The updated second edition of a hiking classic: High Summer, the true story of the first thru-hike of Canada's Rocky Mountains.
The full end-to-end traverse on foot of Canada's Rocky Mountains is one of North America's greatest hiking challenges. By the late 1980s, it had never been completed. When long-distance backpacker Chris Townsend heard about the route, he couldn't resist it.
The Canadian Rockies offer everything a wilderness connoisseur could desire. There are glaciated peaks, forested valleys, remote tracts where solitude can be found, and abundant wildlife-grizzly bears, wolves, moose and wolverines among them. From celebrated national parks in the south, to vast undeveloped regions in the north, the range is filled with natural wonders... many only accessible to a lone traveller on foot.
In June 1988, Chris Townsend set out to discover this range for himself. With no set route to follow, he pioneered his own path, first linking established trails, then heading cross-country into a trackless land. He walked, not to be the first to complete the route, but instead to treasure the journey, and above all to spend long enough in the wild for it to come to feel like home. Challenged by rough weather and even rougher terrain, sometimes navigating from suggestions received in frontier settlements or by dead reckoning, his backpacking skills were pushed to the limit. He began the journey as a hiker, but over 1,600 miles had to evolve into something more: an explorer.
First published in 1989, this new and updated edition of High Summer features a new introduction by the author, new footnotes, and over 100 black and white photos from the hike, many never before seen. Written by a passionate advocate for wild places, and told with honesty and authenticity, High Summer will take the reader on an engrossing journey into a wilderness that very few people will ever experience for themselves.
Townsend, Chris: - Chris Townsend is a passionate enthusiast and advocate for wilderness. He has spent much of his life exploring wild places and has completed many long-distance walks. He is the author of twenty-nine books, most illustrated with his own photographs, and has co-authored and contributed to several more. Chris has also written and illustrated hundreds of articles for a variety of magazines, web sites and newspapers. Since 1991 he has been the Equipment Editor of The Great Outdoors magazine, contributing monthly features on gear and techniques, as well as regular pieces on his walks and other outdoor topics. Chris was awarded the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Award for Excellence for Outdoor book of the Year for The Backpacker's Handbook in 1993 and for Out There: A Voice From The Wild in 2016. He also received the OWPG Award for Outdoor Feature in 1996, 1997, 2008, 2014 and 2015.Chris lives in the Highlands of Scotland and remains active in the mountains year round. He continues to communicate his feelings about nature and the joy it brings through his writing and photography. To learn more, and to read Chris' frequently updated blog, please visit: ChrisTownsendOutdoors.com.
