50 More Hikes in Ohio (50 Hikes Series)

Rating:
Summary: Ramey hits another home run
Review: As the title suggests, this book is a sequel to Ramey's first work, "50 Hikes in Ohio," which in my opinion is the finest guide to Ohio hiking availible. First, I will give an evaluation of this work on its own merits and then compare the sequel to the original.

This book describes 50 hikes in the Buckeye state. The hikes are scattered throughout the state, but there is a noticably higher concentration near Columbus and Cleveland than Cincinnati. Since I live near Cincinnati and I know there is plenty of quality hiking near Cincinnati that has not been covered in any of Ramey's works, that leaves me scratching my head a little. Putting that aside, hikes range in length from 1 to 6.5 miles, with the average at around 2.5-3. Most of the trails described here are hikable by everyone in decent condition, with only a few that pose much of a challenge. Each hike contains an excellent map (usually copied from an USGS topo map), and an extensive background on the trail and area. Ramey points out many details along the trail that most hikers would overlook. Therefore, hiking a trail with this book in hand is like walking a trail with a professional naturalist.

Given the popularity of Ramey's original 50 hikes book, I now move to a comparison of these two works. The strengths of the original 50 hikes book, in my opinion, are the author's friendly writing style, the quantity and quality of information presented (I would include the maps in this area), and the creation of interest in hiking (i.e. making you want to hike the trail yourself). In these areas, this work is every bit the match of the original. Ramey does his homework on the phone and in the library before sitting down in front of the word processor.

The main difference between the two works is the length of the trails described. You will not find any long backpack trails or any Wayne National Forest trails in this second work. Rather, most of these hikes are short nature trails. Also, this work features more hikes from state parks and state nature preserves than the original, which featured a wider variety of lands. The trails you will find in this work are not the longest and most famous trails in Ohio, but rather smaller areas ideal for quiet and solitude. I'm not saying the trails in this book are inferior to those in the original, just that they are different, and a purchaser should be aware of these differences.

In summary, Ramey is one of my favorite trail authors, and he has come through with another excellent work. If I had to choose just one of his works, it would probably be the original 50 hikes book, but why anyone would choose just one I don't know. This is a fine addition to the literature on Ohio hiking and makes a nice compliment to the original 50 hikes work. If you are interested in Ohio hiking, this book should be in your library.