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Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
A handbook for exploring the Canadian Rockies; includes descriptions and maps of sites of interest in the Canadian Rockies
831 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 23, 2024
Although a select few of the sections of Ben Gadd's Handbook of the Canadian Rockies (and I own and have read the 2009 fourth printing of the updated second edition) are not really all that much of personal reading interest to and for me (and that therefore, I have only very quickly skimmed over Gadd's chapters on enjoying the Canadian Rockies for skiing, hiking, snowmobiling etc. and what to do if faced with emergencies), the general textual set-up of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies is absolutely wonderful, and so indeed are the many sections of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies which I ended up perusing thoroughly and with the proverbial fine toothed comb so to speak, namely the chapters about geology, weather, ecology, plants and animals, with detailed and extensive (but always readable, easy to understand and scientifically sound without using too much jargon) descriptions, analyses and often also Ben Gadd's personal suggestions/warnings combined with extensive lists of non fiction titles for further reading provided for each of the seventeen featured chapters (including the introduction) and also a list of fiction, poetry and memoirs about the Canadian Rockies post the afterword, maps and indexes (basically on the very last page of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies and that is on page 831).
Now truth be told, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies has obviously and definitely not been written with young readers in mind (and even though I personally have very much enjoyed my time with Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, over 800 pages of dense and small fonted text does make Ben Gadd's words and the massive amounts of information being presented and featured by him more than a bit of a reading chore and somewhat of a textual slog, so that I therefore and also strongly do not really recommend reading Handbook of the Canadian Rockies from page one to 832, from beginning to end and in one session, as I have just done for almost an entire month, but rather to read bits and pieces and chapters of interest of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies as needed and as wanted). But yes and in my humble opinion, in particular the chapters, the sections of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies regarding geology, they can definitely and also likely successfully be used for teaching the geologic history of the Canadian Rockies and how they compare and contrast to and with the American Rockies to students, to readers from about the age of eleven or twelve onwards (as what Ben Gadd writes is detailed, is information heavy but is presented in a textual style that reads easily and also does not automatically presume that readers are geologists and/or even university graduates, but just individuals interested in being told how the Canadian Rockies emerged and also how they are both similar and also very much different from their American counterparts, and Ben Gadd himself points out in his introduction that the geology sections of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies are often used both at the high school and also at the college and university level to introduce geological concepts and the geologic history of the Canadian Rockies).
And for me both intellectually and emotionally, most definitely and certainly a solidly five stars for Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, for a wonderfully delightful and nicely educational introduction to everything regarding the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and with my only (but I believe necessary) caveat being that since the second edition of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies was published in 2009, of course, any secondary research books on the Canadian Rockies that appear in Ben Gadd's extensive lists for further reading will naturally be from prior to 2009 (and that while Gadd certainly mentions global warming and receding glaciers in Handbook of the Rockies, in 2009, the level of the latter was not yet as dire and not yet as intensely problematic and massive as is the case today, in 2023, Ben Gadd's human caused climate change warnings in Handbook of the Canadian Rockies are obviously not all that intensive and not packing all that much of a textual punch so to speak, which bothers me a bit but is also textually understandable).
Now truth be told, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies has obviously and definitely not been written with young readers in mind (and even though I personally have very much enjoyed my time with Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, over 800 pages of dense and small fonted text does make Ben Gadd's words and the massive amounts of information being presented and featured by him more than a bit of a reading chore and somewhat of a textual slog, so that I therefore and also strongly do not really recommend reading Handbook of the Canadian Rockies from page one to 832, from beginning to end and in one session, as I have just done for almost an entire month, but rather to read bits and pieces and chapters of interest of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies as needed and as wanted). But yes and in my humble opinion, in particular the chapters, the sections of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies regarding geology, they can definitely and also likely successfully be used for teaching the geologic history of the Canadian Rockies and how they compare and contrast to and with the American Rockies to students, to readers from about the age of eleven or twelve onwards (as what Ben Gadd writes is detailed, is information heavy but is presented in a textual style that reads easily and also does not automatically presume that readers are geologists and/or even university graduates, but just individuals interested in being told how the Canadian Rockies emerged and also how they are both similar and also very much different from their American counterparts, and Ben Gadd himself points out in his introduction that the geology sections of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies are often used both at the high school and also at the college and university level to introduce geological concepts and the geologic history of the Canadian Rockies).
And for me both intellectually and emotionally, most definitely and certainly a solidly five stars for Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, for a wonderfully delightful and nicely educational introduction to everything regarding the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and with my only (but I believe necessary) caveat being that since the second edition of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies was published in 2009, of course, any secondary research books on the Canadian Rockies that appear in Ben Gadd's extensive lists for further reading will naturally be from prior to 2009 (and that while Gadd certainly mentions global warming and receding glaciers in Handbook of the Rockies, in 2009, the level of the latter was not yet as dire and not yet as intensely problematic and massive as is the case today, in 2023, Ben Gadd's human caused climate change warnings in Handbook of the Canadian Rockies are obviously not all that intensive and not packing all that much of a textual punch so to speak, which bothers me a bit but is also textually understandable).
