Climbing California's Fourteeners: The Route Guide to the Fifteen Highest Peaks

Rating:
Summary: Climbing Ca's 14ers
Review: Very disappointing. Far too much detail on the history of climbs and climbers. Good detail on the approaches to the trailheads. BUT, the actual details on the trails themselves, the most important part, are sadly lacking in information Never a mention of the length of the trails nor the elevation gain. Insufficient landmarks noted and very vague on compass bearing or other vital information such as water availabilty, good camping spots, etc. Good points are the trails noted on the photos of the mountains and the mile-by-mile directions to the trailheads. All the more disappointing that no distances noted for the trails themselves or even how long one might expect to be on one.

Rating:
Summary: Lacks enough detail on the actual climbing trails
Review: Very disappointing. Far too much detail on the history of climbs and climbers. Good detail on the approaches to the trailheads. BUT, the actual details on the trails themselves, the most important part, are sadly lacking in information Never a mention of the length of the trails nor the elevation gain. Insufficient landmarks noted and very vague on compass bearing or other vital information such as water availabilty, good camping spots, etc. Good points are the trails noted on the photos of the mountains and the mile-by-mile directions to the trailheads. All the more disappointing that no distances noted for the trails themselves or even how long one might expect to be on one.

Rating:
Summary: Climbing Ca's 14ers
Review: Without a doubt this is one of the best guidebooks written - ever! Anyone who collects guidebooks or climbs mountains should have this book. It is soooooo good! Such detail, such photos, such stories - this is how a guidebook should be written. As with any true climbing guidebook the quality is in the details. This book has everything you would want to know about these big mountains, some of which are the highest in the 48 states. No other book contains this information. The authors spent 10 years crafting this work (such dedication!). They climbed nearly half of all of the routes, cicumnavigated nearly all of the peaks, corrected chronic guidebook errors - some of which are still in print in other high Sierra guide books! Incredible photos, many historic and out of print, excruciating route details, historical anecdotes, all the information you could ever want or need in order to get safely up and down these big mountains is in this book. This book is not a trail guide book! It is a CLIMBING GUIDE. It assumes that if you want to climb these mountains that you have the rudementary knowledge of how to hike a trail, read a topo, or at the very least, how to gain information on these basic fundamentals. The book's primary focus is how to get up and down these 14,000 foot high granite monoliths in one piece! A unique feature not seen in the 1000's of guidebooks published is that information is provided in the form of references to books and articles and maps that provide information too volumous to be placed in this single guidebook. You have to see and read this book to believe how good it is. Read first ascents written in gripping, glorious detail by the original climbers themselves, see their historical photos, read about the latest modern day technical routes, learn the details of the easier routes. What a GREAT BOOK!