L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano A s k o u t d o o r e n t h u s i a s t Craig Romano what has most influenced his life and his answer comes quickly and confidently: his Italian her- itage and his New Hampshire roots. A resident of Mt. Vernon, Wash., about 60 miles north of S e a t t l e , a n d a n a v i d h i k e r , c y c l i s t , r u n n e r a n d p a d d l e r , Romano has 14 hiking guide- books to his name. He has also written scores of outdoor articles and columns in more than two dozen magazines and newspa- pers. Yet his path to a full-time w riting career took as many twists and turns as any steep mountain trail, and he is quick to credit his Italian grandmother as a major force in his life. "My nonna was a constant reminder of who I am and where we came f r o m , " s a i d R o m a n o . " S h e arrived in the U.S. at the age of 12 from Sicily and maintained ties to her birthplace for the rest of her life. Like so many of her g e n e r a t i o n , s h e h a d l i v e d through a lot but as long as she had her home, her family and her kitchen, she was content. I was very close to her and I loved listening to her stories." Born in 1961 in Bridgeport, Conn., Romano moved with his family to Windham, N.H., at the age of eight. "We went from the biggest town in Connecticut, a b o u t a n h o u r n o r t h o f N e w York City, to a town of 3,000 in r u r a l N e w H a m p s h i r e , a n d I loved it," said Romano. "I grew up with a passion for the woods and for nature. Back then, if you lived in New Hampshire, you'd better like the outdoors because there was nothing else to do!" Not surprisingly, Romano's love for the outdoors influenced his job choices. He was a back- c o u n t r y r a n g e r i n N e w Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest, worked at sev- eral ski resorts in New England, and was a hiking guide in the Pyrenees. But he also had a pas- sion for writing. In his 20s, he r e t u r n e d t o s c h o o l t o e a r n degrees in history and in educa- t i o n f r o m t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f W a s h i n g t o n , w h i c h l e d t o a short-lived teaching career. "After the first year, I did not renew my teaching contract," he s a i d , " I d e c i d e d I w a n t e d t o write full-time and I did whatev- er I could to make that happen. I waited tables, I was a substitute teacher and I worked incredibly hard." Romano's newest guidebook, due out next spring, is called " 1 0 0 C l a s s i c H i k e s : W a s h i n g t o n , " p u b l i s h e d b y Mountaineers Books. The book will replace earlier editions of what has become the best-sell- ing hiking guidebook of all time, f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n 1 9 9 8 b y Harvey Manning and Ira Spring. Romano's version includes 50 new hikes―some of his all-time f a v o r i t e s f r o m a r o u n d t h e s t a t e ― a l o n g w i t h 5 0 h i k e s selected from the original book that he calls legacy hikes, updat- e d w i t h R o m a n o ' s s i g n a t u r e style. "100 Classic Hikes was a best s e l l e r f o r u s f o r m a n y y e a r s a n d t h e m o s t s u c c e s s f u l o f a l l o u r g u i d e b o o k s , " s a i d H e l e n C h e r u l l o , p u b l i s h e r , Mountaineers Books. "But we decided this iconic volume need- ed a fresh voice and a new per- spective. Craig was the obvious choice, and he has taken on this project with enthusiasm as well as a sense of obligation. Harvey and Ira were his heroes; their books helped him explore thou- sands of miles of hiking trails w h e n h e f i r s t m o v e d t o W a s h i n g t o n s t a t e . C r a i g approached this project very aware of that responsibility." I n a d d i t i o n t o h i s I t a l i a n g r a n d m o t h e r , R o m a n o f i n d s inspiration in the lives of natu- ralist John Muir, conservationist a n d f o r m e r p r e s i d e n t T e d d y Roosevelt, and New England writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau. He also holds a special place in his heart for I t a l i a n g e n e r a l a n d p a t r i o t Giuseppe Garibaldi. Romano has traveled to several locations t h a t f i g u r e d p r o m i n e n t l y i n Garibaldi's life, including Nice, France, where Garibaldi was b o r n i n 1 8 0 7 , a n d U r u g u a y where Garibaldi lived in exile from 1841-1848. His admiration for this Italian revolutionary is so pervasive that he even named his Maine Coon cat, Giuseppe. Romano's dual passion for hiking and for Garibaldi led him to a surprising discovery. "I was i n t r i g u e d t o f i n d o u t t h a t Garibaldi is heralded in several N o r t h w e s t l o c a t i o n s , " s a i d Romano. "The most famous is probably Garibaldi Provincial Park in British Columbia, a stun- ning wilderness area not far from Vancouver, Canada. There is also a town along the Oregon coast named for Garibaldi." Over the years, Romano has put thousands of miles on his hiking boots. By his own estima- tion, he has hiked more than 1 7 , 0 0 0 m i l e s i n W a s h i n g t o n state alone, and he has traveled from Alaska to Argentina, Sicily to South Korea, seeking wild and spectacular landscapes. In spite of his wayfaring ten- dencies, Romano's roots in the Pacific Northwest have grown a little deeper since the birth of his son Giovanni last December. Romano hopes to impart to his child the same passion and stew- ardship he feels for the land. In less than a year, the baby has accompanied Romano and his wife Heather on more than a dozen hikes, and has already c o m p l e t e d h i s f i r s t h a l f - marathon, pushed along in a b a b y c a r r i e r t h e e n t i r e 1 3 . 1 miles. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n Romano and his guidebooks, visit www.craigromano.com or www.mountaineersbooks.org. RITA CIPALLA Outdoor writer Craig Romano inspires readers to explore the natural beauty of Washington state Outdoor writer Craig Romano has hiked more than 17,000 miles in Washington state. Photo credit: Craig Romano A climbing party on Mount St. Helens, including writer Craig Romano (far left), unfurls the Italian flag under a brilliant sky. Photo credit: Craig Romano

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