OUT LOOKS: A LOOK AT 2ND STAR; BOOK CAPTURES OVERLOOKED ENVIRONMENTALIST.

Byline: Rich Martin Special to the Daily News

Most outdoor lovers know about John Muir and his contributions to conservation and wilderness protection. But a second star in the environment-saving galaxy is lesser known, though his contributions were equally crucial, coming as they did during the New Deal era when such efforts picked up steam.

``A Wilderness Original: The Life of Bob Marshall'' (The Mountaineers; $16.95) by James M. Glover should remedy that. This good work of scholarship shows Marshall not as some kind of god but as the prescient, yet flawed man without whose help many wilderness areas would have fallen to the ax.

Anyone out there a fan of Olympic National Park? Marshall, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service among other agencies, mobilized support to make it a national park. Great Smokies? He was at the center of efforts to prevent the establishment of a skyline drive. Anyone canoed in the Boundary Waters area on the Minnesota-Ontario border? He was involved in the effort to keep those pristine lakes safe from developers.

Marshall packed a lot into his short life. He was a fanatical trekker, greedily accumulating experiences like a Wall Street raider looking for the next conquest. His first was the Adirondacks, upstate from his native New York City. Some of his later feats are legendary: He routinely hiked 40 miles a day when he was off work.

He is also known for his explorations in Alaska, and his book ``Arctic Village'' drew favorable reviews from no less a critic than H.L. Mencken.

Marshall's effect on Alaska was lasting. He reached the summits of six peaks that had not been climbed before and was one of the first to explore the Brooks Range. He named dozens of features of that chain, mostly in honor of his friends.

The other side of Marshall was that of activist. Here Glover does a good job portraying a dedicated and at times visionary man who could also be naive and overly romantic. Trained as a forester, Marshall was one of the earliest to see the folly of clear-cutting, and he lined up squarely against it. He was a purist on wilderness and delivered a classic line when asked how much wilderness we need: ``How many Brahms symphonies do we need?''

One of the most fascinating parts of the 324 pages is the portrayal of Marshall as a prankster, a la Ken Kesey - belying the stuffy image of wilderness devotees. A prolific writer, he penned numerous satires on such topics as the eating habits of Forest Service bigwigs, the profanity patterns of lumberjacks and the genuflections of Supreme Court justices.

What's ironic is that Marshall died so peacefully at 38, not on the trail but while sleeping on a train, presumably from a heart attack. He had several near-death experiences in the outdoors, including two close encounters with grizzly bears.

This is an excellent work on one of the most important conservationists, a man who was also an explorer and a world-class hiker. Our rating: Three and one-half Stars.

For all of us who flunked Hiking 101, here's a remedial course: ``Hiker's Little Book of Wisdom'' (ISC Books; $6.95) by David Scott. This is for everyone who wonders whether they should take some water with them on a desert hike, who believe that new boots don't need to be broken in first, who don't understand that you tire faster at higher altitudes. (In all fairness, none of those is listed. Come to think of it, why weren't they?)

The small-format pages are brimming with rudimentary tips such as, ``The better you know the area in which you are hiking, the better off you'll be.''

Duh. But while Scott has a knack for overstating the obvious, the book isn't a complete throwaway. Some useful suggestions: Take condiments when backpacking, allow extra time whenever hiking in the winter and, when taking animal snapshots, ``Grab a quick photo before adjusting for perfect focus and exposure.''

The author does an adequate job considering the format. The problem is the Reader's Digest approach: There's no organization or context, just 400 isolated dos and don'ts that aren't particularly wise. Our rating: One and one-half Stars.

Do we need yet another guidebook on California hiking? Yes and no.

Another book touting treks in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is probably not necessary, but the saving grace of ``California's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide, Vol. 1, Mountains and Coastal Ranges'' (Westcliffe Publishers; $27.95) by George Wuerthner is that it contains excellent advice on coastal hikes.

Let's face it, hiking books about the state's famous backbone are as common as mosquitoes in an Alaska summer. But the coast offers some understated sites that are just as wondrous. I will take the author's advice on hikes in Point Reyes when I visit the national seashore this summer.

Wuerthner has done a good job of including a range of hikes, from easy to strenuous. Like those of many other hiking writers, however, his scale is gauged more to triathlon types than Sunday strollers.

The 328-page title also stands out because of superb photography, and the maps and graphics are more than adequate. But is the fancy packaging worth the price of the book? Our rating: Two and one-half Stars.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO (Color) One terrific title profiles a forgotten outdoors lover, two others are wilderness primers.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News