For the first time since 1984, we have a new edition of the classic book that Field & Stream called “the Hiker’s Bible.” For this version, the celebrated writer and hiker Colin Fletcher has taken on a coauthor, Chip Rawlins, himself an avid outdoorsman and a poet from Wyoming. Together, they have made this fourth edition of The Complete Walker the most informative, entertaining, and thorough version yet. The eighteen years since the publication of The Complete Walker III have seen revolutionary changes in hiking and camping equipment: developments in waterproofing technology, smaller and more durable stoves, lighter boots, more manageable tents, and a wider array of food options. The equipment recommendations are therefore not merely revised and tweaked, but completely revamped. During these two decades we have also seen a deepening of environmental consciousness. Not only has backpacking become more popular, but a whole ethic of responsible outdoorsmanship has emerged. In this book the authors confidently lead us through these technological, ethical, and spiritual changes. Fletcher and Rawlins’s thorough appraisal and recommendation of equipment begins with a “Ground Plan,” a discussion of general hiking preparedness. How much to bring? What are the ideal clothes, food, boots, and tents for your trip? They evaluate each of these variables in detail—including open, honest critiques and endorsements of brand-name equipment. Their equipment searches are exhaustive; they talk in detail about everything from socks to freeze-dried trail curries. They end as they began, with a philosophical and literary disquisition on the reasons to walk, capped off with a delightful collection of quotes about walking and the outdoor life. After a thoughtful and painstaking analysis of hiking gear from hats to boots, from longjohns to tent flaps, they remind us that ultimately hiking is about the experience of being outdoors and seeing the green world anew. Like its predecessors, The Complete Walker IV is an essential purchase for anyone captivated by the outdoor life.

For the first time since 1984, we have a new edition of the classic book that "Field & Stream called "the Hiker's Bible." For this version, the celebrated writer and hiker Colin Fletcher has taken on a coauthor, Chip Rawlins, himself an avid outdoorsman and a poet from Wyoming. Together, they have made this fourth edition of "The Complete Walker the most informative, entertaining, and thorough version yet. The eighteen years since the publication of "The Complete Walker III have seen revolutionary changes in hiking and camping equipment: developments in waterproofing technology, smaller and more durable stoves, lighter boots, more manageable tents, and a wider array of food options. The equipment recommendations are therefore not merely revised and tweaked, but completely revamped. During these two decades we have also seen a deepening of environmental consciousness. Not only has backpacking become more popular, but a whole ethic of responsible outdoorsmanship has emerged. In this book the authors confidently lead us through these technological, ethical, and spiritual changes. Fletcher and Rawlins's thorough appraisal and recommendation of equipment begins with a "Ground Plan," a discussion of general hiking preparedness. How much to bring? What are the ideal clothes, food, boots, and tents for your trip? They evaluate each of these variables in detail--including open, honest critiques and endorsements of brand-name equipment. Their equipment searches are exhaustive; they talk in detail about everything from socks to freeze-dried trail curries. They end as they began, with a philosophical and literary disquisition on the reasons to walk, capped off with a delightfulcollection of quotes about walking and the outdoor life. After a thoughtful and painstaking analysis of hiking gear from hats to boots, from longjohns to tent flaps, they remind us that ultimately hiking is about the experience of being outdoors and seeing the green world anew. Like its predecessors, "The Complete Walker IV is an essential purchase for anyone captivated by the outdoor life. "From the Hardcover edition.

At age sixty-seven, Colin Fletcher, the guru of backpacking in America, undertook a rigorous six-month raft expedition down the full length of the Colorado River--alone. He needed "something to pare the fat off my soul...to make me grateful, again, for being alive." The 1,700 miles between the Colorado's source in Wyoming and its conclusion at Mexico's Gulf of California contain some of the most spectacular vistas on earth, and Fletcher is the ideal guide for the terrain. As his privileged companions, we travel to places like Disaster Falls and Desolation Canyon, observe beaver and elk, experience sandstorms and whitewater rapids, and share Fletcher's thoughts on the human race, the environment, and the joys of solitude.

The remarkable classic of nature writing by the first man ever to have walked the entire length of the Grand Canyon.

Story of a six month hike along California's mountain backbone from the Mexican to the Oregon border.

Walking Man is the only biography of Colin Fletcher, the man who walked through time. He was an iconic American folk hero best known as the first person to force a passage through the length of Grand Canyon National Park in one arduous solo journey. He was the world's most famous long-distance walker. He was the first thru-hiker. Called the father of modern backpacking by Backpacker Magazine and others, Fletcher was the one who showed us the way--more than a million people followed his shadow into the green world. Born in Wales, he was in the first wave of British Marines to hit the beachhead in Normandy on D-Day. After the war he farmed in Kenya, prospected in British Columbia, and then began his writing career in California where he wrote and published ten books. Fletcher's was a preeminent and powerful voice for environmental concerns on par with Edward Abbey and John Muir. He was to the outdoor world and its preservation, what Leonard Bernstein was to music, or Walter Cronkite to reporting. When Colin Fletcher had something to say, people listened. The impact of his work, while unacknowledged, is seen far and wide today. Although most of them don't know it, the hordes of hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail today would not be there without Fletcher's pioneering work.

This thoroughly researched yet accessible backpacking book offers a complete view of backpacking today, exploring everything from how to plan a trip and select gear to emergency procedures and first-aid care in the field A revised, updated, and comprehensive guide to backpacking with a complete view of modern-day backpacking, The Backpacker’s Field Manual covers the best in gear, first aid, and Leave No Trace camping, and also includes chapters dedicated to trip planning, cooking and nutrition, hygiene and water purification, and more. Whether you’re about to set off on your first hike or have been camping for decades, The Backpacker’s Field Manual is an indispensable guide for trip planning strategies and also works as a quick reference on the trail for: • Back-country skills: how to forecast the weather, identify trees, bear-proof your campsite, wrap an injured ankle, and more—with over one hundred illustrations to guide you • Tricks of the trail: time-tested practical lessons learned along the way • Going ultra-light: downsizing suggestions for those who want to lighten up Every traveler knows that space in a backpack is limited, so on your next trip, carry the only guide you'll ever need—this one—and take to the great outdoors with confidence.