I have kids. A lot of people do. I like outdoor adventure. A lot of people like that too. Turns out, however, the two are incongruent, or so I thought. To some degree that is the case when you have a newborn or toddler, or some combination thereof, but what about when they get older? I've had some adventures hiking and camping with my three kids. (Meltdowns On (and thankfully not in) Mirror Lake). I still don't see my oldest daughter wielding ice tools, donning crampons and setting pro while taking lead on that last icy pitch to the summit. I wouldn't let her if she wanted to, and unless there's a Hanna Montana concert at the summit, or people handing out free Nintendo DS's, she doesn't want to either. I could more readily see my son having a desire to do this, but it's not happenin'. Not to mention my spouse would kill me if I exposed them to some of the risks I take.

So do I shelve the gear for the next 5 years and wait for my kids to get old enough? I could do that, but what happens when they're older, and suddenly doing outdoor stuff with the 'rents sounds about as much fun as after-school detention? I believe that exposing them early to the wonders of the natural world that surrounds us is really important for fostering an interest that will grow over the years. I have resolved to take them on as many backcountry trips as they can reasonably be expected to tolerate. It's been going fine so far, but it's taking me longer and longer to find a suitable trip.

For years, I have been poring over Oregon maps, web sites and guide books looking for the elusive overnight trip that fits the far too constrained criteria I have set forth for our trips. I look for trips where the kids get exposed to all the things I find wonderful about the backcountry, which means it is a miniature of what I like to do. I'm dissatisfied with destinations with less than spectacular scenery, and the kids are dissatisfied with destinations that DON'T TOTALLY ROCK! This means there should be things there to capture their attention. Sometimes it doesn't take much at all, other times they would not be impressed if I shot laser beams from my eyes while farting rainbows. Making each trip memorable is getting more and more challenging. I needed help.

I'm skeptical of the value of a lot of guide books since many of them dwell on topics that I don't find useful, or they don't provide enough information. One Night Wilderness fulfills an aching need for many parents whose love for backcountry exploration has taken a back seat (in a vehicle with three rows of seating, of course) to taking kids to soccer, playdates, scouts, etc. With a severe paucity of the crucial element of time, it will come as a relief to parents that there are 1-night destinations with exhilarating views and fantastic potential for juvenile diversions, all within three hours of our fair city of Portland.

If you do not have kids, but work for a company that has a ravenous appetite for your time, having 64 trips described in these pages should fill every weekend your company allows you to have for some time to come. It's not that this book caters just to family backpacking. There are many trips described that would have all my kids whining in unison after the first half mile down the trail. I walked past a co-worker of mine brandishing my fresh new copy of One Night Wilderness, and she, an avid backcountry explorer, nearly lunged for it to wrest it out of my hand so she could have a look. I, on occasion, have been known to refer to her as a D.I.N.K. (Dual Income No Kids), so it seems that the notion of quick and convenient has broad appeal.

Prior to reading this book, I withheld judgment of its usefulness until I had plowed through a few of the descriptions. Some of the guide books will have great descriptions, but there are usually some bits of information that are left out. While no guide book to date has ever included ALL bits of information that could be useful, One Night Wilderness comes close to providing nearly all information I could ever want in a hiking guide.

YES, I have often wanted to know about the quality of the access roads for the Oregon hiking trails. I have driven my share of crappy roads, and while I have not lost parts of my car to these roads as many have, my number is due up any time. On one trip, I arrived at the trailhead after an arduous drive on a bad road only for my son to ask, “what's that hissing noise?” I was not pleased to turn tail and run for home before all the air leaked out of my tire. Ok, I admit that I refuse to buy an SUV or truck so I can merely give the appearance of one who travels backcountry roads, and let's face it, appearing like a rugged outdoorsy type is what 99% of all SUV's in this country are all about. Most will never see a gravel road. In fact, I see more SUV's at the little league parking lot than the parking lots at trailheads. So, yeah, I worry about how lousy the access road will be, and whether my low-clearance car will be able to make it. All Oregon hiking trails descriptions include information about whether the roads are paved or not, and where notable, whether the road quality could be of concern. THANK YOU.

I have opened my home to a wide variety of mammals, not all of them human. I also like to take these mammals with me on outings, and again, not all of them are human. My dogs may actually enjoy the outdoors more than I do, but then again, every day is the n^th consecutive best day of their lives. So I bring them when I think it's appropriate, and they will be able to safely negotiate the trail. One Night Wilderness includes an icon by each trail indicating whether the trail is safe and appropriate for dogs. Other guide books will do this, but these books are usually all about dogs and where you can go with them.

Finally, each trail description includes an icon if the trail is appropriate for children. I can pretty much judge this for myself, but it is nice to have the author's affirmation, and it provides a quick sorting method.

One of the cravings the backcountry traveller experiences before an outing is a desire for solitude. We spend most of our lives in close contact with others (either by choice or unfortunate happenstance), and the notion of spending a little time alone or in the company of a small group is truly enticing. I beg you, don't misunderstand me, I love the Pacific Northwest, and the left-leaning wilderness adventurer types who abound here. I have, however, never spent a single day in the wilderness without bumping into at last one other backpacker or climber. I don't find the people I run into offensive in any way. In fact, they are often like-minded and enjoyable to encounter. We often exchange advice about what's to come. I also like the idea that someone will be along in the event that I get into trouble and need help. So what's my problem? I would like to spend ONE NIGHT in the wilderness where I see no one. I'd like to embark on my adventure knowing I'll get to camp where I want without competing for the best camp sites. I've tried the middle of the week in the offseason to no avail. I've wondered what the BUSY weekends must be like if I'm getting crowds on offseason weekdays. So what I am doing wrong is avail myself of the readily accessible and rewarding destinations that everyone else seeks. What to do?

Salvation is conferred by One Night Wilderness. Each description is coupled with a solitude rating! I'm not sure I agree with some of them, but it's yet another huge plus nonetheless. I would expect that with a solitude rating of 9 (there is no 10, see above) that encounters with others would be rare, and anything below a 7 would be fairly popular trails.

We just spent an overnight at Boulder Lake, which was rated a "7" for solitude.  Again, this rating wasn't quite spot on, we saw plenty of people hiking and at the surrounding campsites.  In fact, the evidence of a fairly popular campsite was everywhere:  trash.  We were quite disappointed by the way people have treated this amazing area.  We ended up carrying out as much trash as we possibly could. 

I LOVE the table in the front that lists quick reference data for each trail. I am able to quickly find suitable trails, and then go to the detailed descriptions for them. Each description also includes a map of the trail, and lists the Green Trails topographic map you should have with you when you go. It would be nice to see the USGS quadrant as well, but that's me just being greedy. I tend to like Green Trails more, but you can print the USGS ones for free now.

An addition I would make is to include a small map with the trail locations in the state in each description. There is a bigger map in the beginning of the book with all the trails, but it gets a bit irritating to flip back and forth between the page I'm on and the front of the book.

In a GPS-toting world, it would be the icing on the cake to have some waypoints listed for prominent features, or even for the trailhead itself. That way, all the guys can get their nerdgasms on.

Finally, if the 64 full descriptions aren't quite enough for you, there is an appendix that lists 46 additional trips with a brief description, leaving you to fill in some of the details, which, by the way, you should be fine about.

As a parent of three with almost no vacation time left, One Night Wilderness is a season-saver. For this guide to be well-done on top of that thrills me, and I happily offer my admiration to the author for compiling this array of trails in Oregon and Washington. Would I recommend this Oregon hiking guide and is it worth buying? The answer is a resounding yes (and yes!)!