High Sierra: John Muir's Range of Light

Rating:
Summary: An insider's guide to the Sierra
Review: As another reviewer says, this is not a comprehensive guide. It is a guide to the places and experiences people who know the Sierra dream about--the Muro Blanco, Kaweah Basin, Tehipite Valley; spring runoff and fall color. This book is like a wish list for the Sierra insider.

It's also a labor of love, a celebration of the author's own experiences in the Sierra. Arnot's sheer enthusiasm for his subject is so endearing that it overcomes any criticism I have of his writing, which is often awkward. (With a better editor, it would get 5 stars.)

Rating:
Summary: A guide for experienced Sierra hikers
Review: This book is good winter reading for experienced backpackers. It is not a comprehensive guide to the Sierra (for that, Secor's "The High Sierra" is the best). Rather, Arnot picks his favorite hikes and describes them in considerable detail. Most of the hikes he describes are ambitious undertakings that bring one to the less commonly reached areas of the Sierra--not the hikes most people would want to begin with. For anyone reasonably familiar with the Sierra, his book is a pleasure to read, and a source of ideas for future trips