Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks [Hardcover]

Peter Potterfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2005

Inspiration and information to help you plan (and dream about) your next big trek.

This book will help you realize your dreams of hiking among the world's highest peaks and most scenic canyons, discovering wilderness far from the clamor of civilization, encountering rare birds and animals, glorying in sunsets over glacier-clad ranges, and feeling the joy and achievement of hiking some of the world's most spectacular trails.

Peter Potterfield has selected the great hikes of the world from personal experience, having hiked and photographed hundreds of trails to arrive at this selection. The adventures described range from weekend overnights to four-day hut trips to epic journeys that take a few weeks out and back. None requires technical mountaineering skill. Features include details on trail conditions, levels of difficulty, best seasons, approach strategies, hazards, and maps. Hikes include: John Muir Trail, California; Wonder Lake to McGonagall Pass, Alaska; Tour de la Vanoise, French Alps; Kungsleden, Swedish Lapland; K2 Base Camp; Grand Canyon rim to rim; Mount Kilimanjaro; Cerro Fitz Roy, Argentina; and Shackleton's Crossing, South Georgia. 115 photographs

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (March 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393057968
• ISBN-13: 978-0393057966
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book !, March 28, 2005

By 

R. Pauli (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks (Hardcover)

I will skip the debate about which hikes are the world's greatest, and greatly admire this book as a current, concise and nicely illustrated presentation. Potterfield lays it out as clearly as a trail guide and attractively as a travel agent. But most of all, these are all hikes he has made. Very professional and personal.

This book has made me change my choices of which hikes to ad to my life list (Buckskin Gulch, Utah) and which to just read about in amazement (Kalalau Trail, Hawaii).

I was thrilled to see that I had been in the areas close to some trails that he describes: Grand Canyon, Mt Rainier, White Mountains of New Hampshire, Vancouver Island, and the North Cascades. The book inspires me to revisit these places with better plan and preparation.

And he re-hikes one of the great survival hikes in history: the Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia Island. Nice to read of Potterfield's crossing of the same route - even well equipped he labels it a moderate physical challenge, but a much greater psychological challenge - even for a modern trek, weather there is the biggest factor

I found some hikes that I should re-considered now - The John Muir Trail seems not to be the over-crowded trail I had thought it to be, and is back on the list.

I wasn't looking for a technical manual, nor a travel brochure, this hits just right - human impressions of some great hikes, clear suggestions for what I may find there, and discussions of logistics, strategy, hazards and seasons.

I got two copies of this excellent book, deciding that it would make a great gift for a well-traveled relative who is now an armchair trekker.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks, November 3, 2006

By 

Rollin H. Wickenden "backpacker" (El Paso, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks (Hardcover)

This book is one of the best books I have read that deal with different treks around the world. I appreciate the author's suggestions for preparation for the hikes and his detail about how to arrive at the trailhead. I recommend this book for its detailed information on some of the world's best treks.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars motivation for a boomer to move, March 23, 2006

By 

S. Hills (Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks (Hardcover)

If I do one of these glorious hikes each year I'll be .....78???? when I get done...guess I better start with the hard ones. Definitely a motivator to get out and see this wonderful world we live in. All the info and great pics make it easy to do so.