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View Full Version : Umm, dumb question? (maps)



rafe
05-12-2008, 19:40
Plz excuse me if this is a really dumb question :confused: but... I haven't found any PCT equivalent for the canonical ATC maps of the AT. What I mean is, decent (?) topos of 20-50 mile sections of the trail corridor, large-scale, made to be carried, and hopefully with profiles? Have I missed it? What do most folks carry in the way of maps?

Plus any suggestions or tips for an upcoming (early-mid August) hike of Section P. I'm psyched. :D

rafe
05-13-2008, 09:31
Hmm.. not such a dumb question after all, I guess...

SGT Rock
05-13-2008, 09:35
I though I heard cickets chirping over here terrapin.

A-Train
05-13-2008, 09:49
Well, the section guidebook's come with maps, but they aren't as visually stimulating as the AT one's. These are part of the Schaeffer guidebooks.

A guy who hiked the trail last year named Erik The Black produced something called the PCT Atlas. Apparently they are fabulous maps that may include profiles. I didn't get a chance to spy them at the Kickoff. I've heard he did a really good job on them. The only knock I heard is the price. He divided them into the traditional 5 sections (So Cal, Central and Norcal, Oregon, Washington) and each is 25 bucks.

That's probably what you want.

A-Train
05-13-2008, 10:00
Terrapin,

Just checked out his site. Pctatlas.com Looks really cool and chocked with a lot of info. Only caveat is that it appears Northern Cal is not coming out until next year, after your hike. Maybe you can contact him to confirm.

Section P I believe is between I-5 and Etna? I enjoyed that section quite a bit, but remember it being somewhat dry in late July, however this is a wetter year. I remember there being no real good spots to camp until about 14-15 miles north of the highway. Deadfall Lake was a great place for a swim and camp. The Russian Wilderness has great scenary.

Etna is a true gem of a trailtown at the end. Small, incredibly friendly, very American, and all a hiker needs. Definately deserves a visit. The brewery isn't bad eiter. :)

Time To Fly 97
05-13-2008, 11:48
Go with pcta.org... They have suggestions. You won't get a matched set per say, but there are good maps. Many from Bureau of Land Managment (BLM) in the southern sections, etc.

Happy hiking!

TTF

rafe
05-13-2008, 22:55
Terrapin,

Just checked out his site. Pctatlas.com Looks really cool and chocked with a lot of info. Only caveat is that it appears Northern Cal is not coming out until next year, after your hike. Maybe you can contact him to confirm.

Section P I believe is between I-5 and Etna? I enjoyed that section quite a bit, but remember it being somewhat dry in late July, however this is a wetter year. I remember there being no real good spots to camp until about 14-15 miles north of the highway. Deadfall Lake was a great place for a swim and camp. The Russian Wilderness has great scenary.

Etna is a true gem of a trailtown at the end. Small, incredibly friendly, very American, and all a hiker needs. Definately deserves a visit. The brewery isn't bad eiter. :)

Section P (yes, Castle Crags to Etna) was highly recommended in a thread I started a couple of months ago, and having figured out the logistics of it, Section P it is. I've got the fat paperback book that covers this section, and I suppose at last resort I could cut that section out and take it with me. Curious what PCT hikers do... do you even bother with maps, or just go with the guides?

I do get the sense that this will be very little like the AT. For one thing, it's been eons since I went 100 miles between resupply. (Specifically, September 1990 from Katahdin to Monson.) If time allows & we feel like it, we might continue north for a day or two from Etna. We're not planning to hike more than 15 miles per day.

FreeTheWeasel
05-14-2008, 00:57
Plz excuse me if this is a really dumb question :confused: but... I haven't found any PCT equivalent for the canonical ATC maps of the AT. What I mean is, decent (?) topos of 20-50 mile sections of the trail corridor, large-scale, made to be carried, and hopefully with profiles? Have I missed it? What do most folks carry in the way of maps?

Plus any suggestions or tips for an upcoming (early-mid August) hike of Section P. I'm psyched. :D

Greetings,

Try this site for free topos.

http://www.hikertrash.com/

I just moved out to Oregon myself so I have not had the chance or pleasure to hike the PCT myself but I hope to soon.

