just a description of hiking trails. It is much more versatile. If you are interested in outdoor activities (be they hiking, packing, biking, skiing, fishing or whatever), if you want to explore the Sierra Nevada mountains from Tahoe to Yosemite, but especially that less-discovered gold mine of a county called Alpine, Jerry and Janine Sprout will provide you with more well-informed, good ideas than any other single resource. The Sprouts are long-time residents of Alpine County and have enthusiastically explored its trails and hidden pleasures for more than two decades. That they are willing to share their discoveries with you must have come after considerable soul searching. But we are all the beneficiaries. And such attention to detail! From what should be an award-winning cover to the careful organization of materials, from the informative and beautiful black-and-white photographs to the practical hiking advice and Happy Jack's Campside Cookbook, this book has it all. Each suggested route is tied to the appropriate topo map and succinctly but informatively described. The types of outdoor pleasures most applicable to each route are clearly noted. The many choices are indexed in great detail. For example, routes that are best for wildflowers are then broken down into three subsections: early season, lower elevation; mid-summer, mid-elevation; and high elevation. Day hikes are organized under headings such as falls and cascades, old growth conifer quests, snow-free in late spring, short hikes with small kids and grandparents. And so on in incredible and useful detail. If you can't find what you want here, it doesn't exist. The hiking tips are short and to the point, capturing the wisdom of years of trail experience. The only advice I take exception to is the choice of external over internal frames for backpacks (though, of course, they are entitled to their opinion). While external frames have certain advantages, as the Sprouts detail, the internal frame provides my back with a comfort I only dreamed of with an external frame--and that, at least for me, is priority number one. Then again, perhaps the Sprouts are made of stronger stuff. Let your own back be the judge. In any case, I can't yell it loud enough (especially in print): grab a copy of this book without delay and visit the Alps of the Sierra Nevada. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: This book is beautifully designed and useful, useful, useful
Review: Alpine Trailblazer is a terrific guidebook that feels good in the hand, looks good, and- most importantly- works well at introducing folks to the unspoiled, less-explored Sierra between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. Everything in this book seems of the highest quality: the maps, the photos, the organization and indexing, the design, the writing. But best of all is its usefulness; it's hard to believe how much solid information these Alpine County locals have been able to fit into a guidebook that can fit nicely in the outside pocket of a backpack. Bookended by quotes from John Muir, this handy volume gives you essential information for hiking, backpacking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, camping, wildflower sighting, etc. etc. The heart of the book is the excellent, clear trailhead descriptions with good directions, advice, elevations, difficulties, maps, and so forth. In addition you can find driving tours, information on local flora and fauna, resource links to regional services and sights and events, fascinating historical background on this unique area, and even a campside cookbook. My favorite parts of Alpine Trailblazer, however, are the hilarious Glossary to Understanding Alpine Culture and Customs (Example: "Sign of summer: snow shovels are off the porches.") and the witty and wise :"Free Hiking Advice and Opinion." However, the best part of the guidebook is its practicality, usefulness, and abundance of information. If only all guidebooks had this combination of practicality and quality!
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Summary: Best of the Sierra
Review: Hope Valley and Yosemite have always been places I gravitate to when I want to recharge. I like to dayhike and have found this book to contain some real gems just off what I think are the most beautiful passes in the Sierra: Carson, Ebbetts Monitor, Tioga and Echo. The authors have really done a fantastic job organizing the trails and maps into one densely packed guidebook. This isn't your standard dry book of hikes. It's lively and infused with humor and insights only a local author would know.
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Summary: Great hiking the eastern side of the Sierrra
Review: I've been hiking the Southern Sierra for around fifteen years and was given this book by a friend from Tahoe. He said it would lay out the best of the best places to hike along the stretch from Tahoe to Yosemite. It's rare to find a book that devotes itself to this sparsely inhabited area. I put it through its paces briefly on a road trip from L.A. last month and took some pretty spectacular day hikes right off Highway 395. The trails were well marked, a few fallen trees not cleaned up yet by the trail crews, but I got enough of a workout to start the long process of getting in shape for long treks in the coming months. I personally like the practical way the book is laid out and the detailed descriptions. There was just enough text to get me interested and not fall asleep reading it. The size is just right and fits in the outer pockets of my pack. It has places to stay, maps showing the trailhead entrances, length of hike, elevations, terrain descriptions, all the campgrounds, hiking tips, an even places to eat or stay when you come down off the trail. If you're thinking of hiking or carcamping this region, by all means buy this book for the real get down skinny.
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Summary: Come summer plan
Review: Super upgrade. I live in Sacramento and when I'm not skiing I'm spending all my time off hiking and flyfishing. If you've never seen this area, this book is a great way to get introduced and know what lies beyond the trailhead signs. I'm getting antsy just waiting for the snow to melt.
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Summary: New Edition
Review: The new book on Alpine County is wonderful. In all the revised sections the new pictures add a great deal. Trailblazers illuminate places we have already been, but seeing them through the authors' eyes is like the Sierra sky opening after a stormy day - new beautice, new corners to explore. I like the broadening of the Alpine Sierra east coverage. People get attached to their pass and forget how the valleys and peaks are connected. On this trip we drove only short distances but went from Great Basin desert to riverbank, to forest, to meadow, to granite ridges of high peaks.
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Summary: go take a hike, but get this book first
Review: Whether you're a visitor who is looking to hike (or ski, or bike or fish or drive) anywhere in the Sierra, from Tahoe to Yosemite, or a local who is interested learning even more about this little slice of the Range of Light that we call home, Alpine Sierra Trailblazer is a must-have for your bookshelf. Before you even open the book up, you can see why it is a perennial favorite. A beautiful, sepia-toned cover, set off by bold black and white and rust, paired with a satin-matte finish make this one of the most attractive guidebooks to the area that can be found. The inside of the book lives up to the promise made by the cover. Beautiful black and white photos accompany a layout that is bursting with both character and information. The character part is a welcome change from guidebooks that are either too dry or too cutesy to be of much help. The information part is enthralling, and even seasoned trailblazers will find new facts, tidbits, and tips to make their time in the Sierra more fun and productive. My favorite part is the "Free Hiking Advice and Opinion" section, particularly the disclaimer which about sums up both the character of the authors and the value of information that they are providing: "By following the directions and engaging in the activities suggested in this book, you may be bitten, burned, buoyed, bummed-out, broken, buffed, bent, befriended, bewildered, enlightened, injured, elated, energized, unnerved, lost, discovered, loved, lonely, betwixt and between. The authors and publisher can take neither credit nor blame for any of it, but sincerely do wish you the happiest of trails." And after all, isn't that just about the very heart of the Sierra experience?
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