Introducing the Eleventh Edition of
Circuit Hikes in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
By Larry Broadwell and William Needham, with Emeline Otey
At the request of the publications chair, Larry Broadwell and William Needham, writers of the eleventh edition of Circuit Hikes in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, have provided a description of this latest of their team efforts. Larry and William have now worked together on a half-dozen editions of different guides, in every case with PATC’s longtime cartographer Dave Pierce. Both recalled their experience with other publications, such as the Civil War guidebook, and their work as volunteer trail maintainers as elements that helped them establish a routine for their latest work. "Yet every entry in every guide is different," one said. "It's like exploring a new trail. There's something new around every bend and over every hill."
As Larry and William note, only an exceptional publication will come out in more than ten editions. For this reason among others, the newly released guide is a milestone in a record that dates back decades. It is also a testament to the hiking community's drive to explore the region's wildlands with longer and more challenging hikes. Asked why they want the latest edition, some buyers have said that they simply wore out their copy of the previous edition. Others say that they have practiced their skills and gained endurance by doing many of the shorter hikes in PATC's books in the "Hikes in the Washington Region" series, and they feel ready for greater challenges. Others want them as inexpensive gifts to coworkers, up-and-coming young hikers, and friends.
Still others are aware of reroutes, changes in landmarks, and new connections between trails, and they want the most recent and accurate information to plan their outings.
PATC's publication team has worked long and hard to ensure that the eleventh edition lives up to the club's reputation as the go-to authority on regional trails. As Larry and William describe the process, it begins with interviews with park staff, on-line research, and discussions with PATC's own trail construction and maintenance crews. And that’s just the beginning. Once they select their route, the writers walk it, or several variations of it, with GPS, measuring wheel, camera, and notebook. They identify landmarks to be pointed out in the text, with accurate distances between points along the route. Notes and park maps are passed along to the team’s map maker, Dave Pierce, who accesses an immense store of on-line aerial and satellite photos to be sure of the map for each entry. Using his decades of experience with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, he produces maps that are both full of useful information and uncluttered.
Among the changes in the eleventh edition of this guide are updates to several hikes including those to Sugarloaf Mountain and Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area. Just as the tenth edition was the first PATC guidebook to have colored photographs throughout, the eleventh edition has added colored maps throughout. The guide is 128 pages, covering 25 hikes each with its own topographic map, and 28 photographs.
The prices for the new edition are unchanged from the prior one: retail price is $16.00 plus shipping and handling; member discounted price is $12.80 plus shipping and handling. Copies may be ordered online from www.patc.net/shop.
