|
Where Locals Hike in the
West Kootenay
OWNER REVIEW by Andrea Murland
October 24, 2009
Tester Information
| Name: |
Andrea Murland |
| Email: |
amurland AT
shaw DOT ca |
| Age: |
24 |
| Location: |
Rossland,
British Columbia, Canada |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5 ft 2 in (1.57
m) |
| Weight: |
125 lb (57 kg) |
I began hiking frequently in 2006 and
have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months
backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on
2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage
them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of
experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically
500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies, Selkirks,
Purcells, and Monashees. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider
myself a lightweight backpacker.
Product Information
| Title: |
Where Locals
Hike in the West Kootenay, The Premier Trails in Southeast B.C. near
Kaslo & Nelson |
| Authors: |
Kathy &
Craig Copeland |
| Publisher: |
hikingcamping.com,
inc. |
| Publisher's
URL: |
www.hikingcamping.com |
| Published: |
May 2005 |
| Edition: |
2nd |
| ISBN: |
0-9689419-9-0
|
| MSRP: |
US $20 |
| Measured Size: |
21.5 cm x 14.1
cm x 1.3 cm (8.5 in x 5.6 in x 0.5 in)
|
| Listed Weight: |
Not Available |
| Measured
Weight: |
390 g (13.8 oz)
|
| Pages: |
272 |
All photos used with the permission of the authors.
Product Description
“Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay” is a full-colour hiking guide,
one of a series written by Kathy and Craig Copeland. In addition to
being the only guide I’ve found that focuses solely on the West
Kootenays, it offers an opinionated view of the best hikes in the area,
as well as a list of hikes to avoid. The book lists 50 dayhikes and
backpacking trips in Southeastern British Columbia and Northern
Washington and Idaho.
The key to the organization of the guidebook is that each hike has been
given a trip number. With the exception of the index, any reference to
a particular hike is given by its trip number rather than its page
number.
The introduction to the book is extensive. It starts with general maps,
showing the locations of parks, highways, lakes & rivers, and
all of the hikes (the number of the hike marked on the map), with a
listing of the hikes (and their numbers) that are on the map. Following
the maps is a page called “Trips at a Glance”. This page lists every
hike in the book, in order, giving the number of the hike, the name of
the hike, the round trip distance of the hike, and the elevation gain.
The trips are listed in roughly geographic order, from northwest to
southeast. The shoulder-season hikes are separated at the end of the
list. I've also made my own notes on this page, with information from
the first edition of the book.
Following “Trips at a Glance” is a series
of sections about hikes to
avoid, wildlife, weather, backcountry ethics, and trailhead access.
Each of the 50 hike descriptions follows the same format. At the
beginning of the description is a box highlighting the facts about the
hike. The boxes list:
Following the box is an “Opinion” section, which describes the hike,
the scenery, the access road, and any other interesting things about
the trail, such as local history. This is the “opinionated” part of the
book. A “Fact” section follows, which gives the detailed descriptions
for the hike. Vehicle directions to the trailhead are given from the
nearest towns or very major landmarks (highway junctions, for example),
and generally from all directions of approach. The directions are
listed with distances, so unmarked turns can be identified by distance
up a logging or mining road. The vehicle directions also give
information about whether a high-clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicle
will be required. The On Foot directions are given by making reference
to major landmarks on the trail (creeks, saddles, ridges, etc.),
distance up the trail, and often elevation. The trail descriptions
usually give information about the steepness of the trail, the
direction of travel, the type of forest (or features of the sub-alpine
terrain), and what notable features are included in the view, such as
peaks or lakes.
The final section of the book gives information about preparing for
hiking in the area: water quality, clothing, and food. A list of
information sources is included, giving contact information for the
forestry services, alpine clubs, and park services. Finally, the book
includes an index, information about the authors, and a partial list of
other books in the series.
Review
This book is my go-to book for weekend or day trips. I've hiked 12 of
the 50 hikes, some of them more than once, and I’m already planning
which ones are at the top of my list for next year. I love the “Trips
at a Glance” page and the general area maps showing where the hikes are
located. It’s easy to flip to those pages and pick a hike that’s the
length I’m looking for, that’s in the area I’m going to, and that I
haven’t done yet. I have found the opinions to be very accurate, and I
have no hesitation in picking a hike based on the description of the
scenery or trail to fit my mood (forest vs. sub-alpine terrain vs.
lakeshore, etc.).
I find the descriptions of the difficulty of the hike and access to be
fairly accurate. The “Opinion” section of each description usually
gives a good impression of the type of terrain, which combined with the
difficulty gives a pretty accurate picture of what the hike will be
like. I find that the hiking times tend to be over-estimated; I’m
always at the lower end of the range, or faster. I’d rather plan for a
longer hike than get caught out because it takes me longer than
expected, though.
The photos of the hikes are gorgeous. They are full-colour, and show
beautiful scenery, wildlife, the authors swimming in freezing cold
lakes, and huge trees. More than once I’ve picked a hike based solely
on the pictures in the book. Sometimes I’ve wondered if the pictures
have been fiddled with to make them look better, but my pictures seem
to always look just as good...it really is the scenery that’s amazing,
not the photo editing.
The accuracy of the vehicle and foot directions is very good. I haven’t
gotten lost yet! Most changes are the type that one has to expect a few
years after a guidebook is published: roads have been paved, others
have fallen further into disrepair, and the odd trail or access road
has been covered by avalanche debris or landslide.
I usually carry a photocopy of the trail description when I’m hiking so
that I don’t have to carry the whole book, but the book is small enough
that I have carried it and haven’t found it to be a major
inconvenience, especially on a dayhike when my pack is light anyway.
One thing that I don’t like about this guidebook is the lack of maps.
There are no maps that are detailed enough to be of any use once you’re
actually on the trail or on the final approach on old logging or mining
roads. Having said that, the trail descriptions are detailed enough
that if I’m staying on-trail I don’t really need a map, and if I’m
planning on scrambling off-trail having a topographic map separate from
the guidebook is a good idea.
What I like most about this book is that it’s not just another hiking
book, filled with trail descriptions that are strictly factual and all
the same. I find it to actually be quite entertaining, and I’ve been
known to grab this book for a quick read even when I’m not planning a
hike.
Summary
“Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay” is an entertaining, accurate
hiking guidebook that is well-organized, easy to use for hike
selection, and almost never in my bookshelf between May and November
because I refer to it so much.
Pros:
Full-colour photos
Entertaining opinion sections
Detailed trailhead access descriptions
Cons:
No detailed trail maps
Read more reviews of Hikingcamping.com gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland
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