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Review: The John Muir Trail Atlas by Blackwoods Press

Published by Ray Rippel on January 28, 2014 27 Permalink

This was my constant companion for the entire JMT hike. (Photo from Blackwoods Press Website)

I had the pleasure of meeting several hikers on the trail this year who had purchased and read my book. All had something in common: they did NOT have my book with them. It’s an ebook, after all, and I didn’t spot a single iPad on the JMT. It’s also a “planning” guide, not trail guide.

They shouldn’t feel bad–I didn’t carry a copy of it either. Instead, I carried Eric the Black’s John Muir Trail Atlas. Although it wasn’t without flaws, overall I was quite pleased with my choice.

The book is a compact eight-inch-by-five-inch volume, and is about an eighth of an inch thick. Mine, complete with 212 miles of dirt and sweat, weighs in at two-and-three-quarters ounces. Inside you’ll find twenty-five pages, printed front and back. (If one were to number each page, except for the back of the covers, it would be fifty pages.) I was NOT careful with mine, and it remained legible and without a tear throughout the trip.

The first five pages includes a legend, a list of places from which one can resupply, an overview of the entire trail, and town maps for Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, Independence, and Lone Pine. I can see where they might come in handy, although I didn’t use any of that introductory information, except for the legend.

On the sixth page the good stuff begins. The entire trail, from Happy Isles to the top of Mount Whitney (and down to Whitney Portal) is represented on forty-three pages. Continue reading →

Thanks for Making “Planning Your Thru-Hike of the John Muir Trail” a Success!

Wow. That’s all I can say. Well, that and, “Thanks!”

Last Saturday, when I officially launched “Planning Your Thru-Hike of the John Muir Trail”, I had no idea if I would sell a single book. You see, my “market research” a year or so back went something like this:

“Honey, I think I might write an e-book on planning a hike of the JMT. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. Have fun.”

When I sat down that day and began writing, I had three purposes:

I wanted to persuade non-backpackers to consider hiking this trail as a challenge and as a life-changing event.
I wanted to provide experienced backpackers, who had no familiarity with the John Muir Trail, a reference to get them started with their planning.
I wanted to take readers, who never intended to take a single step on the trail, on the journey; I wanted them to see the scenery and experience, as much as possible, the hike itself.

Judging by the feedback I’m getting, I’m managing all three. My favorite comment thus far came from Frank in Missouri. At the end of an email expressing appreciation, he says, “Again, I really enjoyed the trip, I mean the book.”

Thanks to everyone who took the plunge and bought the book!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: readers, thanks