Customer Reviews

Climbing California's Mountains (Climbing Mountians Series)

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This is a book geared more towards novice hikers than experienced ones. If you're new to the sport and have never laced up your boots, then this guide will help you immeasurably. There are fitness tips and other essential bits of information that you should know. However, if you're an avid, experienced climber, then this book probably won't help you a great deal. So much of the material is well-known to people who've been hitting the trails for awhile. Examples of this are reminders to take extra socks, sunscreen, trekking poles and insect repellent. While these tips would benefit a newbie hiker, such information is superfluous to most others.

There are no photographs, but each hike is described in detail and there is an accurate map and trailhead information included for each trek. There is an emphasis on easier, shorter hikes, but the tough "butt kickers" like Shasta, Baldy, San G., Alta Peak and Whitney are not forgotten. There is a ranking system for each hike in terms of difficulty and in general, the system is fair and judicious. Perhaps it errs on the side of being overly generous on what is difficult and what hike is a stroll in the park. In short, a good guide, particularly for beginners.

Bought this book at a climbing shop because at first glance it looked decent. I got home and looked at some of the peaks I have already climbed that are listed in the book. Matterhorn Peak is at least 12 miles, my computer showed the gain at closer to 5500' than the 51xx' listed. And 9 miles round trip for Mt. Ritter??? WHAT! Most accounts I have seen show it as 9 miles one way and closer to 6700' gain rather than the 4757' listed. Taking the information presented in this guide could get you in trouble. How am I supposed to believe the rest of the guide?

Bottom Line: I would recommend purchasing this book; however, this book has limitations and needs some revisions.

What My Review Is Based On: I have used the information provided in this book for seven climbd (Mt. Shasta, Castle Peak, PCT Traverse, Mt. Langley, White Mountain Peak, Matterhorn Peak, and Mt. Diablo.

The Best Use of This Book: This book is meant as a one-stop shopping opportunity for persons interested in non-technical routes of California peaks. It is a great reference book that identifies the major mountain regions of California, including the High Sierra, the Tahoe Region, the Cascades, the White Mountain region, and the Southern California region. When I am thinking about a climb, I look to this book first to identify potential areas to climb. Each climb listed includes a section, which provides a general one to two page overview of directions to the trailhead, the trail, and the nontechnical routes to the peak. While you could probably find better guides on the specific regions for each climb, if you are not really familiar with California mountains, you probably would not know to find books on Desolation Wilderness, the Minarets, or the Palisades. This book provides the general overview that will give you the information you need to start researching your climbs.

However, this book really is not meant as your sole source for information on a climb. The descriptions of the climbs are very limited. Mt. Williamson, for example, a thirty mile climb, gets a mere one page overview/description. This is a relatively long climb with challenging route finding. A single error in one's approach to the peak could shift the climb from a relatively safe class 3 climb to a difficult, harrowing class 4 climb. You would definitely want to supplement your climb of this peak with another guide, such as "Climbing California's Fourteeners." As another example, I would not rely on this exclusively for climbing Mt. Shasta. I would definitely supplement that more technical climb with one of the books dedicated exclusively to Mt. Shasta.

That said, it's still a good book to get you started on researching great nontechnical climbs in California.

Things in This Book That Need Improvement: Mr. Anderson definitely needs to revise the mileage he gives for the climbs. He missed the mark pretty dramatically on two of the climbs for which I used this book. Matterhorn Peak was completely off. According to this book, Matterhorn Peak is an 8 mile roundtrip climb. However, the total climb is more like 12 miles r/t. I used the Garmin 305 runner's watch to gauge the mileage of this climb. By the time I got about 1/2 way up Horse Creek Pass, my watch showed I had already hiked 5 miles. In other words, I still had about 1500 feet of elevation to gain on the climb and had already gone 1 mile past the distance Mr. Alexander said I should have gone to reach the summit.

In addition, the mileage on the Pacific Crest Traverse was similarly incorrect. According to the book, the mileages for the various peaks along the route are as follows: Donner Peak: 1.9, Mount Judah: 2.5; Mount Lincoln: 3.8; Anderson Peak 6.3; Tinker Knob: 7.2. The first two peaks, Donner and Mt. Judah, are fairly accurate. However, the remaining peaks are off by about 2 miles each. This is probably because the author is calculating the distances to Mt. Lincoln, Anderson Peak, and Tinker Knob on their distances along the Pacific Trail if you chose not to climb Donner and Mt. Judah. Donner and Mt. Judah require you to take the Mt. Judah trail, which is an offshoot of the PCT. Theoretically, if you skipped Donner and Mt. Judah and simply remained on the PCT, the mileages would be correct. However, you cannot summit Donner Peak and Mt. Judah, as well as the others, without tacking on an additional 2 miles or so to each of the remaining peaks. This should be clarified in the book. The way this entry is written, it appears that you can summit Donner, Mt. Judah, Mt. Lincoln, Anderson Peak, and Tinker Knob with a roundtrip distance of 14.2 miles. However, the more accurate roundtrip distance for all peaks is about 16.5 miles.

All in all, I do recommend this book. I simply caution prospective buyers to use this as a general guide only. Before attempting climbs of these peaks, perform additional research on a website such as [...] or an additional guidebook. This is especially applicable on some of the more advanced climbs, such as Mt. Shasta or Mt. Williamson/Mt. Tyndall. Also, verify the mileages on these climbs from an alternate source, such as [...].

This book has a very tough goal: to summarize routes that novice climbers/hikers can follow to the summits of California's more accessable peaks. However, it falls short on several counts. The route descriptions are rudementary at best. The lack of photos introduces severe abiguities that can lead novice climbers into trouble. Many of the route descriptions are out of date and need revision. A route described for a given peak may actually be more difficult than other known routes up the same peak (e.g. Mt. Morrison). This book could easily be twice as thick with photos and more detailed route descriptions. I hope that the author significantly updates the text in future additions. It has the makings of a classic in California mountaineering!

Jay Anderson's guide allows all levels of climbers a chance to experience the beautiful mountains of California. As a college student I need accurate depictions of the route, including time constrants and skill levels, and Mr. Anderson's guide gives me that so I am able to plan a weekend getaway with my friends whether they are avid climbers or weekend hikers. Mr. Anderson's guide is down to earth and easy to read, which is always a plus. This book is great for everyone!!!