Ron Adkison (deceased), an avid hiker and backpacker, began his outdoor explorations at age six. Since then he has logged more than 12,000 trail miles in ten western states. He has walked every trail in this guide, most of them multiple times, to provide precise, firsthand information about the trails, as well as features of ecological and historical interest. Ron shared his love for the backcountry in this, one of his sixteen guidebooks covering wild country in the American West. After Ron's death in September 2009 his son, Ben Adkison, took over revising and updating his books. Ron brought Ben on many of the trips in this book and many others when Ben was young. Ben is a professional mountain guide, guiding on mountains from Alaska to Peru. He also loves hiking, skiing, and mountaineering while living out of his van.