Posted by: wandering_daisy
Wind River Mountains Guide - 02/24/10 12:30 AM
As many of you know I have written a guidebook to the Wind River Mountains. It should be printed in the next few weeks. I am getting a website set up and will post the link here when I get it all ready. I am not really trying to sell the book on this forum. It is just that a lot of you have sent me personal messages and wanted to know when the book will be available. People have been sending me personal messages - so instead of answering each one- here is a summary of the book.
It is an off-trail backpacking guidebook for ADVANCED backpackers. It is NOT a comprehensive guide of the Wind Rivers and NOT a trail guide for beginners. Because of page constraints I have focused on the off-trail portions, thus no cute stories or descriptions of flora, fauna, etc - just did not have room. It is more technical writing than bedside reading. The book presents 48 specific routes, from 3-days to two weeks, most being about a week. Seven of the routes are very difficult and require mountaineering experience. There are also several routes suitable for someone who is an experienced backpacker but who has never gone off-trail. But if you are a raw beginner, the book may be good reading for future trips, but I certainly am not encouraging beginners to do ANY of the routes that I describe. Also, the book is NOT a fishing guide. I do mention some places with good fishing but this is just an aside. One chapter is devoted to the Wind River Indian Reservation - an area with very little information currently available.
A detailed suggested "travel plan" is presented for each route. The travel plan is handy for those who have not been in the Wind Rivers before. I also rated each travel increment somewhat like a climbing guidebook. This gives a pretty objective idea of the difficulty of each route.
I ended up putting the 71 route maps in an appendix in the book, however the maps are in gray-scale and if you have old eyes like mine, you may have to use a magnifying glass to see everything. Being in the back of the book the maps are also a bit unhandy. So, I also offer an optional CD that has the maps in PDF format, in color, so you can print out your own maps. The CD also has "virtual tours" of the routes so you can droll over lots of color photos!
I honestly do not know when the books will be printed and when I will have them in my hand. I would guess 2 weeks at best. The printer has the final draft now.
Getting my website up and running is my goal this week. Anybody who can give me advise on websites, I sure need it! I know that a few of you have your own websites. I will have a sub-domain name on my husband's website - hey, maybe those who need a CPA would also want a guidebook! I read all the stuff on having a unique website versus a sub-domain. Well, it all came down to cost - zero verus something, at least for now until I pay off some of my expenses.
For all you who have shown interest, thanks for being so patient and your support.
It is an off-trail backpacking guidebook for ADVANCED backpackers. It is NOT a comprehensive guide of the Wind Rivers and NOT a trail guide for beginners. Because of page constraints I have focused on the off-trail portions, thus no cute stories or descriptions of flora, fauna, etc - just did not have room. It is more technical writing than bedside reading. The book presents 48 specific routes, from 3-days to two weeks, most being about a week. Seven of the routes are very difficult and require mountaineering experience. There are also several routes suitable for someone who is an experienced backpacker but who has never gone off-trail. But if you are a raw beginner, the book may be good reading for future trips, but I certainly am not encouraging beginners to do ANY of the routes that I describe. Also, the book is NOT a fishing guide. I do mention some places with good fishing but this is just an aside. One chapter is devoted to the Wind River Indian Reservation - an area with very little information currently available.
A detailed suggested "travel plan" is presented for each route. The travel plan is handy for those who have not been in the Wind Rivers before. I also rated each travel increment somewhat like a climbing guidebook. This gives a pretty objective idea of the difficulty of each route.
I ended up putting the 71 route maps in an appendix in the book, however the maps are in gray-scale and if you have old eyes like mine, you may have to use a magnifying glass to see everything. Being in the back of the book the maps are also a bit unhandy. So, I also offer an optional CD that has the maps in PDF format, in color, so you can print out your own maps. The CD also has "virtual tours" of the routes so you can droll over lots of color photos!
I honestly do not know when the books will be printed and when I will have them in my hand. I would guess 2 weeks at best. The printer has the final draft now.
Getting my website up and running is my goal this week. Anybody who can give me advise on websites, I sure need it! I know that a few of you have your own websites. I will have a sub-domain name on my husband's website - hey, maybe those who need a CPA would also want a guidebook! I read all the stuff on having a unique website versus a sub-domain. Well, it all came down to cost - zero verus something, at least for now until I pay off some of my expenses.
For all you who have shown interest, thanks for being so patient and your support.
