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Karen Berger
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A Trailside Guide: Advanced Backpacking (Trailside Guides) Vinyl Bound – May 17, 1998

by Karen Berger (Author)
2.9 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

An expert long-distance backpacker shares secrets of the world's elite trekkers to make every hiker's adventure safer and more enjoyable.

This book is for hikers who find themselves looking to see what's over the next ridge. It's for people who have wondered what it would be like to hike the Grand Canyon, backpack across cirques of alpine scree, live outdoors when the temperature plummets below zero, hike across foreign countries, or embark on the trip of a lifetime-a thru-hike of a 2,000 mile trail.

Three sections make the information accessible and manageable. Part 1 covers the basics of expedition planning, including scheduling, route selection, and food and gear resupply. Part 2 examines the special gear and skills you need for a variety of situations, including rain, winter, high mountains, deserts, and foreign travel. Part 3 offers a wish-list of destinations with descriptions of hikes in every conceivable type of terrain and ecosystem, from saguaros to sequoias, from cactus to Krummholtz.
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  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    May 17, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    5.8 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393317692
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393317695
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Karen Berger, author of the best-selling Hiking and Backpacking: A Trailside Guide, has hiked over 15,000 miles, including the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (May 17, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Vinyl Bound ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393317692
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393317695
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.9 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

About the author

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Karen Berger

Karen Berger

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Karen Berger is the author of 20 books including Hiking America’s National Parks (Rizzoli, 2023), America’s National Historic Trails (Rizzoli, 2020), Great Hiking Trails of the World (Rizzoli, 2017), and America's Great Hiking Trails, which won a gold Lowell Thomas Award for best travel book, and was a New York Times bestseller in the travel category. She writes about travel, the environment, hiking and backpacking, scuba diving, health, and music.

Karen has written 15 books on hiking and backpacking, including accounts of walking the entire 3,000-mile Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada ("Where the Waters Divide") and the entire 2,700-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada ("Along the Pacific Crest Trail"). Her hiking books also include instructional guides for those new to the sport and for those seeking to further develop their skills.

Karen is also the author of "Scuba Diving: A Trailside Guide," an instructional book developed with the assistance of Tec Clark, the former director of the Y.M.C.A.'s instructional scuba program.

A trained classical pianist, Karen also writes about music and is the author of three books on learning and teaching music for the "Complete Idiot's Guide" series.

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Benjamin Crowell
    2.0 out of 5 stars superficial, inaccurate, out of date
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This book is in the same format as Berger's Hiking and Backpacking book from the same series: glossy paper, lots of color photos, and a plastic cover. It also suffers from some of the same problems, but to a lesser extent. It's out of date, but not quite as out of date. It's superficial and contains a lot of useless fluff, but not quite as much. It's heavily oriented toward the Appalachian Trail, and is not likely to be very useful to people in the western U.S. I found a small amount of useful information in here, but I was still glad that I picked up a used copy extremely cheaply, because otherwise it would have felt like even more of a waste of money.

    Some examples of the book's being out of date: There is no index entry for GPS, nor does there seem to be any mention of PLBs. The discussion of water purification doesn't cover chlorine dioxide and recommends a brand of filter that is no longer on the market. Berger discusses bear bags, but not bear canisters, which are now legally required in many areas in the western U.S.

    The space taken up by the decorative photos could have been better used with more detailed discussions of topics such as water treatment, tarp techniques, campsite selection. For example, there's a photo of someone calling home from a public phone booth. This photo didn't tell me anything new about long-distance backpacking, although it did reinforce the age of the book -- wow, when's the last time you saw a phone booth? Welcome to the 21st century.

    Like the Hiking and Backpacking book, this one also suffers from problems with factual accuracy. E.g., Berger states that "Studies sponsored by the manufacturers" show that in 10 miles of backpacking, trekking poles "can take up to 250 tons of pressure off of your knees and back." Besides being suspect because it comes from the manufacturers, it's just complete nonsense. 250 tons would be a measure of force (not pressure), and force isn't a quantity that accumulates over time or flows through your body, so the claim is scientifically illiterate.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • nay and
    5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2009
    this book is what got me started backpacking and i am SO glad i did. its a great read after a long day as it "takes you there" without the sweat, bugs and blisters;)
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  • G. Loeffler
    2.0 out of 5 stars Only useful to someone who has never backpacked before.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2009
    The book should have been called, "Introduction to Backpacking." If you have never backpacked before, you might learn a few things from this book. There is nothing in the book that is advanced. Much of the book is just fluff and filler. Karen Berger, the author of the book starts every chapter with a few long introductory paragraphs that are not needed. One chapter starts out with, "Maybe you live in Colorado, where hiking means...or Arizona where hiking means....or..." Blah, blah, blah. All extra fluff. Then she states things that are obvious like, "How long you hike is up to you." No, really?? Up to me? "Choose the sleeping bag that is right for you?" Darn I wanted to choose the one that was wrong for me. Sometimes I think she just started copying information from a catalog: "There are 8 kinds of tents. They are....." Next she lists the 6 different types of boots. You can get better information just by thumbing through a catalog. I get the feeling that Berger writes this way because she is an armchair backpacker and has not used the equiment she is talking about. I think she is a writer who has never backpacked before. The book is 224 pages and without the filler and introductions it could have been under 100. Save yourself some money and get information from one of the many backpacking sites that are out there.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • John Milne (allout@sympatico.ca)
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is the definitive book on backpacking!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 1999
    Wannabe, novice or experienced bushwhacker, this book is one definite "gotta-have." Photos, illustrations and side-bars make every subject easy to understand. Besides...it's a good read, too.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Derek Lundgren
    5.0 out of 5 stars great book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 1999
    This book takes some of the things tought in the hiking and backpacking book and expands them to make your outdoor trips more enjoyable and safe.
    2 people found this helpful
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