Classic Hikes: The Man Behind the Book

It was 150 feet and a couple of seconds that persuaded writer Peter Potterfield that it might be time to reconsider his zealous pursuit of rock climbing. That was how far and how fast Potterfield fell, back in 1996, and by the time the helicopter dropped him off at the hospital where he was put back together, he was a for more cautious person than he ever had been. The Seattle Times reports that the famous writer of mountain adventures is now 55, and has produced what the paper describes as a coffee-table-style guide to 23 of the greatest backpacking trips on the planet. The Times calls Potterfield’s Classic Hikes of the World: 23 Breathtaking Treks, "a mouthwatering package of stunning photographs and descriptions of everything from Rainier’s Wonderland Trail to a North Cascades’ hike near Lake Diablo, and to a romp along the British Columbia coast. " Potterfield, the paper tells us, has mellowed, but mellowed compared to whom? The writer’s favorite hike, he says, is a solo trek across the tundra of Arctic Sweden.