Product Description

This definitive guidebook to the outdoors is the most comprehensive reference to backcountry know-how available. From expert authors with more than 40 years of wilderness experience, the Encyclopedia of Outdoor and Wilderness Skills covers all terrains, climates, and situations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #152853 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Back Cover

Knowledge, Skills, and Lore for the Whole Outdoors

Whether you're interested in hiking, backpacking, skiing, kayaking and canoeing, climbing, mountain biking or any other wilderness activity, the Encylopedia of Outdoor and Wilderness Skills provides fast, easy access to everything you need to know before you enter the wilderness. Its concise yet thorough entries offer authoritative coverage of more than 450 wilderness-related topics, from Edward Abbey to Z-drag.

Written by expert authors with a combined total of more than forty years' experience living, teaching, and guiding groups in the wilderness, this comprehensive guide is completely cross-referenced for quick access to relevant entries. You'll find detailed, reliable information on:

Lining rapids; Carrying loads; Fording streams; Crossing avalanche country; Avoiding bear attacks; Building snow shelters; Navigating deserts; Mountaineering; Treating hypothermia; Evacuation techniques; Long-distance hiking; Rappelling; Leave No Trace principles; And much more

About the Author

Chris Townsend, author of The Backpacker's Handbook, The Advanced Backpacker, and Backpacker's Pocket Guide, is one of the world's best-known and most experienced rough-terrain hikers.

Annie Aggens has led several wilderness expeditions in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and British Columbia. She has also skied to the North Pole and has guided numerous kayaking, canoeing, climbing, backpacking, and dogsledding trips in the United States.

Customer Reviews

The Ulimate Guide for the Adventurous
This book is a temendous amount of fun to read. There is so much practical information on so many topics, I learn something new every time I pick it up. I find the descriptions easy to understand and the many illustrations useful. Today I read about dogsledding, rappelling and boulder fields. I learned at least two ways to waterproof my map, and how to organize an evacuation. I also read about how to perform a crevasse rescue, and what to do if I get lost. If I decide that I like any one topic enough to read a whole book on it, the authors give personal recommendations for further reading. I highly recommend this book any person interested in wilderness travel. As for me - I will be buying many copies as presents for my friends.

Great Addition
As a professional wilderness guide, I have accumulated a large library of outdoor rellated books. I am always looking for titles that I can suggest to clients and this is definately one. The book is a great resource for anyone needing an overview of a huge number of different outdoor subjects and points to sources for further reading. It's like the Google of outdoor books! The information is very current and is written in a very approachable and fun style. A+

Comprehensive Overview
The authors are definately outdoor experts. They have assembled a comprehensive overview of hundreds of outdoor subjects in encyclopedia format--alphabetical subject listing. Each entry in the enclycopedia gives brief background information, important terms, and helpful hints. Topics range from big wall climbing to setting up a z drag to avoiding bear encounters to a Ed Abbey bio.

I can see several purposes for this book.

1) Activity and equipment information for the outdoor enthusiast
2) Quick how to reference to have on hand at a camp or outdoor program
3) Gaining basic knowledge of a lot of topics in a short time

Like any reference manual this is not an end all source for planning your first wilderness canoe expedition or learning to rock climb. Combine this reference with activity specific manuals, training with certified guides, and practice to become an outdoors expert. The authors list other detailed and specific how to manuals.