I might not hike with a map

[Mags]

i actually really like the idea of putting maps up in shelters. could give a good simple overview of the upcoming day. how long until water, elevation, distance to next shelter, scenic views/POI's. i mean it's the same purpose as carrying a map but still, it'd be nice

I picture something like a mall map. YOU ARE HERE.

Will this shelter map also show the nearest Orange Julius and Gap?

[JAK]

"I might not hike with a map"

If you are not hiking, do you need a map?

[Frosty]

"I might not hike with a map"

If you are not hiking, do you need a map?

After 4012 lame posts, this is really funny.

[emerald]

i actually really like the idea of putting maps up in shelters. could give a good simple overview of the upcoming day. how long until water, elevation, distance to next shelter, scenic views/POI's. i mean it's the same purpose as carrying a map but still, it'd be nice

I can think of several places in the AT county I live where such maps already exist. There are few additional places they'd stay where they're put and not be in need of constant replacement. I would add many of the shelters built more recently are situated on short blue-blazes which would require hikers leaving the AT to refer to these maps.

While this idea is not without merit, it still doesn't provide a map-in-hand when one may be needed most.

[Jack Tarlin]

Maps in shelters could well disappear (this happens a lot to maps at trailheads, on bulletin boards, kiosks, etc).

It'd be a great shame if folks didn't carry maps assuming that they didn't need them cuz they could count on there being one in the shelter.

You CAN'T count on this.

People should carry and use their own maps.

[Cabin Fever]

I got lost the other day hiking in the Bishop Hollow area near Roan Mountain proper. There were old logging roads, ATV trails, game trails and the AT (or so I thought) all coming together in one spot. I used my the topo to figure out where I was and shortly thereafter was back on the AT.

[Wags]

it wasn't my idea brosef. it was suggested earlier in this thread - and i was merely agreeing with it. but i personally like to look at the big maps posted at a lot of PA's state parks before i start out, as opposed to the little ones i carry w/ me, which i try to use as infrequent as possible. i'm not suggesting it as a replacement, but a nice little suppliment...

[emerald]

You no doubt would like the sign at PA 501 which has elevation profiles and distances to all POIs.

While the AT does pass through state parks, it is not a state park, but rather a national scenic trail. Just as Maine and Vermont are more attractive to some because of their prohibition of billboards along highways, it could be profitably argued the AT is more attractive without an excess of signs and advertising. Sometimes less is more.

[smokymtnsteve]

Maps on shelter walls aren't going to help you when you come upon a section or intersection that is not blazed as well as it might be.

will nobody said it was a perfect solution.

[trouthunter]

Although as mentioned earlier, maps in shelters would be vulnerable to vandalism, I still think it is a good idea. Heck, if nothing else it might get people to thinking about maps, who knows, the light bulb might go on. Also if someone wanted to vandalize a shelter they could build a fire in one.
It most certainly would not be a replacement for the individuals map, and as I posted earlier, I realize some people will not carry one, and it is possible to hike the AT without one.

[emerald]

It is possible to drive a car without insurance too although it is not advisable.

[trouthunter]

It is possible to drive a car without insurance too although it is not advisable.

I agree, just because you have the right, or ability, to do something, doesn't make it the wise thing to do.

[Zzzzdyd]

Info on how to navigate without a compass and/or map.


http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1

http://www.wilderness-survival-skill...direction.html






Info on how to use Compass and Maps:

http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syl.../3UFZYIN0OJ89O


Basic needs for survival
in the wilderness

Warmth
Maintaining ideal body temperature is crucial when dealing with survival in the wilderness. Our bodies operate within a narrow temperature range. You can't get too hot or too cold, or you'll die.

In most wilderness survival situation the challenge is to keep you warm, even in the desert. During daytime the sun and the high temperature is a problem and you need shadow, but during the night the land can cool rapidly and you need warmth.


Water

After we have secured our body temperature, we need to remain hydrated in order for biological processes to take place. The human body is 75 per cent water and need a constant supply of water to function. Water is essential to life.

The average person can survive for three days without water. Don't wait until you run out of water before you look for more.


Sleep

As humans we need a certain amount of sleep to remain rational. Without sleep, our minds begin to hallucinate and we become unable to make conscious decisions to better our situation.


Food

An average adult can survive for three weeks without food. Food is rarely the first priority.



Continue to learn more about survival in the wilderness.

Best of luck class of 2009. I will be the guy with the AAA road map
because all I will need to find is the AYCE places. Some of the nicest
people I have ever met were the ones I ask, "How do I _______"

[Blissful]

Not sure what good a map is posted at a shelter. Sure it would show you where you're at that night and what is ahead, but who then remembers it once they have left that morning? I don't have a photographic memory myself.

[Tin Man]

Not sure what good a map is posted at a shelter. Sure it would show you where you're at that night and what is ahead, but who then remembers it once they have left that morning? I don't have a photographic memory myself.

Mapless folk can simply make a copy on the back of their hand. Oh wait, that won't work - ink is heavy.

[Wags]

a guy could wake up and enjoy his coffee while checking out how far away water and where he would enjoy lunch would be

and the insurance thing is kinda weak. it's illegal to drive w/o insurance.

[emerald]

It is possible to drive a car without insurance too although it is not advisable.

the insurance thing is kinda weak. it's illegal to drive w/o insurance.

That would make driving without insurance inadvisable, now wouldn't it? True, hikers aren't required by law to purchase maps, but it's still a good idea.

We purchase insurance hoping we won't need it but realizing there's a chance we might. If only we could sell our insurance policies to someone else at the end of their terms and we could obtain as much useful and interesting information by reading them.

[Wags]

nope. health insurance would've been a better choice of analogies

[Tin Man]

This begs the question: how do people find the trail to begin with?

[Wags]

only those with maps find it. the others park along the side of the road and look for 'hiker-types' to drive by, and follow them