Leif Nesheim
Great holiday gift? Take a hike
Published on Wed, Dec 23, 2009 by Leif NesheimRead More Nesheim
The holidays are coming and you don't know what to get your hike-loving honey? Don't worry, it's not a catastrophe; most hikers I know prefer to pick out their own gear anyway.
That's not to say there isn't cool stuff out there, but if your hiker needs it or wants it, chances are he or she already has it. Or has hinted strongly about it.
"Gee, honey, I got really thirsty on the trail again today since my MSR SweetWater Purifier System got stolen," was my hint last year. I got a Cabela's gift card from my wife's father; word got around.
Gift cards, you see, are the greatest invention for the outdoorsy. The last thing I want is some well-intentioned person dropping their hard-earned cash on some technologically sophisticated hiking doodad that I'm never going to use.
When I need a major item - backpack, boots, sleeping bag, camp stove - I'm pretty picky and need to try it out because I'm going to be using it for the next five to 10 years (I'd hope).
A good pair of wool socks never hurts as a stocking stuffer. Even if they don't fit the boot on the trail just right, they're always good as house slippers or standing around at winter parades in sub-zero weather (hint, hint).
Another possibility is hiking and camping guidebooks. Even if your hiker has a previous edition, it's probably beat to heck if it's used frequently and updated trail information never hurts. There's also the possibility your gift will fill a gap in your hiker's shelf or at least provide some interesting reading.
A couple of new regional outdoors books published by The Mountaineers Books are on the shelves this year. Their products typically are reliably good - accurate information, concise and engaging summaries and a handful of beautiful color photos at the front.
"Day Hiking Central Cascades" is the latest installment in the Day Hiking series. This book describes 125 short hikes from Stevens Pass and the Alpine Lakes to Lake Wenatchee. Author Craig Romano also has written Olympic Peninsula and North Cascades entries in the day hiking series.
The book has all the pertinent information on how to get there, a concise overall summary of each hike and options for extending the trip in addition to the main trail summary. The compact guide goes for brevity with each entry and in that way is able to cover more hikes.
"Camping Washington" is a summary of more than 500 public campgrounds in the state. Unlike other campground guides, this includes a variety of public facilities: national, state and local parks.
Leif Nesheim is hiking columnist and a former reporter for the
Sequim Gazette. He is editor at the Montesano Vidette. He can be reached at editor
@thevidette.com.
That's not to say there isn't cool stuff out there, but if your hiker needs it or wants it, chances are he or she already has it. Or has hinted strongly about it.
"Gee, honey, I got really thirsty on the trail again today since my MSR SweetWater Purifier System got stolen," was my hint last year. I got a Cabela's gift card from my wife's father; word got around.
Gift cards, you see, are the greatest invention for the outdoorsy. The last thing I want is some well-intentioned person dropping their hard-earned cash on some technologically sophisticated hiking doodad that I'm never going to use.
When I need a major item - backpack, boots, sleeping bag, camp stove - I'm pretty picky and need to try it out because I'm going to be using it for the next five to 10 years (I'd hope).
A good pair of wool socks never hurts as a stocking stuffer. Even if they don't fit the boot on the trail just right, they're always good as house slippers or standing around at winter parades in sub-zero weather (hint, hint).
Another possibility is hiking and camping guidebooks. Even if your hiker has a previous edition, it's probably beat to heck if it's used frequently and updated trail information never hurts. There's also the possibility your gift will fill a gap in your hiker's shelf or at least provide some interesting reading.
A couple of new regional outdoors books published by The Mountaineers Books are on the shelves this year. Their products typically are reliably good - accurate information, concise and engaging summaries and a handful of beautiful color photos at the front.
"Day Hiking Central Cascades" is the latest installment in the Day Hiking series. This book describes 125 short hikes from Stevens Pass and the Alpine Lakes to Lake Wenatchee. Author Craig Romano also has written Olympic Peninsula and North Cascades entries in the day hiking series.
The book has all the pertinent information on how to get there, a concise overall summary of each hike and options for extending the trip in addition to the main trail summary. The compact guide goes for brevity with each entry and in that way is able to cover more hikes.
"Camping Washington" is a summary of more than 500 public campgrounds in the state. Unlike other campground guides, this includes a variety of public facilities: national, state and local parks.
Leif Nesheim is hiking columnist and a former reporter for the
Sequim Gazette. He is editor at the Montesano Vidette. He can be reached at editor
@thevidette.com.
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