December 29, 2015
The problem with being a naturalist is you end up carrying a small library on your back as you walk over rough country swatting bugs. You'd really like to lighten your pack. Gadd had the idea of taking all the birds, fish, mammals, flowers, trees and mosquitoes of the region he lives in and putting them all in one guide book and leaving out all the stuff that lives somewhere else. That drops the weight of your pack by about 10 pounds. In a region where you can easily(?) do a couple of thousand feet of elevation gain in a day of hiking, it's a great idea. The book is worth it for that.
But more than that he does a wonderful thing. Western Canada is built on one of the biggest stacks of sedimentary rock in the world, about 15 kilometers. After that was piled up it started crashing into things and bending and folding and eroding and sliding over top of itself, creating the Canadian Rockies. Gadd travelled the region, photographing and drawing schematics of mountain sides and road cuts; he shows you how all that time has been stacked up, all those hundreds of millions of years and how it has been shuffled.
But more than that he does a wonderful thing. Western Canada is built on one of the biggest stacks of sedimentary rock in the world, about 15 kilometers. After that was piled up it started crashing into things and bending and folding and eroding and sliding over top of itself, creating the Canadian Rockies. Gadd travelled the region, photographing and drawing schematics of mountain sides and road cuts; he shows you how all that time has been stacked up, all those hundreds of millions of years and how it has been shuffled.
September 11, 2012
One of the most detailed books about the Canadian Rockies. It encompasses all genres of interest and it invaluable as a guide when walking through the mountains. The wealth of information in this book is inconceivable and yet easy to access. The author has a great sense of humour and it shows through his descriptions in the book.
June 21, 2017
A must-read for any naturalist living in on near the Canadian Rockies. This books has just about everything you could ever want to know about the Rockies, and it's all written in such a friendly conversational manner that it's hard not to love. I don't normally review guidebooks, but this one is just great.
May 25, 2012
I love Ben, every time I see him out and about I learn something and he's a delight to chat with. Love the story in the middle, always read it at the beginning of the season just to refresh and for fun :) Great reference for us locals and I used the info for traveling too :)
February 20, 2016
Great read for this part of the world.
May 30, 2011
Disclaimer: The review you’re about to read will not be an astringent, detached, hypercritical review. This retrograde, gun-happy USan loves Canada and I have enjoyed this book massively. If you’re looking for a jaundiced review with the hidden agenda of eliminating the crypto-fascist sport of Curling, please look elsewhere.
Some books seem to have their own personalities: verbose, chatty, dry or moody but they leave you feeling as if you’ve just sat down and talked with the author, instead of absorbing second hand something they typed into a machine. This is one such book and its personality is a pleasant one, deeply informative and very witty. It’s like running into a favorite teacher after you’ve spent 20 years learning your own lessons and finding them still as engaging and interesting as you remember.
The funny thing is that this book shouldn’t be so engaging: its 800 pages cover a wide variety of topics in great depth. The credit for the accessibility of this information can only belong to its author. Seriously, I’ve got a shelf full of books about Western Canada and this is one of about 2-3 that I’ll fit into my backpack when I motorcycle up to the Rockies this Summer. If I could only take one, this would be the one.
As for the handbook’s contents… pick a topic and it’s probably inside. It covers the geology of the Canadian Rockies; life zones, weather and seasons; plants and animals; human history and things to do during your visit; safety, first aid and futures. There are 800 pages of this information here and I find myself reading through it avidly.
So far I’ve been attempting to convey the book’s tone. Let me describe a bit about its content, which is clearly planned out to engage people who are visiting for whatever reason and help them enjoy and LEARN from their visit, as much as possible. At the risk of seeming hyperbolic, this is a book that can enhance your visit to the Canadian Rockies, no matter what your original purpose in visiting was.
First off, after looking at how much of each type of content is provided, I find it quite interesting that some 2/3 of the book’s 800 pages are concerned with 1) the geology of the area and 2) its plants and animals.
The geology section describes the various types of rock found in the park and how natural forces created and placed them, their locations and formations being further shaped by the slow sculpting of glaciers. When you’re looking at striking rock layers on a rock wall (or a lonely, mysterious glacial erratic) and wonder how they got there, the geology section can help you really understand the story that those rocks represent.
Moving on, fully half the book is devoted to plants and animals of the park. Accompanying the words are a wealth of high quality drawings and photos of those plants and animals. Mushrooms, ferns, and trees… every kind of animal, from earthworms and the ubiquitous mosquito to grizzly bears and even a wry, witty description of that wacky mammal, Homo Sapiens. Information about indigenous animals describes their habits and behavior; drawings of their skulls, footprints and droppings are included so that hikers can decipher some of the drama that has recently occurred where they are walking.
Any visit to the park will be deeply influenced by the weather, be it daily precipitation, seasonal accumulations or melting of snow. Details regarding what might be expected in various life zones, e.g., sub-alpine woods, burn zones, the mountain summits themselves, are presented.
