Map, or no map? That is the question. [Archive] - WhiteBlaze

View Full Version : Map, or no map? That is the question.

Trooper

07-31-2009, 19:28

I am pretty much a weekend warrior. Every time I've hiked on the AT I've gone with a friend who's planned the trip. I know he uses his AT maps, but are they really necessary since the trail is marked? If I was going to plan a solo mission for a weekend or week long trip (and I am), what's the best resource to go to? Thank you!

saimyoji

07-31-2009, 19:42

i mostly hike the AT in PA and know the trail pretty well. I ALWAYS carry a map of the area i'm hiking. buy the KTA maps here:

http://www.kta-hike.org/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=86d182bb029e70144e42306f7e24565c

used to be you could buy the entire map set and guide book in one kit for like $30. seems thats changed. :(

Ranc0r

07-31-2009, 20:36

Maps weigh no more than a piece of paper. Have it and not need it? Or need it, and not have it? I know where I'd put MY money, whether I could die out there or whether there's a county road every 5 miles. Put your money where you'd like, friend.

I may not NEED to look at my map every 5 minutes, but I sure LIKE to know where I am.

Ranc0r
.

Fiddleback

07-31-2009, 20:37

There are benefits to carrying a map...even on a well marked trail. For example, the map can tell you where you are and how far you have to go to reach your destination or how much longer to you have to trudge up hill. Short on water? A map can help you find some nearby but off that well marked trail.

All in all, maps do far more than keep you from being lost.

FB

Blissful

07-31-2009, 20:54

There has been lots of threads on this debate. Do a search is your best option.

Suffice it to say, I never go without a map. Even in Shenandoah which is practically my backyard.

emerald

07-31-2009, 22:50

Expect a PM this weekend. I'll send you some links when I have more time.

gravy4601

08-01-2009, 00:23

i like having a map for the little senic things to see off the trail i allso carry the thru hiker hand book

NCYankee

08-01-2009, 13:22

I do print outs of the thru-hiker handbook (I like to reference them constantly to know how to set my next goal) and I always carry a map. In a nasty thunderstorm I got lost coming off Blood Mtn and if not for a map I would have been in bigger trouble than I was already in... I never go anywhere without a map/compass now.

Kerosene

08-01-2009, 16:59

You may not need a map to figure out where you are, or you may not care how much farther you have to go, but what if you need to quickly get off-trail in an emergency?

Wise Old Owl

08-01-2009, 17:36

I have seen over and over again one guy I hang out with who refuses to read a map carefully. He consistantly walked up the "appearance" of what he thought was a trail and was dead wrong. Hard headed he would continue to go in the primary direction even after realizing his mistake as if "I ment to do that" So far he has managed to stay out of trouble. He is very frustrating to hike with. In fact due to his behaviors in the woods I hardly hike with him anymore.

So take a good map.

JaxHiker

08-01-2009, 17:58

I also like to mark things along the way like water sources that might not be prominent enough to be marked, scenic points, possible campsites, etc.

emerald

08-01-2009, 18:44

Used to be you could buy the entire map set and guide book in one kit for like $30. Seems that's changed. :(

Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, 10th edition, 1998 is no longer available. The 11th edition is expected to be available around Labor Day.

ShelterLeopard

08-01-2009, 18:46

I've never needed a map, but I do like to know where I am, and if there was an emergency, it would be easier to find a way off the trail. But if you're out in hiker season, chances are someone else will have a map and be glad to let you see it. It's nearly impossible to get lost on the AT, except in those areas in PA where the hunting areas are marked with blazes the exact same size as AT blazes (and are also white).

ShelterLeopard

08-01-2009, 18:47

And water sources- I love to know where the water sources are. If I didn't carry a map, I'd definitely still carry the guidebook. It has always helped me.

emerald

08-01-2009, 18:55

PGC marks State Game Lands boundaries with white paint blazes that tend to be much less uniform in size and shape than AT blazes which should be 2x6 inches if painted correctly.

AT blazes face the AT. PGC boundary blazes are perpendicular to SGL boundaries. Oval, metal signs with white lettering on a red background may also be observed.

ShelterLeopard

08-01-2009, 19:02

Well, it still confused me. I only went a couple hundred feet when I realized that it just did not feel like the trail.

emerald

08-01-2009, 19:08

If I didn't carry a map, I'd definitely still carry the guidebook.

Carry both and a compass. It's easier to get disoriented than many believe until they've done it. A few weeks ago a Georgia to Maine hiker got turned around getting water at Allentown Shelter and had an enlightening experience before finding her way back.

ShelterLeopard

08-01-2009, 19:58

Carry both and a compass. It's easier to get disoriented than many believe until they've done it. A few weeks ago a Georgia to Maine hiker got turned around getting water at Allentown Shelter and had an enlightening experience before finding her way back.

I do carry a compass, and I wasn't actually lost for more than a minute or two, but I'm sure if I did get really lost I'd be able to (eventually) find my way back. Anyway, I never get lost- just that one time when I didn't realize that the hunting blazes were practically the same as the AT blazes, until I checked my guidebook. (I just thought that they'd been painted by someone who was drunk)

sheepdog

08-01-2009, 21:57