Best of luck

FreeTheWeasel

chris
05-14-2008, 10:08
The guides have the all the maps you need, unless you are planning on side routes, such as in the Sierra. You don't need elevation profiles and they are not all that helpful. Indeed, I found myself more annoyed with the AT profiles after I hiked the PCT.


So, buy the guides and the data book and call it good. Spending another $125 for the PCTAtlas just doesn't sound like a good idea to me, but if you want something for your coffee table, then it might be right.

A-Train
05-14-2008, 12:32
Section P (yes, Castle Crags to Etna) was highly recommended in a thread I started a couple of months ago, and having figured out the logistics of it, Section P it is. I've got the fat paperback book that covers this section, and I suppose at last resort I could cut that section out and take it with me. Curious what PCT hikers do... do you even bother with maps, or just go with the guides?

I do get the sense that this will be very little like the AT. For one thing, it's been eons since I went 100 miles between resupply. (Specifically, September 1990 from Katahdin to Monson.) If time allows & we feel like it, we might continue north for a day or two from Etna. We're not planning to hike more than 15 miles per day.

Cool. I strongly urge you to continue on if you have an extra couple days. The section between Etna and Seiad is stellar-loved that Marble Mountain Wilderness. Then again, a zero in Etna at the end of the hike wouldn;t be bad either.

You will like section P, hopefully more so than the AT. No shelters, but great views, level trails, and (hopefully) sunshine everyday. 'Tis the life, IMO.

sarbar
05-14-2008, 16:16
I am carrying Erik's series as they come out. Yes, they are pricey. Are they worth it? Yes. I cannot wait for the Washington book to come out this July!

Btw, if you want maps, they have produced gorgeous full color maps through the NF Service. You can get them on PCTA's site and at REI and other places. For instance, Wa has 2 maps. If you want super detailed for Wa and Oregon look at Green Trail's maps. They are not cheap though - $5 per map.

rafe
05-14-2008, 23:24
Greetings,

Try this site for free topos.

http://www.hikertrash.com/

I just moved out to Oregon myself so I have not had the chance or pleasure to hike the PCT myself but I hope to soon.

Best of luck

FreeTheWeasel

Promising, but nothing at all for Section P. Looks like DeLorme is my best bet. Nice hiking in OR. I've hike a bit in southern Washington (around Mt. Adams) and down near Bend (The Three Sisters.) Nice country.

rafe
05-14-2008, 23:31
You will like section P, hopefully more so than the AT. No shelters, but great views, level trails, and (hopefully) sunshine everyday. 'Tis the life, IMO.

Do you think a 3 liter platy, per person, is adequate for water stowage in Section P in early August? (I'll probably have a 20 oz soda bottle for reserve/backup also.)

fiddlehead
05-15-2008, 07:09
When we hiked it much of the pct in the winter of 2001/2002, we needed good maps as it was mostly snow covered.
So we used the Delorme topo program and printed out what we needed. For turns that might be snow covered, we often right clicked and added a gps point before printing.

worked great and we had maps as detailed as we wanted.
Not sure when you are going but the guidebook maps are fine. also, there's lots of footprints to follow unless you are in the front. Not a whole lot of people up there besides pct hikers. You will get to know who has what tread on their shoes and see which we they go sometimes at junctions. have fun.

Also, i posted a way that you can draw the trail onto google earth and transfer the route to your gps. It was about a week ago but you can search for it.

Mad Hatter 08
05-16-2008, 22:03
i checked out yogi's books at the kick-off and they are pretty nice, they are meant to be torn out of the guide that is why the are spiral bound. http://pcthandbook.com/

A-Train
05-16-2008, 22:27
Do you think a 3 liter platy, per person, is adequate for water stowage in Section P in early August? (I'll probably have a 20 oz soda bottle for reserve/backup also.)

Yes, definately

Sly
05-26-2008, 21:37
More Than A Mile has PCT maps on CD. Northern CA would be $14. From what I've seen they look pretty good. You can also get the northern CA guidebook with text and maps for about the same on Amazon

www.morethanamile.com