About the Authors

Elizabeth Wenk has hiked and climbed in the Sierra Nevada since childhood and continues the tradition with her husband, Douglas Bock, and daughters, Eleanor and Sophia. As she obtained a PhD in Sierran alpine plant ecology from the University of California, Berkeley, her love of the mountain range morphed into a profession. Writing guidebooks has become her way to share her love and knowledge of the Sierra Nevada with others. Lizzy continues to obsessively explore every bit of the Sierra, spending summers hiking on- and off-trail throughout the range, but she currently lives in Sydney, Australia, during the “off-season.” Other Wilderness Press titles she has authored include John Muir Trail, Top Trails Yosemite, One Best Hike: Mount Whitney, One Best Hike: Grand Canyon, Backpacking California, Sierra South, 50 Best Short Hikes: Yosemite, and Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail, the latter a perfect companion book for all naturalists. Lizzy is also a board member of the John Muir Trail Wilderness Conservancy, a foundation dedicated to the preservation of the JMT corridor and surrounding High Sierra lands.

Photo by Douglas Bock

Mike White was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He learned to hike, backpack, and climb in the Cascade Mountains, and he honed his outdoor skills further while obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University. After college, Mike and his wife, Robin, relocated to the Nevada desert, where he was drawn to the majesty of the High Sierra. In the early 1990s, Mike began writing about the outdoors, expanding the third edition of Luther Linkhart’s The Trinity Alps for Wilderness Press. His first solo title was Nevada Wilderness Areas and Great Basin National Park. Many more books for Wilderness followed, including the Snowshoe Trails series; books about Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic National Parks; Backpacking Nevada; Top Trails: Northern California’s Redwood Coast; Best Backpacking Trips in California and Nevada; Best Backpacking Trips in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico; 50 of the Best Strolls, Walks, and Hikes Around Reno; and Afoot & Afield: Tahoe-Reno. Mike has also contributed to the Wilderness classic, Backpacking California. Two of his books, Top Trails: Lake Tahoe and 50 Classic Hikes in Nevada, have won national awards.

A former community college instructor, Mike is a featured speaker for outdoor groups. He and Robin live in Reno; his two sons, David and Stephen, live in the area as well.

Photo by Ari Nordgren/Amen Photography