The National Outdoor Leadership School's Wilderness Guide: The Classic Handbook, Revised and Updated

Mark Harvey's Wilderness Guide is the NOLS "classic" for a reason. Here's what this book is not: 1. a guide any kind of RV camping 2. a series of meditations to help you become one with nature 3. a tool to help identify birds, trees, or edibles 4. a necessary element to prepare for a day hike with your kids in the local nature park Here's what this book is: 1. A clear and rudimentary guide to being a responsible outdoorsperson - utilizing the Leave No Trace guidelines. 2. A technical outline of wilderness travel and living techniques - including the best way to layer your clothes, pack a backpack, and tie your gear. 3. An overview of basic emergency procedures, from bear attacks to thunderstorms. 4. A tool for learning and teaching expedition behavior and outdoor etiquette. As an active outdoor educator, I have read this book cover-to-cover many times and would recommend it to any aspiring outdoorsperson. Once you've read and mastered the techniques in this book, you can branch out into lightweight backpacking, adventure racing, or whatever strikes your fancy. Do you need this to go on a day hike with the fam? Heck no. But if you're ready to get serious about multiday trips and backcountry travel, this should be the among the first books on your shopping list.

A very good coverage of a large variety of topics. Learned a lot.

I read the book in preparation for a mountaineering course - it's great - informative, well written, a good balance of solid content and easy readability. He would be a great person to go up a mountain with - but the book is a little easier to fit in the backpack!An absolute must for anyone who camps in the non-RV sense of the word.

Harvey's way of covering all the bases, display's a deep knowlege and passion for his subject. And, his subject is something that too few people ever experience. The author's informal style coupled with real-life examples and antecdotes, makes for some fun reading, (about something that can be very serious). I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. In fact I can think of who that friend might be. And, giving it to this person would be a great bonding experience.

Overall, Harvey has created an outstanding example of what outdoor books should be all about. The Wilderness Guide mixes age-old, tried and true practices, along with modern examples. Harvey combines the 1960's and `70s ethics of Leave No Trace, with modern practical examples of why you should visit the wilderness in the first place and what you might learn out there.