Stewart Edward White was a popular and respected novelist who set his stories on the western frontier and in the wilderness. For his novels he interviewed numerous veterans of the gold rush and the fur trade, as well as many western pioneers. His westerns breathed authenticity due to the myriad details of daily frontier life that he spiced them with. In his nonprofessional life White was a dedicated outdoorsman and nature-lover, enjoying long hunting, camping, and fishing expeditions. In this practical guide for hitting the trail, White draws from his personal experience as well as knowledge mined from years of research, enriched with pearls of wisdom gleaned from trail guides during long evenings around campfires. - Summary by Ted Lienhart