It’s definitely not a hard sell to get interested in Kathy and Craig Copeland’s new hard-shell encased 7th edition of their guidebook Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, the Opinionated Hiking Guide.
So much design and ergonomic thought went into the Copeland’s latest edition you would think they were hiking through an Ikea factory during the inception phase.
Not at all a single book, the latest edition is made up of nine “Fact” booklets, which contain trail directions and orientation maps for all of the Canadian Rocky Mountains: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, and Waterton Lakes national parks, plus Mt. Robson and Mt. Assiniboine provincial parks. It totals 677 pages and includes 560 colour photos. It describes 145 trips: 84 day-hikes, 41 backpack trips, 20 shoulder-season hikes and provides a map for each one.
The package also includes the Copeland’s “Opinion” book, containing all the trip descriptions and photos.
“You’ll recognize it instantly because it’s unique, unlike anything on the bookshelves,” said Craig.
“It doesn’t even look like a book; it’s protected in a bright green, hard-shell case that looks like outdoor gear. Zip it open and you’ll see it allows you to leave most of the book behind when you go hiking; just take the trail directions and orientation map in your pack so you always have those essentials with you in the backcountry.
“The average trail-weight per hike is just 67 grams, or 2.4 ounces – that’s as light as a pair of sunglasses you can wear on your nose all day without noticing.”
When first published in 1993, the Copelands made big waves in the guidebook world by getting off the beaten path and offering readers just as much insightful, firsthand opinion as fact.
That winning formula has served the Copelands well, and has led many novice, intermediate and advanced hikers through the Rockies. “It was a bold departure from the dull, guidebook tradition,” Copeland said. “Though a slender volume lacking photos and maps, it offered unstinting advice, available nowhere else, on how to make optimal use of your precious hiking time in the Canadian Rockies.
“The idea for Don’t Waste Your Time sprang from our own experience,” Kathy Copeland said. “Like most hikers, we were unable to hike nearly as often as we wanted.
“Our weekends and vacations were like oxygen to us. So we fully respected the value of people’s time. We understood that when someone goes hiking, they want to make the absolute most of that opportunity. They want the greatest possible scenic return for their investment of time and effort – so we wrote a guidebook for hikers who don’t have forever.”
The guidebook pulls no punches by counselling readers on where to hike, where not to hike, and explaining why. Don’t Waste Your Time uses an easy to understand system with each trail receiving a rating of: Premier, Outstanding, Worthwhile, or Don’t Do.
“It’s not merely a guidebook in name, it truly guides,” Copeland said. “It offers insight by illuminating each trail, it empowers you to choose the optimal one for your ability, interests and mood.”
The Ultralight Gear 7th edition of Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, the Opinionated Hiking Guide is currenty available at bookstores, outdoor shops and online retailers. Visit the Copeland’s site: www.hikingcamping.com to watch a short video on their 7th edition.
