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California : High Sierra

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Ansel Adams - American Experience



Ric Burns - Director (c) 2002 Sierra Club and Steeplechase Films
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Not particularly a film about climbing, but rather the life and works of Ansel Adams - whose plates of the High Sierra and the Yosemite remain as the datum-point of California mountain imagery.

Parts of this documentary capture the haunting spirit of the High Sierra like no other film before.

If you need a reason to join your local PBS, or The Sierra Club, this is it. Just the thought that my few measley bucks contributed to this gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
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The High Sierra - Peaks, Passes, and Trails



R.J.Secor 2nd edition (c) 1999 The Mountaineers
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R.J.Secor's bumper book of fun for the Sierra is still the quintessential High Sierra guidebook for people who want to get the big picture, and learn all about a mountain range bigger than the entire Alps.
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My First Summer in the Sierra



John Muir, published by the Sierra Club
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Muir gleaned some of the truth of the Universe just by merely existing in it's wild and beautiful regions (can it be that simple?) - his idea that everything is connected predates Sagan and all scientific observations.

This volume in the John Muir Library Series is the most popular of Muir's works: the naturalist's account of his first visit to the High Sierra and the Yosemite.
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Close Ups of the High Sierra



Norman Clyde (c) 2004 Spotted Dog Press
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Norman Clyde was the most prolific first ascentionist in the history of climbing in this range - so it's a good idea to read what he thought of climbing here. An expanded and illustrated edition of Norman Clyde's classic, with new stories added for the first time.
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The Last Season



© Copyright 2005 Eric Blehm - HarperCollins
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This, the story of the life and mysterious disappearance of Randy Morgenson, High Sierra Backcountry Ranger, makes for a compelling read - and along the way describes some of the places we've either been or would love to be - some hauntingly so, or perhaps it just my sense of nostalgia.

It's a great read.
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A Climber's Guide to the High Sierra



Edited by Hervey Voge (c) 1954 Sierra Club
The entire range including climbs in the Yosemite! Out of print, try to find it at used book stores. Contains mountain plates by Ansel Adams himself.
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The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra



Steve Roper (c) 1995 re-issue Sierra Club
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The final version of Hervey Voge's original. My first guidebook to the High Sierra and one you could actually take with you - I think I read it more lying in a tent than at home.
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The Good, The Great, and the Awesome



Peter Croft (c) 2002 Maximus Press
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Peter Croft's down to earth route descriptions will inform and entertain you. Another "select" work which also contains roadside cragging, and eateries in the local towns.
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Climbing California's High Sierra



John Moynier, Claude Fiddler 2nd edition (c) 2002 The Globe Pequot Press
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Originally known as 100 Sierra Classics this book is somewhere halfway between the select works and the full blown Secor guide. Contains schematics and historical data etc.
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Climbing California's Fourteeners



Stephen F.Porcella & Cameron M.Burns (c) 1998 The Mountaineers
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Routes on the peaks of the range which are > 14,000ft. Contains historical information and useful schematics of the more sterner stuff.
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High Sierra Climbing



Chris McNamara (c) 2004 Supertopo
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Yes, yet another Sierra select featuring detailed topos of "26 of the best" rock climbs in the backcountry.
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Mountaineering in California



Clarence King (c) 1997 Yosemtie Association
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Great fun! A ripping Victorian yarn (true story nevertheless) about how famous explorer Clarence King and two of his buddies made an epic excursion from west of the Great Western Divide over to the High Sierra crest in order to bag the highest peak, and managed to bag the wrong one! Written in the days when the American public were hungry for tales of exploration and adventure instead of being just plain hungry.
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Missing in the Minarets



William Alsup (c) 2005 Yosemite Association
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The Search for Walter A. Starr, Jr. (sub-title)

A real page turner for those of us interested in climbing history, I won't say any more.
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Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region



Walter A.Starr 12th edition (c) 1974 Sierra Club Books
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Lovingly prepared. The original guide on how to get in and out of the High Sierra, originally published in the 1930's and still quite valid today, thanks to the conservationists. Any edition is worthwhile and used books stores often carry more than one - the older the better.