Handbook-Maps

[2009ThruHiker]

I am wondering if i buy the handbook and maps today and something happens (job loss, etc.)to prevent our thru-hike this year....which is the only year we will have a chance to do it due to other future plans...will i have good luck trying to resell the stuff?
I want to start planning but I don't want to make the investment this far out and get no return on it either should we not use them.

thanks for your thoughts in advance.

[Doughnut]

yeah, you'd probably be able to sell them in pieces on eBay or here. Maybe even a return, if they are unopened, I am not sure of the return policy with ATC..

I bought a few sections on eBay, mainly to dream and plan.

DoughNut

[Joe8484]

Sure South Bounders would probably looking for maps/guides around the time you make your decisions

[max patch]

You don't need the maps to "plan", you need the maps when you start hiking.

The handbooks and Jack Tarlins resupply guide can help you plan resupplys now if you want to do so. Tarlins guide is on this website and you can download for free a copy of this years companion from aldha.

Don't buy the maps now. Right now the map set is $165. Around Thanksgiving the map set and the data book and all of the ATC guidebooks will be on sale for just a bit over that -- guessing $175 or so. Most people don't take the guidebooks on a thru, but you will use them the rest of your life as you plan weekend and section hikes (directions are given for most trail and road crossings).

Don't obsess over planning. When I left Springer the only thing I knew was that I was going to resupply at Neels Gap. I did all other "planning" as I hiked.

[2009ThruHiker]

thanks-max!

[rafe]

Download the aldha guides (www.aldha.org) -- PDFs, and they're free. You don't need the maps for planning, necessarily. Good to have while hiking, though.

[max patch]

Companion:

http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm

Jack Tarlin's resupply article:

http://whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart1

The link to Jack's article above is part 1 of 5. The links to the other 4 parts are in the menu on the left.

[2009ThruHiker]

awesome.thanks_again.

[BigBlue]

I would buy the Appalachian Pages guide, even though I have found a few discrepencies, it's a good data source with the trail relief on each page. It would give you something tangible to hold whilst dreaming, computer files are good to an extent but books are where it's at. Personally I wouldn't bother with the maps, but that's just my oppinion.

[Jack Tarlin]

Actually, that book had a lot of discrepancies this, not just a few. And I'm curious.....have you ever hiked the Trail? If so, how much?

While it's perfectly true that many folks have successfully thru-hiked without using Trail maps, this isn't particularly good advice, either on the A.T. or anywhere else. Unless one is traversing land that one personally knows intimately, going into the woods or mountains anywhere without a current map and the knowledge of how to read it is pretty bad advice.

[TJ aka Teej]

BigBlue, the ALDHA "computer file" is a free online copy of the book.
I agree with Jack completely regarding trail maps.