View Full Version : AT Map 7 - Pointless?
Anumber1
04-07-2009, 22:09
How pointless is this map? its like 20 miles. What is the point of this thing. I'm not carrying this stupid thing. Its bad enough they only use one side of the paper for the shenandoah/Virginia sections, but this map #7 is just worthless.
I guess you could call this a rant.
Blissful
04-07-2009, 22:13
A map is never worthless when you are in trouble...
TrippinBTM
04-09-2009, 08:46
I hear ya, though. There's a map in PA that's 18 miles (is that the one you're referring to?). That's about one day of hiking. I didn't know it until I'd bought it, actually, until I was on the trail and really looked at it. Very annoying.
When I thru-hiked I carried the maps just for the fact that I liked looking at the elevation profiles. Beyond that I really did not use them.
Blue Jay
04-11-2009, 10:32
When I thru-hiked I carried the maps just for the fact that I liked looking at the elevation profiles. Beyond that I really did not use them.
Have recent elevation profiles been upgraded? They used to be complete fiction. Fun when mountains had been removed, but irritating when they misteriously appeared.
Pedaling Fool
04-11-2009, 11:26
How pointless is this map? its like 20 miles. What is the point of this thing. I'm not carrying this stupid thing. Its bad enough they only use one side of the paper for the shenandoah/Virginia sections, but this map #7 is just worthless.
I guess you could call this a rant.
There's room for improvemtent with all maps, they are nice to have to approximate your day's exertion -- to a point. However, the real purpose of a map, (on the AT) is for emergencies, every thing else is added benefit or a big disappointment when it's wrong.
FWIW, everytime I do a long-distance bike ride I find a ton of mistakes on the map. The most frustrating mistakes are when the town indicated on the map is now a ghost town and I'm in desperate need of water, I've learned to plan on that. No map will be 100% accurate, you need to always have a back-up plan.
There's a map in PA that's 18 miles (is that the one you're referring to?). That's about one day of hiking.
That AWESOME! When you actually start thru-hiking, finishing a map becomes an important milestone. You'll be stoked when you smile to yourself and think "Finished that bad boy in a DAY!"
TrippinBTM
04-12-2009, 11:45
Yeah, but the weight of it for one stupid day, kinda turned me sour on it*. My milestone with maps was getting to the post office to send them home, haha.
Seriously tho, it is a good feeling when you finish a map. Especially the first one.
*the fact that my pack was way heavier than I wanted it to be is partially to blame here.
OK, I know this is a thread for thru-hikers and I understand the frustrations of those who will cover the length of this map in one day. But, I have to point out that while this PATC map may not be the most economical for long-distance hikers, it's a fantastic map for day-hikers, overnighters, section-hikers, and anyone who might be thinking about camping, building fires, or accessing (or leaving) the A.T. at any point between Route 7 and Harpers Ferry, 20 miles north.
One thing that makes this map especially valuable is that it so clearly shows land management boundaries. You can see exactly where that 1000-foot-on-average corridor of NPS land (acquired for the A.T.) is located. At times, the A.T. is right on the edge of that land, just a few feet away from private land. Useful to know when pitching your tent or during hunting season. On this map you can also see the complex boundaries of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in three states, where camping and fires are prohibted.
The inset maps of the town Harpers Ferry and Blackburn Trail Center are also useful to many hikers.
It's also happens to be a great map for trail maintainers and corridor boundary maintainers; volunteers monitoring rare flowers, large mammals, and American chesnuts; ridgerunners, fire and rescue personnel, and nearby landowners.
Laurie Potteiger
ATC
Toolshed
04-12-2009, 18:07
I agree with LaurieP. There are many more useful things to glean from a map than just which way the trail goes - Especially for those who go back to that section from time to time. I wouldn't think as a thruhiker, one would want to carry them all. .
TrippinBTM
04-12-2009, 20:27
well, not all at once, no. I loved having the maps. A picture says a thousand words, very useful for many things.
Anyways, Lacie makes a good point. But why they could have made the map more than 18 miles, the rest of them are. And double sided would be nice too. Saves everyone money and weight.
Have recent elevation profiles been upgraded? They used to be complete fiction. Fun when mountains had been removed, but irritating when they misteriously appeared.
Well back in 97 I found them to be for the most part semi accurate. Trail reroutes, etc did cause some problems with the maps and I was not looking at them as being the complete truth but they usually laid out what my next day's hike was gonna look like.