The Dayhiker's Handbook: An All-Terrain, All-Season Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author), Michael Hodgson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

More than 60 million people in the U.S. alone actively walk each year, and many of us turn to trail hiking whenever possible. Here is the first comprehensive manual for dayhikers, designed to inspire and instruct beginning wanderers and those exploring new country. John Long's finely crafted, vividly experiential essays complement Michael Hodgson's fact-filled gear and technique discussions in an arresting, readerly blend. Were Thoreau to return today to build his essay on "Walking" into a how-to-book, it would resemble The Dayhiker's Handbook. Topics include proper clothing, selecting footwear and raingear, and compass use, predicting the difficulty of a hike, knowing when to turn around, managing food and water, traveling with kids, the ten essentials, weather lore, walking techniques, and more. The book's chapter coverage of the unique demands of distinctive terrain-desert, mountain, jungle, snow and ice, canyon and waterway, forest, coastal beaches, and urban-willl make it especially popular wherever vacationers prepare to venture into unfamiliar surroundings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill; First Edition edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070291462
• ISBN-13: 978-0070291461
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,368,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for anyone interested in hiking., August 25, 1998

By	[e-mail] (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

I've only been hiking for about 3 months now, but this book has brought me great enjoyment when I'm not on the trail. It's got lots of practical advice and the authors can actually write. The stories told as illustrations continue to whet my appetite for sights as yet unseen. Using the practical advice from buying boots, to how to tie them has been invaluable. My more experienced hiking buddy was impressed with tidbits of trail knowledge I've shared with him from this book. He had to have it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful and informative book, April 21, 1998

By	Terry McMillin([e-mail]) (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I was reluctant to buy this book and would not have but for a review recommending it. Now that I bought it, I think it is great. I am a rock climber, own 3 kayaks and spend a lot of time outdoors. Although from the title you would think this book would be mundane, it gives a large amount of great advice and includes some wonderful anecdotes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book for Novices and Seasoned Hikers Alike, August 24, 2000

By	Ken Dickinson (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

After a long hiatus from camping and hiking, I decided to re-acquaint myself with the great outdoors. I never had any sort of formal training as a hiker - I had always just sort of gone out and DONE it with varying degrees of enjoyment - so I decided to look around for some good books on the subject. The title of this work is what intrigued me: "The Dayhiker's Handbook." This sounded exactly like the book I was seeking. Then I read Amazon.com's description and was further intrigued. After reading the book (multiple times for some sections) I must say that I am impressed. It is a wonderful guide for someone like me - technically a "novice" - and has great bits of information for the experienced hiker, too. The anecdotal stories are wonderful to read and I found the language and line drawings clear and concise. There were, however, a couple of disappointments about the book: firstly, some of the photography in the book is, well...uninspired. Perhaps they simply did not translate well into the small, black and white format of the book. Secondly, the description on Amazon.com says that the book covers "urban" hiking, as well as the traditional areas of deserts, forests, mountains, jungles and the like. This is completely incorrect. Much of the information contained in this book can be easily adapted to an urban environment, but there is no section specifically detailing urban adventures for those of us who live in the big cities. My disappointment was further compounded by the fact that the promise of urban dayhiking advice was a factor in my decision to make the purchase.

Still, despite my relatively minor disappointments, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in day- or short-trip hiking in any environment.