Roger and Loris Mitchell are no strangers to the lands they write about. Roger grew up in Trona, California, at the edge of Death Valley. There he developed a keen interest in geology and the environment around him. This led to hiking, backpacking, and mountain climbing, and writing about those experiences. Roger has hiked the entire Sierra Nevada from Lake Tahoe down to Kernville. After college, he lived for a number of years in Bishop, where he was active in the Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team. Loris comes from the western side of the Sierra Nevada, spending her summers as a youth at Bass Lake, in the morning shadow of Shuteye Peak. Her interest in flora, fauna, and history complements that of her husband. As a couple, the Mitchells have spent two years camping, hiking and traveling extensively in Europe, where they have covered the length and breadth of the continent, with additional forays into Africa and the Middle East. Their favorite place on earth is the picturesque little alpine village of Stechelberg, nestled in the Swiss Alps at the base of the Jungfrau.