[at-l] guide books and maps - must have???

[DataBook97@aol.com (DataBook97@aol.com)]

In a message dated 1/17/02 4:01:35 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
papa_bear_nyc@yahoo.com writes:


> The current Guide has no such detailed trail descriptions but it has vastly
> more information on general information, geography, glaciation, road 
> access,
> supply points, history, points of interest, etc. 

       As a member of the Publications Committee of ATC, I can say that there 
seems to be a general consensus among the committee that this is the 
direction that our guidebooks should be moving in.  The comment has been made 
that, given the generally excellent blazing of the Trail today, there is 
really no need to have a very detailed description that reads something like:

       0.1  Turn right.  Then, in another 100 feet, turn left and pass large 
rock to right of Trail.  Trail ascends briefly, then descends gradually.

The feeling is that hikers don't need that level of detail, since (1) the 
blazes make it clear where you are going, and (2) comments that the trail 
ascends, then descends, are pretty much useless, since you generally can't 
pinpoint exactly where you are anyway.   (I might add that this is confirmed 
by the many comments on this list advising thru-hikers not to carry the added 
weight of guidebooks, since you don't really need them anyway.)  Instead, it 
is felt that what potential purchasers of guidebooks really want is 
information on the general nature of the hike, and background information 
about the things that they will be seeing along the Trail.  We are trying to 
rewrite the guidebooks with this in mind.  

       As to the north-south orientation of the guidebooks, I guess you could 
call that a "political" question.  All I can say is that the AT is supposed 
to run "from Maine to Georgia" -- right?  Actually, though, since it seems 
that relatively few thru-hikers use the guidebooks anyway, it should not 
really matter to them which way the quidebooks are written.  It seems that 
most guidebooks are purchased by "casual" hikers, who have no intention of 
hiking the entire Trail -- or even an entire section of the Trail, as 
represented by the guidebook -- but just want to try out a few selection 
portions.  

       Some of your other suggestions sound good, and we will take them into 
consideration when publishing new editions of the guidebooks.

                   Daniel Chazin


--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/alternative
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
  text/html
---