While some people choose to bring bubbling water fountains and the sounds of nature into their environments, Sheri McGregor prefers to enjoy nature outdoors.

"I love it when you get out on a trail, and the wind gets into the trees, and the grass will rustle," she said. "It's like music. It's almost like (nature is) saying 'hush, hush' -- urging you to be quiet and relax."

A native of San Diego, McGregor has hiked most of her life. In 2002, she got the idea to share her love of the outdoor sport with others, and began writing "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego" (Menasha Ridge Press, $16.95).

"Getting out in nature allows me to be a child again," she said.

The book is designed to take the guesswork out of nature walks for experienced hikers and wannabe trailblazers. It includes maps and directions to each area and recommendations in categories such as view hikes, birding hikes, steep hikes, coastal hikes, wildlife hikes and family hikes. Information includes length, degree of difficulty, configuration, trail surface, facilities such as toilets, and nearby activities.

Other guides exist, she said, but "it seemed that when you got out there and did a hike, it felt as if the hiker only went halfway and just guessed the rest. I'm one of those diehard people, and I've just got to get to the pinnacle."

McGregor's book addresses questions such as whether a hike is good for children, or whether there's a gaping cliff along the path. There's information about wildlife and vegetation, things that people don't know but might need to know, she said.

The Escondido resident had completed the book, was finishing her editing and was about to turn it in to her publisher when disaster struck. The 2003 October wildfires changed everything, causing a six-month postponement.

"It changed the landscape completely in some areas," she said. She re-hiked some places to make sure they were the same. "I'm really glad that I got to hike those areas and see them before the fires. Some are still closed, and you can't get into them."

She redid about a quarter of the book, so it is up-to-date, she said. The do-over was actually therapeutic.

"Getting out there on the hikes helped me to feel better," she said. "And it was so exhilarating to see how life came back from that blackened earth and also to see wildlife coming back. It was kind of like a lesson that even if you go through a bad time you can still come out strong."

McGregor, who is averse to hiking alone, is often joined on hikes by her husband, Brian, a stucco contractor, and their children, Rory, 20, Sam, 17, Hilary, 16, Henry, 14, and Mia, 12.

Besides writing the book, McGregor is also enrolled in college, working on a double major in psychology and English.

"Plugging along going to school, working in my husband's business and taking care of the kids," she said. "And I've got a 3.9 GPA, which I'm really proud of."

Being a good mom and providing a good home were only part of her dreams. She was a closet writer for years. Her impetus to move forward with her writing career was a legacy, in a way. When her mom died, she found a collection of "absolutely beautiful" poetry she had written.

"She had always said she would like to write a book, but she always put herself last," McGregor said. "She was a typical mom of that age. It was like she had left me a gift, and I realized if I was going to have my dream I had to get started."

So she took a class on novel writing. "And I can remember reading something aloud I had written in there and I thought, 'Wow! This is where I belong.'"

Her classes are evenings and weekends, but her children are independent and help each other out. "I couldn't do it without their help and support," she said. "And hopefully I'm setting a good example for them that you can have it all. Follow your dream -- even if the house is messy."

Besides her hiking book, she has published two novels and written fiction and nonfiction articles on subjects from fitness and travel to home decor.

Her biggest hope now is that when people read "60 Hikes," they will be inspired to get out and experience the childlike wonder that flows from nature. And in San Diego County, there's just so much of it, she said.

She was hard pressed, at first, to name a favorite hike. She likes Palomar Mountain. There's the Lake Poway hikes, and Clevenger Canyon on the south side, And she finds the Wilderness Gardens Preserve "just enchanting." She recommends Anza-Borrego if you like the desert in the springtime, but really, it depends on what you're in the mood for, she said.

"I like the ones where, even just a few steps away, you can feel like you're really in the wilderness," she said.

She especially enjoys hiking with her husband. "We can get out on the trail and in a few minutes everything just falls away, and you feel better," she said. "Whether it's your marriage partner, your friend, or your kids, it's a nice way to engage. It's a really good thing relationship-wise. Even your relationship with yourself, because you can actually hear your thoughts without ambient noise and the phone ringing."

Nature has been there and it will continue on, she said. "We bring it into our homes and make it part of us," she said. "It really is important."

For information about "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Diego," visit sandiegohikes.com.

Contact staff writer Agnes Diggs at (760) 740-3511 or adiggs@nctimes.com.