Re: [at-l] reading maps was Re: Re yogi-ing hikers

My favorite exammple of reading maps is one I have told here before.  Upon
starting a weekend hike heading south from High Point, NJ we ran into a
couple coming off the trail.  they had all new equipment right down to the
chair hanging from his pack.  It looked like they went into the outfitters
and upon handing over his American Express card said "give me everything
we need".  He complained that the NYNJTC map was all wrong in that from a
particular place on the trail Lake Rutherford was way out of place.  When
I got to that view spot, I pulled out my copy of the same map and,
orienting it using the sun and my watch, found the lake right where it
should have been.  Looking at the trail I realized that the trail was in a
bend too small to show on the map and he must have oriented his map to the
trail.  I assume he carries a CP in case he gets lost.

As far as ups and downs go, one must remember that most contour intervals
are 20'.  10' ups and downs every few feet are as or more arduous than a
long climb but will show on the map as level.  This has suckered me
numerous times.
Rich

> 
> Aw gee. I don't think we're extreme on BPL...Nah..not really... well not me.
> 
> I thought I'd toss my two cents in as to why I tend to carry the data book, maps and guidebooks for
> the section(s) I'm hiking in.
> 
> I've generally found the maps to actually be pretty good. I actually don't know why so many people
> bitch at them and say they're wrong and the trail is either way harder or way easier than they
> imply. My suspision is that some people don't really know how to read the maps, but that is just a
> guess. I'm sure many people look at a profile map and then wonder why the trail is going up and down
> so much because on the map it did not do that. Or maybe people forget that just because the trail
> follows a contour line on a map that doesn't mean it is flat. It could change elevation within that
> line all the time (and often does).  I find the map useful for geting a sense of the land I'm in.
> I've rarely had to use the map to get myself un-misplaced. A compass is much more useful for that
> purpose. However, a map can be quite handy if I want to take an alternate route.
> 
> The Data Book is a great quick reference. It lets me determine how far things are from me and I can
> find the informaiton much more quickly in it than I usually can on a map even though it is usually
> printed there too.
> 
> The guidebooks are a bit varied in the details they give, but some are exceptional and I really
> enjoy reading them. I enjoy reading the trail descriptions (at least glancing at them) and then
> reading any local history or about points of interest that the guides might mention. They help make
> the area come alive for me. I learn things I might otherwise never find out about or even know I
> should explore.
> 
> This is an area where I definteily don't go lightweight. I hate cutting up books. They fall apart on
> me so I take the entire databook and guide and map(s) for the secitons I'm in. I could save
> considerable weight if I did cut them up, but I don't think I'll ever do that. If I did I'd be one
> of those "extreme" folks OB is thinking of over on BPL... :) 
> 
>   ** Ken **
>   
> On 12/8/00 at 8:27 PM, Orange Bug <orangebug74@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Usually the biggest tuckerizing conflict involves underwear, extreme
> > first aid gear (Epi-pen with no allergy history), water purification
> > schemes, Gatorade Powder(T) (yum,yum!), and the like. The folks over on
> > BPL can get a bit extreme in their quest for the complete sub-15 pound
> > winter backpack and gear. But I don't recall such shenannigans here.
> 
> **  Kenneth Knight    Web Design, IT Consultant, Software Engineer  **
> **       krk@speakeasy.org        http://www.speakeasy.org/~krk     **
> * From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *
> 

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