Outside San Diego » books

WEND Magazine for 5 bucks!

pspiller — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:33:36 +0000

One of the coolest magazines in print and on the web is offering a one year digital subscription for only $5.00. If you have not checked out Wend yet you need to, and for only 5 bucks there is little to lose.

Wend for 5 bucks

One Trail Guide you have to own in 2009: Afoot and Afield San Diego County

pspiller — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:06:28 +0000

I own piles of trail guides. I have at least a dozen or so just on San Diego County alone. I then have another pile for destinations all around the west. To a varied degree all of these book provide valuable information about the trails of a region.

In San Diego County, there is one trail guide that stands above the rest as a definitive guide in and around San Diego County. Afoot and Afield San Diego County by Jerry Schaad has been a constant companion to me since I picked up its 2nd edition in the early 90’s. I just received the 4th edition as a holiday gift, and I am happy to report it still maintains its high standards as a trail guide. Mr. Schaad provides a clear concise descriptions and directions to trails from the beach to the desert and beyond. Without this book, I would not have found as many great places to hike in San Diego, and it has proved itself as an essential resource for the writing of the10 Days of Hiking 2009”. In fact you can find alternative descriptions, and more detailed directions of all the hikes in the book.

In a nutshell, I want to acknowledge this book’s huge contribution to the 10 Day of Hiking 2009.

Banner In The Sky; A Quick Re-Read

pspiller — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:10:55 +0000

I plucked the Novel Banner in the Sky off my bookshelf a few days ago. It caught my interest because I read it when I received the book as a gift at 7. I had fond memories of pouring through it before bed but could not remember, for the life of me, what the story was about.

It was a fun quick read, and I understand why I had the recollection of enjoying it when I was so young. This book, geared for young readers, is a fictionalized account of the first accent of the “Citadel” by a 16-year old named Rudi Matt. Set in Switzerland, and based loosely on the first climb of the Matterhorn, Rudi Matt must overcome his doubts and the doubts of his village to conquer the mountain that killed his father.

Truly a classic mountaineering book, the descriptions of nailed boots, and camping on the mountain in canvas tents and wool blankets illustrates how far we have come from the roots of mountaineering.