In regard to the human history of the Rockies, information is provided about all the human history there: not just the 250 years or so or transplanted European history but also known history of native tribes and peoples who have lived or passed through the area.
Certainly anyone who will make the effort of visiting the Canadian Rockies has some purpose for doing so. However, the handbook also details some of the author’s favorite sights and places. There are vistas to view and say “Awe” (in fact Yoho is a whole park devoted to that) and some of the best recreational opportunities in North America. The very best are detailed here. It must be noted however that no information about Curling opportunities is presented.
While this area is deeply gorgeous and fascinating, there are things that can bite you here, both figuratively and literally. There’s traffic to be aware of and all the normal risks of whatever outdoor recreational endeavors you choose are obviously present here as well. The handbook describes many of these and provides some basics on first aid should somebody be hurt.
Finally, the handbook includes plenty of information on how to keep the park safe from damage caused by you and some steps that can help protect these fantastic resources and sites for future generations.
Let me conclude this review by emphasizing that with all the detailed and sometimes technical information presented in this handbook, it is a deeply entertaining and enjoyable read, due to the deft writing and wry humor of Ben Gadd. I am using the handbook to help plan my visit this Summer, taking it along with me for information and entertainment and will certainly use it after wards, as a resource when I write about my trip.
Some books seem to have their own personalities: verbose, chatty, dry or moody but they leave you feeling as if you’ve just sat down and talked with the author, instead of absorbing second hand something they typed into a machine. This is one such book and its personality is a pleasant one, deeply informative and very witty. It’s like running into a favorite teacher after you’ve spent 20 years learning your own lessons and finding them still as engaging and interesting as you remember.
The funny thing is that this book shouldn’t be so engaging: its 800 pages cover a wide variety of topics in great depth. The credit for the accessibility of this information can only belong to its author. Seriously, I’ve got a shelf full of books about Western Canada and this is one of about 2-3 that I’ll fit into my backpack when I motorcycle up to the Rockies this Summer. If I could only take one, this would be the one.
As for the handbook’s contents… pick a topic and it’s probably inside. It covers the geology of the Canadian Rockies; life zones, weather and seasons; plants and animals; human history and things to do during your visit; safety, first aid and futures. There are 800 pages of this information here and I find myself reading through it avidly.
So far I’ve been attempting to convey the book’s tone. Let me describe a bit about its content, which is clearly planned out to engage people who are visiting for whatever reason and help them enjoy and LEARN from their visit, as much as possible. At the risk of seeming hyperbolic, this is a book that can enhance your visit to the Canadian Rockies, no matter what your original purpose in visiting was.
First off, after looking at how much of each type of content is provided, I find it quite interesting that some 2/3 of the book’s 800 pages are concerned with 1) the geology of the area and 2) its plants and animals.
The geology section describes the various types of rock found in the park and how natural forces created and placed them, their locations and formations being further shaped by the slow sculpting of glaciers. When you’re looking at striking rock layers on a rock wall (or a lonely, mysterious glacial erratic) and wonder how they got there, the geology section can help you really understand the story that those rocks represent.
Moving on, fully half the book is devoted to plants and animals of the park. Accompanying the words are a wealth of high quality drawings and photos of those plants and animals. Mushrooms, ferns, and trees… every kind of animal, from earthworms and the ubiquitous mosquito to grizzly bears and even a wry, witty description of that wacky mammal, Homo Sapiens. Information about indigenous animals describes their habits and behavior; drawings of their skulls, footprints and droppings are included so that hikers can decipher some of the drama that has recently occurred where they are walking.
Any visit to the park will be deeply influenced by the weather, be it daily precipitation, seasonal accumulations or melting of snow. Details regarding what might be expected in various life zones, e.g., sub-alpine woods, burn zones, the mountain summits themselves, are presented.
In regard to the human history of the Rockies, information is provided about all the human history there: not just the 250 years or so or transplanted European history but also known history of native tribes and peoples who have lived or passed through the area.
Certainly anyone who will make the effort of visiting the Canadian Rockies has some purpose for doing so. However, the handbook also details some of the author’s favorite sights and places. There are vistas to view and say “Awe” (in fact Yoho is a whole park devoted to that) and some of the best recreational opportunities in North America. The very best are detailed here. It must be noted however that no information about Curling opportunities is presented.
While this area is deeply gorgeous and fascinating, there are things that can bite you here, both figuratively and literally. There’s traffic to be aware of and all the normal risks of whatever outdoor recreational endeavors you choose are obviously present here as well. The handbook describes many of these and provides some basics on first aid should somebody be hurt.
Finally, the handbook includes plenty of information on how to keep the park safe from damage caused by you and some steps that can help protect these fantastic resources and sites for future generations.
Let me conclude this review by emphasizing that with all the detailed and sometimes technical information presented in this handbook, it is a deeply entertaining and enjoyable read, due to the deft writing and wry humor of Ben Gadd. I am using the handbook to help plan my visit this Summer, taking it along with me for information and entertainment and will certainly use it after wards, as a resource when I write about my trip.
July 6, 2016
(Rating: 5.0 /5.0, even)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews