Huge BMT Elevation Profile

[Mr. Parkay]

hello,

Here's a link to an elevation profile for the entire BMT:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4650379/BMT-elevaton-Profile

It's way too big to print out... but I think it's pretty cool to look at...
At some point I'll try to break it up so that individual sections can be printed out.


--- Parkay

[Sly]

Not as flat as the APT or GPT!

[Gray Blazer]

I've done that last part from the right. 4000 ft elevation gain. Next time I'll do it in reverse. Good to hear from you.

[generoll]

Great profile. I'm guessing that Mount Sterling and Laurel Gap shelter are to the far right with Enloe Creek and Smokemont to the left a bit. Just like I pictured them when I was huffing and puffing up from Enloe Creek.

[Mr. Parkay]

I've done that last part from the right. 4000 ft elevation gain. Next time I'll do it in reverse. Good to hear from you.

Yeah, I remember Mt. Sterling well... I hiked the BMT Southbound and the 4000 foot climb up Mt. Sterling on the first day just about killed me!

[Sly]

It's way too big to print out... but I think it's pretty cool to look at...
At some point I'll try to break it up so that individual sections can be printed out.
--- Parkay

If you have REALLY good eyes it prints on 8.5 x 11".

[Mr. Parkay]

Great profile. I'm guessing that Mount Sterling and Laurel Gap shelter are to the far right with Enloe Creek and Smokemont to the left a bit. Just like I pictured them when I was huffing and puffing up from Enloe Creek.

Yep... and you can zoom in all the way to read the labels... plus you can download the pdf file so to navigate a little better.

[Mr. Parkay]

If you have REALLY good eyes it prints on 8.5 x 11".

Ha ha... my eyes are definitely not that good... Also, I can personally attest that the BMT is a lot Bumpier that the Pinhoti... except at the end of the Georgia Pinhoti, when it climbs up into the mountain to meet with the BMT

[EMAN]

I think I am about to do that last section to the right. From Smokemont to Davenport? Maybe over Labor Day.
Been to Mt. Sterling via Big Creek. Stayed soemwhere below Sterling the first night and did that climb the second and yes...holy crap...what a climb. Worst part was getting to the water source which was supposedly (and probably was) another 700 yds downhill. Then back up to the CS at Sterling. EEEk!
Anyway, this is great. But I can't seem to download the PDF. OE?

[Gray Blazer]

I've got some good pics from the tower on Mt Sterling in my WB gallery as well as a pic of Mr. Parkay on his AT thru-hike.

[Tipi Walter]

I checked out your profile map and past Hiway 64 and the level John Muir section it looks pretty good, but past Beech Gap going down to Cold Spring Gap and points further it's a pitiful, unmarked mess. Sassafras Gap? Where the heck is Sassafras Gap? And why is a gap on top of a mountain? Is Sassafras Gap supposed to be Big Fodderstack Mountain?

Upon cursory examination, starting past the Hiway 64 crossing and the level John Muir section, I see where it crosses Hiway 68 and begins the long climb up to Peels Top and over to Sandy Gap. Past here the trail climbs up to Sled Runner Gap and then the long downhill to Brookshire Creek. The short up is over Sugar Mt and points north.

The long up to the Whigg is obvious. And then the 500 foot drop to Mud Gap(unmarked), the short up to the Rock Quarry(unmarked), the down to North River road(unmarked), the quick uphill over Johns Knob(unmarked), and then the short down to a level Beech Gap, unmarked.

Past Beech Gap the profile map gets skewered and shows a long fairly steep downhill to someplace I'm not sure of, Cold Spring Gap? The new BMT connecter on Trail 149? It couldn't be near Cherry Log Gap as reaching it entails a climb. This whole section is unmarked and apparently wrong. Where's Crowders? Big Fodderstack? Little Fodderstack? Farr Gap? Slickrock Creek? Calderwood Lake?

[Mr. Parkay]

Hey Tipi,

It's good to see that you have analyzed the profile pretty thoroughly! I created the profile pretty fast (in about 2 hours) so I haven't added as many labels as I should... or checked it for errors or reroutes.

In regards to Sassafrass Gap, its kind of crazy how it's a "gap" but it looks like a mountain on the profiles. Anyhow, I suppose the word "gap" refers to it's position on the Appalachian trail, where Sassafras gap is on a ridge line. On the BMT, this point should probably be called a "ridge crossing". Map #26 of my maps shows showd the gap: http://picasaweb.google.com/Johnsonc80/BMTTopoMaps

I'm going to check out some of the other points that you mention... I'm curious if the profile is in error.. or needs labels

[Sly]

In regards to Sassafrass Gap, its kind of crazy how it's a "gap" but it looks like a mountain on the profiles. Anyhow, I suppose the word "gap" refers to it's position on the Appalachian trail, where Sassafras gap is on a ridge line.

That's probably correct. In relation to a trail, not all "gaps" are descents.

[Mr. Parkay]

I checked out your profile map and past Hiway 64 and the level John Muir section it looks pretty good, but past Beech Gap going down to Cold Spring Gap and points further it's a pitiful, unmarked mess. Sassafras Gap? Where the heck is Sassafras Gap? And why is a gap on top of a mountain? Is Sassafras Gap supposed to be Big Fodderstack Mountain?

Upon cursory examination, starting past the Hiway 64 crossing and the level John Muir section, I see where it crosses Hiway 68 and begins the long climb up to Peels Top and over to Sandy Gap. Past here the trail climbs up to Sled Runner Gap and then the long downhill to Brookshire Creek. The short up is over Sugar Mt and points north.

The long up to the Whigg is obvious. And then the 500 foot drop to Mud Gap(unmarked), the short up to the Rock Quarry(unmarked), the down to North River road(unmarked), the quick uphill over Johns Knob(unmarked), and then the short down to a level Beech Gap, unmarked.

Past Beech Gap the profile map gets skewered and shows a long fairly steep downhill to someplace I'm not sure of, Cold Spring Gap? The new BMT connecter on Trail 149? It couldn't be near Cherry Log Gap as reaching it entails a climb. This whole section is unmarked and apparently wrong. Where's Crowders? Big Fodderstack? Little Fodderstack? Farr Gap? Slickrock Creek? Calderwood Lake?

Here's a link to an updated version of the BMT profile... which has labels for most of the things mentioned above:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4662310/BMT-profile-v-11

It turns out that many of the features don't stand out very well, but they are there, and I'm pretty sure the elevation is correct (within acceptable limits anyway).

Farr gap and Little Fodderstack were especially hard to locate since "Farr Gap", isn't really a gap in term of it's position on the BMT... since you never go downhill, kind of like with Sassafras Gap. Little fodderstack doesn't look like a peak because it doesn't stand out in relation to the surrounding area.

notes:
The mileage on the graph in this are is about 1 mile off from the databook. The reason is complicated, but I might try to account for the difference at some point.

[Tipi Walter]

Okay, I studied the thing again and found my mistake. I carefully followed the contours off the Whigg north and found Mud Gap, the Rock Quarry, the North Fork road crossing, the Johns Knob crossing and the Beech Gap/Cold Spring Gap area. The big hump to the right of Whiggs Meadow is Big Fodderstack Mt, and then comes Farr Gap-Stiffknee down to Slickrock and up and over Ike Branch back down to Slickrock and the Lake which is the lowest point on the map or close to it.

The rest is either the climb up from the Lake to Deals Gap and the Hiway walk, or the climb up from the TwentyMile ranger station into the Park.

[Hikerhead]

TW, you can click on the graph and pull it right or left to see the whole trail. I don't know if you saw that.

[Mr. Parkay]

I must say that I really enjoy creating these profiles! It was tough to figure out the process... but now it's a piece of cake. Except the labels, which are a pain to add.

Anyhow, up next will be a profile of the Continental Divide Trail (for one of the routes anyway) I doubt it's ever been done before, so it should be interesting.

[Sly]

Anyhow, up next will be a profile of the Continental Divide Trail (for one of the routes anyway) I doubt it's ever been done before, so it should be interesting.

Excellent. It would be nice if you could do them with each Jonathan Ley map. Do you have those?

http://www.phlumf.com/travels/cdt/cdtmaps.shtml

PS If you'd like I can send you a CD with all the maps.

[Mr. Parkay]

Excellent. It would be nice if you could do them with each Jonathan Ley map. Do you have those?

http://www.phlumf.com/travels/cdt/cdtmaps.shtml

PS If you'd like I can send you a CD with all the maps.

Yeah... I was thinking the same thing. I'll have to talk with Jonathan Ley about it at some point to see if he's interested. I'll send him an email once I get some of these "Big Profiles" online... which should be in a couple of hours or less. It will consist of 4 profiles... one for each state. There will be hardly any labels on the first version... since that would talk a long time.... but they will be an excellent preview of what's to come.

by the way, I have a copy of his maps, so I'm all good there. I was thinking about hiking the CDT this year... but it didn't work out.

Also, the CDT profile will be based entirely on his Google Earth track of the CDT, since that's all I need to create the profile.

[Sly]

Also, the CDT profile will be based entirely on his Google Earth track of the CDT, since that's all I need to create the profile.

You have that? I reinstalled XP a few months ago and lost all my Google Earth stuff. I had the AT, BMT, CDT, PCT, and Grand Enchantment Trail. Haven't bothered to go find all of it again.

PS: Nevermind, found it on Jonathan's site.