How Many Guidebooks Do you Own?

“1, 3, 100??

What do you like most about them? The maps, trail descriptions, trivia?”

“3 I think. I like the descriptions. I just picked up "Guide to the National Park Areas--Eastern States" on sale for $5.95. Pretty good book from what little I've looked at so far.”

“I own just about every guide book, documentary and novel written related to the Sierra Nevada. Many of them I LOVE and have read over and over again, many of them I keep only as references in my library. I love my books!”

“2 books titled Hiking the Grand Canyon
Hiking Grand Canyon Loops
Hiking the Grand Staircase Escalante & the Glen Canyon Region
Hiking the Wasatch
The Hikers Guide to Utah
50 Hiking Trails in Portland & NW Oregon
Discovering the Wonders of the Wonderland Trail
Trails Guide to the San Rafael Swell
Maui Trails

A total of 12. I'm more of a utilitarian. I use mine mostly for trail descriptions and how to get to trailheads. I'll follow topo maps with the book because I've found a lot of books don't have great maps.

If I get real bored, I'll read the geology and history sections, but I've got to be really bored because guidebook writers can be quite dry.”

“Ummm, I can count. Really. That should be: 'a total of 10.'”

“LOL! I toyed with the idea of correcting you until I saw your correction mediaman. Nice collection by the way.”

“It's one of those things that your brain doesn't allow you to see until you've announced your mistake publicly.

Kinda like when you realize your glasses are on your head just as you're finishing the question "Hey have any of you guys seen my glasses?"”

“I have a 6' x 3' book shelf FULL of guide books and maps. I had a good bit of stuff already and then I traded a friend of mine my entire Baseball Card collection for all of his Guide Books and Maps.”

“A Lot

I usually purchase guidebooks to every place we hike/backpack and I have atleast a tote full of maps, brochures, and guide books....

I would love to organize them some day with proper storage.”

“A dozen or so.”

“I think we have about 12. We also have about 30 maps lying around.”

“I don't think I have any. If something is of interest I'll search the net or spend sometime at a bookstore or two doing research but I like to keep somethings in the dark for personal discovery sake. I have bought travel guides for some countries I've been too.

I got maps though. Love'em. For awhile I had lots of NPS park brochures and Trail Ill. maps gum tack to my office wall.”

“My guess is 400 to 500. I'm on my third bookshelf. I pick up anything related to the Great Lakes. I like to get all editions of the core Michigan hiking books because editorial decisions sometimes eliminate good hike descriptions and maps.

I buy mountain bike books, fishing books and anything related to terrain - soil surveys, etc. And I recently picked up a book each about the Mascouten and Ojibwa tribes of the Lake Superior region. One was an old journal with a bunch of Native American language material.”

“I only have a few. Like maybe 4 or 5.

My wife has this thing against my books. I don't know why she would rather have them lying about in piles or in boxes instead of on nice shelves.

She said something about them being "ugly".”

“thats the lamest thing I've yet heard today...are you gay?”

“Ya know, stikky, I've been trying to think of the proper retort to this particular message, but none is coming to mind. I'm not sure if you're trying to just bust my chops, or if you are truly attempting to alienate me, but I'll assume it's the former, and just chuckle, okay?”

“mortal...all will come to those that wait too long...LOL all in fun dude.”

“Stand back for typical TT thread degeneration.....

That being said, I my name is pepperDog and I am addicted to trail guides. I know I can look all the same stuff up on the internet but I just love to have the books. I have managed to conquer my addiction just because I have no money for such things but in the past I found myself picking up trail guides of places I just might go to. I love maps, too.”

“Dude! You don't have to give up the addiction. Buy second hand. Bookstores are my crack houses.

(as RL begins to foam at the mouth)”

“I'm in the 100+ category. I have no idea how many. We have some out on the shelf, some in boxes in the basement, others out on the living room table.

When I lived in Arizona, I bought Arizona guidebooks. Then I hiked the AT. Needed another dozen or so for that. Then moved to California - needed a new set of books there. Then I moved to PA, lots of good hiking. Preparing for the CDT I bought all the books for the trail (both sets) plus some for those sections of trail that didn't have guidebooks at the time (New Mexico). Now I live in MD and we have a dozen or so more for this area. In preparing for vacations - both actual and potential, I bought books for Alaska, Glacier, the Beartooths, the Smokies and the Canadian Rockies. Then there are the nature guides: flowers, birds, mushrooms, trees, etc. For me, my experience is enhanced the more I know about the area I am hiking. I love looking at maps, reading guidebooks, making plans. Better still is actually hiking, but the guides give me options that I wouldn't know about otherwise.”

“I bought two for this trip:

Dynamic Aikido, and

Combate Jiu Jitsu.”

“25,783,765,125,895”

“I have to correct my count:27 guidebooks, though I think we have more, and I lent 2 AT guidebooks to a friend who'll be thru hiking with her husband in a few years.”

“At last count my references (including maps) totaled 216. I'd estimate at least 60-70 are guide books. Almost all are California guide books, but I have maps and books on the Wind Rivers, Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, The Tetons, Bob Marshall W'nss, Alaska and probably a few others too.”

“No books just lots of maps!


8)”

“I've been cleaning the house, and I'm up to 36 books. I also found another stack of maps.”

“MAPS ARE PIMP!

8)”

“I too am a collector of guide books. I have been buying many of the old AT books for several years now. I find them listed on Ebay and snag them up. I probably have a dozen or more from the 60's and earlier.

As far as current material goes I have quite a few of those to.

It is really neat to compare the old maps with the new ones. You would be amazed at the difference in mountain heights throughout the years.”

“One of my favorites is an early 80s Smokies guide, with all the old local roads, trailbeds, nonmaintained trails and loads of other stuff included.”

“I haven't conted mine, but appreciate the fact that some here have sooo many. Great reasons to collect too!”

“I have a plastic file box that I keep all of my maps and trail info. I have the big three backpacking how to books and a whole mess of other outdoorsy type of books.”

“What are your "big 3" books?”

“I have to say, I feel a little jipped when the pictures are only in black & white...

I agree with everything everybody said above, guide books rock! If my house was burning down, I think I would grab my guidebooks before my gear. I can't believe your wife thinks they're ugly, bit!”

“I just cleaned up at a booksale at one of my local gear stores - 10 more guidebooks.

They have a TOM of west coast books. email me if you need some biz, or anybody else for that matter.”

“It's the books in shelves, I think. She just doesn't get why I need so many. She's a library person...”

“I just picked up a really nice one on the FLorida trail and all the state parks et al. it passes through. It has really nice color photography.”