Where to pitch my next guidebook?

[tonyp]

Hey guys,

Turns out, once the guidebook is done, and I'm no longer hiking under deadline and for money (though after expenses, we basically talking beer money - but still), it becomes quite difficult to free myself from my various dependencies and actually hike. Plus,it's fun to write guidebooks. So I'm going to pitch another one.

Since you kind souls represent a substantive portion of the Target Audience, I thought I'd solicit some opinions as to which area of the state would benefit from better documentation.
I am thinking of three possibilities:

Superstition Wilderness While I doubt I could improve upon the Hiker's Guide by Carlson and Stewart, their first edition left some big blanks (particularly in the eastern portions), and I haven't encountered a second edition (if there is one, that changes things). A Menasha Ridge version would get national distribution and e more orientated to hiking rather than history. This is still the most visited wilderness area in the United States, and I feel less ignorance is always better than the opposite.

Mogollon Rim Loosely following the General Crook trail, which goes (roughly) from Clear Creek outside of Camp Verde all the way to Pinetop/Lakeside. AZ 260 would e the southern boundary, with the northern boundary largely being two day's march from the Rim. I haven't seen a hiking guidebook covering this area in particular (there are equestrian and fishing guides). This is my preference, if all other factors cancel each other out.

Coconino National Forest From the volcanoes of Flagstaff to the hot springs along the middle Verde, and from the few rare natural lakes in Arizona to the Red Rocks of blah-blah-blah. Every bit as logistically daunting as the Tonto, plus longer drives (I live in Phoenix), but no contest vs the other two ideas in terms of number and variety of trails.

There is,of course, a whole state full of other possibilities, but remember, while my late-model Buick gets decent gas mileage, I'd still lie to show enough money a the end to buy some beer.

Thanks in advance for any ideas or input.

Tony Padegimas

Guidebook? WTF? Look here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3392

[jman1283]

Hi Tony. I bought your book yesterday at Barnes and Noble in Gilbert. I appreciate the trailhead coordinates as I often lose time looking for the starting point. Beautiful looking book too!
Jason

[te_wa]

well lets see..
we got the '60 within 60 miles'
and the '100 classic AZ hikes'
and the 'hikers guide to Grand Canyon'
the 'hikers guide to (parts of) the superstition wilderness'
and some 'canyoneering in AZ'
with a 'seldom seen ruins'
now we just need a 'practical guide to choosing gear (emphasis on alternative shelters, packs, cooksets, clothing, etc. {not limited to, but including hammocks and the endless variety of setups therein} and its uses in the AZ backcountry'
there ya go. a "guidebook" from a guide's perspective.

*having personal interviews and/or input from/with 'professional' backpackers like Fracis Tapon, Brian Frankle, Bernie Wilt, Andrew Skurka, Justin Lichter, Glen Van Peski, Ray Jardine and Joe Valesko would add to the book's wealth. I can help you find the resources for this info and pass it on via PM. Most of these guys are great teachers and have been backpacking on the fringe of cutting edge ideas and practices for a long, long time. What is new to the mainstream, these dudes have put into practice for at least 20 years.

[JoelHazelton]

well lets see..
we got the '60 within 60 miles'
and the '100 classic AZ hikes'
and the 'hikers guide to Grand Canyon'
the 'hikers guide to (parts of) the superstition wilderness'
and some 'canyoneering in AZ'
with a 'seldom seen ruins'
now we just need a 'practical guide to choosing gear (emphasis on alternative shelters, packs, cooksets, clothing, etc. {not limited to, but including hammocks and the endless variety of setups therein} and its uses in the AZ backcountry'
there ya go. a "guidebook" from a guide's perspective.

*having personal interviews and/or input from/with 'professional' backpackers like Fracis Tapon, Brian Frankle, Bernie Wilt, Andrew Skurka, Justin Lichter, Glen Van Peski, Ray Jardine and Joe Valesko would add to the book's wealth. I can help you find the resources for this info and pass it on via PM. Most of these guys are great teachers and have been backpacking on the fringe of cutting edge ideas and practices for a long, long time. What is new to the mainstream, these dudes have put into practice for at least 20 years.

Why don't you just write that one, TeWa?

[fairweather8588]

well lets see..
we got the '60 within 60 miles'
and the '100 classic AZ hikes'
and the 'hikers guide to Grand Canyon'
the 'hikers guide to (parts of) the superstition wilderness'
and some 'canyoneering in AZ'
with a 'seldom seen ruins'
now we just need a 'practical guide to choosing gear (emphasis on alternative shelters, packs, cooksets, clothing, etc. {not limited to, but including hammocks and the endless variety of setups therein} and its uses in the AZ backcountry'
there ya go. a "guidebook" from a guide's perspective.

*having personal interviews and/or input from/with 'professional' backpackers like Fracis Tapon, Brian Frankle, Bernie Wilt, Andrew Skurka, Justin Lichter, Glen Van Peski, Ray Jardine and Joe Valesko would add to the book's wealth. I can help you find the resources for this info and pass it on via PM. Most of these guys are great teachers and have been backpacking on the fringe of cutting edge ideas and practices for a long, long time. What is new to the mainstream, these dudes have put into practice for at least 20 years.

Why don't you just write that one, TeWa?

Hiker's Guide to Getting Lost in the Mazatzals

[Jim]

Why not the Coconino NF, probably the most diverse area of the state, and its got the only alpine tundra. People love alpine tundra.

[azdesertfather]

I think you need to secretly follow RedRoxx44 and her boyfriend around, and log these amazing places they've been finding...she's already posts great photos

[hippiepunkpirate]

Why not the Coconino NF, probably the most diverse area of the state, and its got the only alpine tundra. People love alpine tundra.

It would be cool to see a Coconino NF guide with a bunch of little known stuff nobody has published yet....otherwise do the Mogollon Rim!

[johnr1]

A revised Hikers guide to the Superstitions may be in work according to author Stewart.

Given your location and targeted audience, it might be useful to offer a guide to the Matazal wilderness.

[rushthezeppelin]

I don't know if there is really enough stuff to do a whole guide with but there's always the Four Peaks Wilderness area. Perhaps you could do a mazatzals guide with a bonus section for four peaks.

[tonyp]

Thank you all for your comments.
At this point, I'm leaning towards the Coconino NF, for a several reasons:
* I'm still the new guy at Menasha Ridge, so I don't want to stray too far from the format they pitched to me.
* I'd like to have three trail guides to my credit before pitching myself as some sort of backpacking "expert", even if I'm really simply recording the wisdom of other experts.
* The guy at the Hike Shack in Prescott lamented that there was no such book. He sells hiking guides.
* I've seen a couple of ads on travel-writer sites looking for someone to write city guides for Flag and Sedona. Not sure I'm the guy to write such things on top of a trail guide, but someone is seeing marketing numbers showing interest in those areas.
* While it is true that outside of this site and a few scraps on the Tonto NF website, the Mazatzals and 4 Peaks are largely undocumented, it is also true that they provide precious few casual hiking opportunities. That leaves the market for adventure-lovers only, who, while loyal, are not particularly numerous. I think I need to leave this project until I have a couple of more mundane-friendly books to my credit, and I have talked my wife into letting me buy a 4WD.
*Besides, I'm trying not to overlap my Tonto guide too soon after it came out (which also leaves out the Supes).
* I simply cannot identify another single, defined geographic area with this wide of a variety of trails (that I could plausibly cover from Phoenix).

Obviously, thisthread is still open, and I'm still noodling it for at least another week.
Thanks again.

Tony Padegimas