I just returned from Switzerland yesterday, only 3 days removed from completing the walk in this book. I'll try to provide some constructive feedback on this book, as well as correct some statements in the other reviews. Corrections to other reviews first. Regarding D. Duvall's review from 9/02. On his #1, yes, the walk is quite difficult on some stages, but I suspect that the dramatic difference between Mr. Reynolds' assessment and one's personal experience is that Europeans are a culture of walkers and Americans are not. I ended up walking with 2 middle aged (actually somewhat older) British couples who completed the walk too; not without difficulty of course, but they completed it nonetheless. You do need to be in good shape, however, or else the hard stages will prompt one to consider giving up. I'm almost 30, a former high school distance runner, backpacked in Alaska for 4 weeks 2 years ago, and worked out diligently for about 2 months before doing this walk. Some stages were still VERY tiring, but you just have to keep going (grin...). If you want a taste of Alp trekking, but with less physical strain, try the Tour de Mont Blanc, as it's a little easier (not to mention shorter). The Haute Route is hard, plain and simple, but the scenery is fantastic and rewarding. On #2, Mr. Reynolds explicitly states that his times include no breaks whatsoever - pure travel time. I cannot speculate on Mr. Duvall's physical condition or reading ability, but it would be unfair to strongly criticize Mr. Reynold's time assessments. The route does involve several miles a day through mountains, so variation in daily hiking time would be expected. On #3, "treacherous" is somewhat subjective, and while I agree that I was sometimes amazed where the path would run (i.e. extremely steep, along cascade edges, or significant exposure where a fall could be fatal), there wasn't a single area where I thought the route was irresponsible in its path. Due care is mandatory on some sections, where a lapse in attention could have serious consequences, but these sections are VERY limited. You're at FAR greater risk to sprain an ankle (the terrain can be challenging sometimes) on this trip than plummet to your death. Basic care will enable most people to manage the squirrely sections with only moderate worry. In fact, one could argue that the occasionally perilous nature of the route is what makes it such a classic, exciting, European trekking route in the first place. Also, the vast majority of the path is waymarked very well. There were 2 or 3 occasions where I had to drop my pack, check my map, and take a compass bearing, but 2 or 3 times over 12-13 days is pretty good. The book and waymarking are good enough for the entire trek, with only occasional exceptions. Mr. Reynolds also states (and this is just common sense), that in poor weather and/or visibility, route following could be more difficult in some stages. It's simply unfair to criticize the author on this point, since anyone with reasonable exposure to mountainous terrain knows that capricious weather is a given. I would agree with the reviewer from Houston, in having no idea how Mr. Duvall's wife ended up not only ON a glacier, but in a crevasse. Visibility would have to be either zero, or very bad combined with somewhat negligent wandering, to end up on a glacier here. Glaciers are big, linger in fairly standard terrain, and you absolutely "know when they're coming". I actually suspect that Mr. Duvall's wife just fell in some snow, which can linger on the route well into the hiking season. If she and he actually ended up on a glacier and she went waist deep into a bona fide crevasse, then, I'm sorry, that's just negligence. Contrary to his statement, while you are NEAR glaciers (perhaps within a 1/4 mile) on the Haute Route, glaciers are never ON the route, and it is simple slander to state that travel over a glacier is on one of Mr. Reynolds "recommended routes". That is patently false. Where I agree with Mr. Duvall is on #4. Mr. Reynolds elevation profiles for each stage can be very misleading. I (along with the others I walked with) concluded that he simply takes point elevations periodically. While the "total gain" and "total loss" numbers, along with elevation profile, provide some indication of the nature on the stage, they are by no means definitive, since footing, terrain, and specific areas are steepness are unknown until being walked. It's even hard to criticize here, since the difficulty of any particular section will vary widely based on the fitness of the walker. There are times where Mr. Reynolds is very detailed in his guide notes, but other occasions where he is quite vague (often later in each stage, when you're really hoping to find your evening destination - grin), mentioning one fork to take, but not the second one you encounter 200 meters down the trail. Waymarking is sometimes so abundant, that you can easily see where you should go, but on the occasions where the waymarking is only nomimal, Mr. Reynolds' vagueness (perhaps incompleteness is a better term) becomes problematic, and for that he loses a star. The book is both very comprehensive and very helpful, consequently, lapses in detail are all the more inexcusable. Overall, a good book. Not at all the ONLY thing you need, but the obvious place to start, and the source for most of the information you need. Get the maps, a compass, and get in shape. While this is not a route for novice walkers or for a first time in legitimate mountains, those with decent experience and sound preparation will do just fine. It'll still hurt sometimes, but it's a good hurt.
