Jack Bennett - Dream Hikes Coast to Coast: Your Guide to America’s Most Memorable Trails
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Dream Hikes Coast to Coast: Your Guide to Americas Most Memorable Trails
Copyright 2010 Jack Bennett
All rights reserved
Published by Menasha Ridge Press
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Manufactured in China
First edition, first printing
ISBN 978-0-89732-710-7
Cover design by Scott McGrew
Text design by Travis Bryant
Front cover photo by Jack Bennett (The author standing atop the Visor of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park)
by Ron Chase
Author photo by Sandy Dulla
All other photos by Jack Bennett and Mary Fran Bennett
Maps by Scott McGrew and Jack Bennett
Indexing by Rich Carlson
Menasha Ridge Press
PO Box 43673
Birmingham, AL 35243
www.menasharidge.com
DISCLAIMER
This book is meant only as a guide to select trails in the United States and does not guarantee hiker safety in any wayyou hike at your own risk. Neither Menasha Ridge Press nor Jack Bennett is liable for property loss or damage, personal injury, or death that result in any way from accessing or hiking the trails described in this book. Be aware that hikers have been injured in these areas. Be especially cautious when walking on or near boulders, steep inclines, and drop-offs, and do not attempt to explore terrain that may be beyond your abilities. To help ensure an enjoyable hike, please carefully read the introduction to this book and familiarize yourself thoroughly with the areas you intend to visit before venturing out by asking questions, preparing for the unforeseen, and obtaining further safety information and guidance from additional sources. Familiarize yourself with current weather reports, maps of the area you intend to visit, and any relevant park regulations.
This book is dedicated to my remarkable family and their endurance of my whims. They always gave me support, and often accompanied me even when they knew that the misadventure I had planned was a bad idea.
I would like to first acknowledge the Highpointers Club, especially those members who returned my surveys. Not only did they recommend the hikes for this book, but many also wrote detailed descriptions of favorite hikes, copied pages out of guidebooks, and sent maps to help me with this project. Thank you to the many park rangers and information attendants who gave me good on-site advice before beginning a hike.
I also owe a special debt of gratitude to Dan Bennett and especially my wife, Mary Fran Bennett, for the many hours they spent proofreading my writing. It was definitely a labor of love, and I love them for it.
Jack Bennett is a lifelong runner, hiker, and mountain climber. He has completed six full marathons and one mountain marathon. He is currently a member of the Highpointers Club and the American Alpine Club. In 1990 Jack became the 12th person to climb to the highest points of all 50 U.S. states. In 1998 he became the first person to climb the Highpoints of Canadathe highest point of all 13 Canadian Provinces and Territories. Jack is an official Guinness World Record holder for this achievement, which has never been repeated.
In 1999 Jack published the book Not Won In a Day, Climbing Canadas Highpoints, available from Rocky Mountain Books. The book is a combination guidebook and adventure story about his experiences climbing the wild and challenging Highpoints of Canada.
In his professional life, Jack owns his own research and development company, J.E. Bennett Consultants, Inc., and has authored 34 issued U.S. patents, about 70 technical publications and book chapters, as well as a few entries in American Alpine Journal. He has been fortunate enough in his work to be able to finance his real passion: hiking and climbing the beautiful and fantastic wild places of America with his family.
I have traveled extensively in America throughout my life and have a lifelong love affair with its natural wonders. I love Americas majestic mountains, secret canyons, rockbound coasts, thundering waterfalls, waving grasslands, and peaceful forests. My wife Mary Fran and I also love road trips where we only stay one to three days in each place, taking in as much as we can in a limited period of time.
We love to hike Americas many wonderful trails. Often the most memorable sights cannot be seen from the highwaythe longest stone arch, the highest natural bridge, the best-preserved Anasazi ruins, the mysterious Zion Narrows, and any number of unforgettable views. When planning a new road trip, I have always tried to include a few hikes. But here I encountered a problem: Which hikes should I include? I consulted various hiking guidebooks but still couldnt figure out which hikes were best for our limited schedule. Guidebooks seldom compared hikes objectively, and none compared hikes on a national scope.
So in April 2000 I set off on a quest to identify and actually hike our countrys best hikesthe Dream Hikes of America. It was a quest that would last seven years and take Mary Fran and me on an unforgettable journey. By the end of this journey, I had memories to last a lifetime: I had been stuck in quicksand, nearly trapped by a flash flood, stalked by a grizzly bear, and faced all manner of severe weather. But I had also experienced the splendor and wonder of Americas great natural treasures. I want to convey to the readers of this guidebook not simply directions, distances, and contacts but also what each hike looked, smelled, and felt like; the animals I saw; and the weather I experienced. Each one of the hikes in this book, like the patches of a beautiful quilt, will forever be a part of my life.
HOW THE HIKES WERE SELECTED
To select Americas Dream Hikes Coast to Coast, I first turned to the Highpointers Club, a 2,700-member mix of mountain climbers, hikers, and list keepers. The principal goal for each Highpointer is to ascend the highest point in every state. To accomplish this goal they travel extensively, and most are also familiar with hikes across the breadth of America. Before traveling to a particular region of the country, I sent 20 to 25 surveys to Highpointers in that region. In the survey I asked the club member to identify the top five hikes in his or her region. Nearly all of my surveys were completed and returned to me.
For hikes to be nominated, I needed to establish criteria. For example, I asked for hikes that could be completed in a single day. For me, that restricts hikes to between 5 and 20 miles. Nominating the Appalachian Trail, for example, was not allowed. The hikes were also to be on maintained, or at least well-traveled, trails. Off-trail rambling was not considered. Solitude was not a criterion. The best hikes are, unfortunately, not well-kept secrets, and the finest trails in America are often congested. Those seeking solitude would be well advised to look elsewhere. Also, geographic fit was not a considerationthe trails selected are the best America has to offer regardless of location. States like California, Washington, and Hawaii have five, four, and three hikes, respectively (sorry, Kansas). Finally, and above all else, the hikes should have some quality that makes them special in a word, memorable.
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