I dedicate this book to all who have showed me the many ways that mountains, especially those in the Sierra Nevada, can be endlessly captivating and enchanting.
I thank my husband, Douglas, for his support while I wrote this book. And I thank my young daughter, Eleanor, for being tolerant of many hours sitting in a backpack. While I photographed mountains on a decidedly chilly November afternoon, she appropriately took her first backcountry steps at Trail Camp.
Carolyn Tiernan, M.D., carefully reviewed all medical sections, providing important feedback. Hal Klieforth commented on the text on Sierra weather and human history and provided me unlimited access to his extensive library of Sierra literature.
I add my appreciation to Wilderness Press for providing me the opportunity to write this book. They allowed me the freedom to express my approach to hiking: that you need to look at and think about natural history and human history as you follow the trail upwards.