24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps too much of a good thing, November 23, 2002
This review is from: The Tahoe Rim Trail: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians (Paperback)
It's nice to see Tim Hauserman come out with a guide to the Tahoe Rim Trail so soon after the trail's completion. The Tahoe Rim Trail is destined to be one of the elite distance hikes in the West, right next to the High Sierra Trail, John Muir Trail, and Skyline to the Sea Trail. Having been to the Tahoe area, and recently finished reading the guide, I am already planning a thru hike on the trail for next year.
This book has a number of excellent features. The use of Tom Harrison maps (and the expertise of Jeffrey Schaffer) in the trail description chapters give the prospective hiker far more detail than typical guidebooks do. This is especially important in planning the logistics of a 150+ mile hike. In addition, Hauserman has done an excellent job of breaking the trail down into managable day-hikes and/or overnight trips. Those who, like my wife, want to complete the trail in 2 or more summers will find his organization useful. Finally, the trail description of each segement begins with helpful notes on water sources, camping locations, etc, which will greatly assist both thru hikers and those sampling the trail on a day hike.
If the book has a problem, it is the amount of space it devotes to introducing the Tahoe area and the trail. Less than half the book is devoted to trail description. While the rest of the material made for fascinating, and sometimes funny reading (Hauserman has a great sense of humor) it does add to the weight of the book. I appreciate this in my armchair, but will undoubtably be less happy with it on the trail. Other Wilderness Press Guides to similar sized trails are more compact (and still have great maps). Despite this small criticism, the book is an excellent buy and Hauserman has done a good job summarizing what will surely be one of the premier hiking trails in the years to come.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just the perfect guidebook, November 16, 2004
This review is from: The Tahoe Rim Trail: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians (Paperback)
Having just completed the Tahoe Rim Trail I must say that Tim Hauserman's book was, as many Appalachian Trail hikers say of Bryson's Into the Woods, my bible. The book was great for two reasons.
First and foremost, it is a truly comprehensive guide that allowed me to carefully plan my trip. For each segment he includes useful maps, dead-on descriptions of each segment, directions to your start and end points, difficulty assessments and tips for mountain bikers. The highlights described for each section give the reader just enough to whet one's pallet and make them go out and hike. His suggestions for side trips are a great way to plan longer more enjoyable journeys into the glorious Tahoe surroundings.
Tim's way of writing is both humorous and informative. This unique style makes his opening chapters a fun and pleasant read. In covering a wide array of topics such as trail history, flora and fauna, when to go and the not to be missed "getting horsey on the TRT" Tim gives his readers a taste of Lake Tahoe, back country culture, and crucial tips.
The books only flaw is that weighing in at 15 oz. no thru-hiker would actually want to carry it with them on the trail. However for a day hiker I recommend taking out the relevant pages, or perhaps making photocopies.
All in all I think this book is well worth it. In addition to being the perfect guidebook, it is a great read.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"A horse believes that everything will eat it until proved otherwise", July 3, 2005
This review is from: The Tahoe Rim Trail: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians (Paperback)
The author clearly knows and loves the area; a good thing because The Tahoe Rim Trail is the only guide out on this recently completed trail. Both planning and take with you information are in the book. When you are ready to go, just cut out the trail descriptions to take with you. I would also buy a Tom Harrison Lake Tahoe Recreation Map. The book's maps are good, but not convenient for map and compass work.
About the review lead: I was just reading along, checking out the background information chapter, and the flora and fauna chapter, then hit the Lets All Get Along chapter. On this multiuse trail, hiker, horse and mountain bike interactions are common. The Sharing the Trail With Horses section led off with "A horse believes that everything will eat it until proved otherwise" (from Sonja Willits, TRT Newsletter). That phrase made me smile and instantly simplified the horse-hiker rules I have heard. It is now engraved in my brain. I - a non-biking hiker, appreciated the Dirt User's Hints (for bikers). The chapter was rounded out by the Inconsiderate Backcountry Blockhead rules for how to be a bad hiker.
Good information in Weather, Water and When to Go chapter. This is where the author's local knowledge is obvious. Snow is a factor for many months, Lightning for others. Some of the paragraph leads: Elevation, Which Way the Mountain Faces, Lee of the Mountains:..., The Wind..., Dehydration, Hypothermia, Avalanches.
The Users Guide chapter has info on, for example: what to take, where to fish, where to take the kids, lists the trailheads, and is addressed to horse people and mountain bikers as well as hikers.
The meat of the book is the Trail Descriptions chapter. The author has organized it so that the entire 165 trail can be completed in eight trips varying from about 15 to 30 miles each. Each trip write-up follows the same format, a Tom Harrison map of the route, paragraph(s) on Difficulty, Best Seasons (when to go), Highlights, Heads Up! (cautions - water, etc.), Tips for Mountain Bikers, Getting There, and the actual Trail Description.
The Trail descriptions are detailed - example: turns north and in .8 mile, switchbacks down... Sidetrips to interesting places off the TRT are boxed off from the normal text. Finally, Alternative Routes are discussed. I am familiar with the 50 mile part of the TRT that coincides with the Pacific Crest Trail and found those descriptions quite accurate.
After the trail description chapter is one on Other Tahoe Area Attractions where the author has brief information of some of his favorite trails in the area. Not the end of the book though. The book winds up with information on Resources, Recommended Reading, Mileage Tables, Tim's Top 5 Places...
Nice job on the book design - black and white photos, maps, white space and illustrations make the book pleasant reading compared to most trail guides.
An essential resource for anyone planning to hike the TRT.
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