It also presents skills people need to learn not so much to the protect themselves but to minimize their impact on the environment which, in the backcountry, is often fragile, pristine, irreplaceable. The book emphasizes an environmental ethic and explains how to practice low-impact hiking and camping. It is a thinking person's guide to the outdoors, unlocking the wilderness.

Author Biography

Annie M. Aggens has led numerous expeditions (skiing, canoeing, backpacking and dogsledding) in the Canadian Rockies and the North Pole, as well as sea kayaking in Belize and Crete. She has worked as an instructor in outdoor leadership schools and was the director of The Northwest Passage Adventure Travel Company. Annie's various certifications include EMT, Red Cross Instructor, Wilderness First Responder, and ACA Whitewater Instructor. Chris Townsend, author of The Backpacker's Handbook and The Advanced Backpacker and numerous books and articles, is one of the world's best-known and experienced rough-terrain hikers. His most notable adventures include a 1988 trek spanning the 1,600-mile length of the Canadian Rockies, a 1,000-mile walk through the Yukon, and a monumental 3,000-mile expedition from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide Trail. He has also undertaken extensive treks in Europe and Nepal.