MIKE WHITE was raised in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, in the shadow of Mount Hood. His mother didn't drive, so walking was a way of life for her, as it became for her young son in tow. When Mike reached driving age, he began to explore farther afield, hiking, backpacking, and climbing in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington. He further honed his outdoor skills while attending Seattle Pacific University. After earning a bachelor's degree in political science, Mike and his wife, Robin, relocated to the high desert of Reno, Nevada, where he was drawn to the beautiful and sunny Sierra. In the early 1990s, Mike left his last ""real"" job (with an engineering firm) and began writing full time. His first project for Wilderness Press was an update and expansion of Luther Linkhart's classic guide, The Trinity Alps. His first solo project was Nevada Wilderness Areas and Great Basin National Park. He is the author of the popular Snowshoe series, whose books include Snowshoe Trails Tahoe, Best Snowshoe Trails of California, and Snowshoe Trails of Yosemite. Mike's other titles include Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Backpacking Nevada, and 50 Classic Hikes in Nevada (University of Nevada Press). Recently, he ventured hundreds of miles around Lake Tahoe and wrote Afoot & Afield: TahoeReno and Top Trails Lake Tahoe. Mike has also written for Sunset and Backpacker magazines and for the Reno Gazette Journal. Mike also teaches hiking, backpacking, and snowshoeing classes at Truckee Meadows Community College and is a frequent speaker for nonprofit groups. In addition, he can be found dispensing trail information while working part-time at REI in Reno, where he lives with Robin and their youngest son, Stephen, along with their two labs, Barkley and Griffin. David, his oldest son, resides in the area with his wife, Candace.