Hiking In China

This is the first guidebook specifically written for people who speak no Chinese but would like to go hiking on their own in China off the beaten track. The hikes are through the beautiful Qinling and Daba Mountains in Sichuan and Shaanxi Province along the few remaining stretches of one of China's old imperial roads known as the Road to Shu. There are nineteen hikes, most in the six-hour range, but some two-and three-day hikes as well. There are maps, hotel and restaurant listings, specific information on bus and train travel, and Chinese phrases to help you secure lodgings on your own. There are five handy pages of local menu selections in Chinese, as well. Also included is some unusual information you won't find in any other guidebook: Is it safe to drink Bad Weather Beer or eat in a restaurant that advertises "Englishmen delicious"? When staying in a Chinese farmhouse should you wash your face and feet in the same basin? The most important question though is: How cheaply can you do this trip? The answer is for as little as $25 a day in cheap lodgings or for $80 a day in costlier ones.

"For hikers, China offers a unique combination of varied terrains, depth of history and culture, and also safety. Far beyond its massive cities, the Middle Kingdom has huge areas of fascinating natural territory for hiking, including bamboo forests, alpine lakes, sacred mountains and spectacular valleys. This book guides you as you step into another world, rich in history and culture, dating back thousands of years. A curated list of the best places, practical guidance on every aspect of the adventure, and lots of stories to provide context to the whole experience. Whether you are looking for challenging trails, tranquil paths or a walk through history, China has it all."

While China counted down to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, university English teacher Jacob Lotinga embarked on a journey of discovery by hiking China's holy mountains - some Buddhist, some Taoist.Fancy chatting with Buddhist and Taoist monks and nuns, rubbing shoulders with pilgrims and porters, or drinking cool water from a bowl in a peak-top temple guesthouse while humming Cui Jian's 'Fake Monk'?China's Holy Hikes offers readers eight irresistible and illuminating holy mountain sketches, vanishing into the mist and cloud of five Taoist and three Buddhist peaks and meeting a host of interesting characters along the way. It also offers a glimpse of different regions, covers some social issues and provides insight into the psychology of one hiker.Author Jacob Lotinga has taught English at four mainland Chinese universities and has also worked in South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.

Hiking in China is the experience of a lifetime, and a must for the traveler who wants to take the road less traveled and interface with a country that is safe and a culture with a richness that no other can match. Hiking in China explains the history of hiking in China, and introduces some of the more colorful characters associated with perambulation in the Middle Kingdom. Then comes the practical information on traveling in the country, what to carry, how to interact with Chinese people and culture, plus the unique aspects of hiking in this vast and fascinating country. The third part of the book focuses on the specific hikes, designed so that you can find hikes wherever you will be in China, with special attention being given to the history behind the trails and places traversed.

Praise for 44 Days:What if Alexis de Tocqueville were fluent in Mandarin and traveling through China by backpack and bullet train? He would record every encounter and analyze China’s national character with remarkable lucidity. He would produce a book full of telling insights that functioned like a five-dimensional chess game. It would be a guide book, travel companion, memoir, political history, and plain-old-pleasure for someone who likes their prose with pith in it. Oklahoma’s latter-day Tocqueville, Jeff J. Brown, is one hell of a good story teller, and traveling with him deep into China is an adventure not to be missed. Thomas Bass, Author of The Spy Who Loved Us, Vietnamerica, Camping with the Prince, Reinventing the Future, and The Eudaemonic Pie. "44 Days" is a delightful romp through a changing China and Jeff Brown is an excellent guide.John Pomfret, author of Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China "44 Days" is a fascinating exploration of the people of China, and the land in which they live. Brown is very knowledgeable of China's government and the country's millennia-old history. He obviously enjoys not just his travels but the people he meets. While he journeys, we journey with him. Jeff Brown is an intelligent, articulate and entertaining writer and 44 Days is absolutely enthralling. I highly recommend it. Mick Winter, author of Cuba for the Misinformed: Facts from the Forbidden Island Much more than just a travelogue, 44 Days is an intimate dialogue with China’s peoples, their histories, regions, economies, cultures, work, foods and future. Unabashedly iconoclastic and a contrarian’s delight, Jeff brings down many a golden calf, as he writes as few travelers do - putting China’s relations and rapid arc of development in perspective with the United States and Europe, making 44 Days a fascinating and unique approach to today’s critically important world affairs. Traveling over 12,000km by train and bus, walking hundreds more, while climbing a few of those in vertical ascent, join Jeff as he reports from the ground up on the greatest socioeconomic transformation ever seen, 21st century China – our planet’s soon to be greatest superpower. How will Baba Beijing, China’s central government behave, while honoring its 2,200 year old Heavenly Mandate for 20% of the human race? After 500 years of being masters of the world, what will the great historical Industrial Age powers do in response - adapt or lash out? All of our standards of living and lifestyles, even our species’ survival, depend on these soon to be events. Funny, enlightening & with an eye for the right details, 44 Days provides unique perspectives to these new century issues. It will keep you amused and thinking, as Jeff takes you traveling in, across and over five wild and wooly Western China provinces, face to face with the local people. Includes 125+ photos, maps and charts. Read less

* Color over-view map and compact size for stashing in a pack or jacket pocket * Includes a quick guide to the hikes that lists outings by features such as walks or hikes to hidden beaches, along bay spits, to lakes, or across sand dunes * Sidebars explore the natural history, flora and fauna, and geology of the area Undulating sand dunes, primeval forests, rocky headlands, remote beaches: the wild Oregon coast is impossible to resist. In this updated guide, Bonnie Henderson points you to the 120 best outings in the region, from the Columbia River in the north to the Winchuck River in the south, right by the California coast. Hikes range from an easy beach walk to a multi-day trek of the Oregon Coast Trail. For each outing, you'll find clear driving directions along with a comprehensive trail description covering distance, difficulty, terrain, best time to go, and more. You'll find suggestions for other outdoor activities, such as tidepooling, cycling, wildlife viewing, and camping, to help make the most of your time at the beach.

Firsthand descriptions of 99 routes throughout the backcountry wilderness of Utah's Uinta Moutains and High Uintas Wilderness, including easy day hikes to great fishing spots, adventurous treks to remote campsites, and extended backpacking trips for intrepid wilderness travelers.