Mapping

[keidallmer]

So quite honestly, I have no idea how to go about keeping track of how many miles my group is going to be hiking. Any tips?

Much appreciated,
Kei

[sasquatch2014]

Most guide books will give you milage between locations there is also a good web based distance calculator at http://www.ragtag.org/dbatdist.html

[booney_1]

At the bottom of the AT maps there is a profile strip that shows elevation (y-axis) and x axis is miles. Landmarks, such as road crossings,shelters and springs are also shown. This makes it a lot easier to keep track of where you are.

Once you are familiar with your group's hiking speed, time is a very good indicator of distance. For average people on a weekend hike, it alway surprises them how slow they hike. (1 1/2 miles/hour is a good speed for scout troops on the AT)

When I'm using a map that does not show the trail profile, I'll sit down at home and draw one out. It's alot easier at home to count contour lines and measure distance.

This is a good question...many people have no idea how far they've gone.

[greentick]

For planning purposes in GA/NC/TN I multiply the number of hours of daylight by 1.3-1.5 to get the number of mile we will cover. This includes all activities between wake up and rack out time.