Review of Winter in the Wilderness by Dave Hall with Jon Ulrich

WanderLearn with Francis Tapon, author of The Hidden Europe and Hike Own Your Own Hike

In August 2015, I received a preview copy of Winter in the Wilderness: A Field Guide to Primitive Survival Skills by Dave Hall with Jon Ulrich. The book will be available on September 22, 2015. Before sharing my thoughts of this book, I’ll share my background and experience to illustrate my expertise, igorance, and bias.

Background on the reviewer

I’ve spent many weeks backpacking in the winter or in winter-like conditions. For example, when I did a round-trip on the Continental Divide Trail, I walked across Colorado in May. When you’re in the Rocky Mountains in May, it sure looks and feels like winter, even though officially it’s spring. The mountains are buried in snow and freezing temperatures are the norm.

My most memorable winter trip was when Lisa Garrett and I did a 4-day backpacking trip in Yosemite during Thanksgiving (late November). You can see some photos from that snowy experience.

I’ve also climbed many snowy peaks, such as nearly all the peaks in Cascade Mountain Range (e.g., Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, etc…), as well as snowy mountains outside the USA, such as Mont Blanc.

Despite all these situations, I have only once been in a true winter survival situation. That was in late March 2006 when Maiu and I got lost in the Olympic National Park. I’ve wanted to write about that life-threatening experience for a while years, but until I do, let’s just say that we almost died. We spent two nights (one of which snowed on us) in a diabolical ravine. We both ended up with frostbite, but we got out on our own.

Therefore, it was great interest that I read Winter in the Wilderness. Here are the pros, cons, and judgment.