Some hikers like to overnight in the woods, nestled in their sleeping bags. On the hard ground. With critters creeping around. ...
But for those whose concept of camping is a suite at Harrah's, there's the third edition of "Hot Showers, Soft Beds & Dayhikes in the Sierra: Walks & Strolls Near Lodgings" (Wilderness Press, $18.95, 338 pages).
In theory, veteran backpacker Kathy Morey will lead you to indoor accommodations close to where your choice of recreation happens to be.
Morey divides the Sierra into three sections – eastern, western and northern – and details the major hikes in each. She's good at including directions and maps to trailheads, and specifies the highlights (what to look for) along the trails. She also includes local history and geology.
Typical is the section on Mammoth Lakes: "From the eastern Sierra's largest town, roads lead to many fine trailheads. ... The area is full of volcanic features." She goes on to describe 12 hikes in the region, many with lakes as their final destinations. She also sketches the essentials of 18 lodgings in or near Mammoth Lakes (costs, phone numbers, Web addresses, etc.) .
We wish the book included more details about lodgings and less minutiae about hikes. ("Descending, you cross another meadow and wander over another low ridge.") As she explains in the introduction, "Previous editions of this book described lodgings exhaustively ... but this edition refers hikers to the companies' Web sites." We figure the disclaimer serves as a cairn to ever-changing information that will be more current online than in a book. Still ...
Morey's top picks for hikes are useful ("Best Waterfalls," "Best Fall Color," "Best Forests"), but her appendix titled "Hints for Staying in Lodgings" is weak. The "hints" (doesn't she mean "tips"?) are too basic to be helpful. "Take your sense of humor" and "Bring plenty of warm clothing" don't offer much.
Overall, this is a handy reference if your goal is to find some new trails near towns. As a lodging guide ... well, you need to read between the lines and log on to your computer. Which, after all, has become a component of the "new hiking" model.
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