Ignored by ALDHA

[XCskiNYC]

Wanting to improve the accuracy of the info in the ALDHA Companion, I e-mailed them in early November re their entry on the Ten Mile River shelter in CT. They say the water source, hand pump, is 0.2 miles north of the shelter.

It's actually 100 feet south and west (to the left as you're facing the front of the shelter).

This detail is important because 0.2 north is on the other side of Ten Mile River.

Unfortunately, the 2010 Companion retains the incorrect information.

They also still list the GCT-Pawling/AT Stop commuter train fare as $11.00/$15.25 off-peak/peak when it's been $13.00/$17.25 since March 2009.

[emerald]

It's difficult to be diplomatic at times given the manner in which people here sometimes post.

[climber2377]

sometimes people get confused with north and south, i m not familiar with the area you are talking about but, in the books north is trail north not compass north. so east is always to the right when you are going north on the trail and west is always to the left, even if you are going in a southely direction on the trail, if you are hiking to maine, you are considered to be going north in the books.

[GGS2]

Weird but understandable. Many cities work this way: the grid is a little skew, but everyone understands that North and South are not true or magnetic directions: they are grid directions. However, on a trail or where the city grid changes or perhaps isn't rectilinear, this can get confusing fast.

I guess that data book writers want to avoid getting hikers turned around when the trail is momentarily inverted; in the wrong direction. But when hikers check their navigation by sun or other fixed references, they have to keep that in mind. Perhaps most hikers just follow the white highway, without checking at all.

[Ox97GaMe]

The information may not necessarily have been ignored. you stated that you gave them this info in November. That may have been too late to make this years publication date. Changes in information needs to be verified. There are regional coordinaters taht are given this task. The regional rep may not have been able to verify it during the winter months. Also, the books need to be edited, printed, and distributed to the retailers in time to be available for the thru hiker season.

One cant assume that changes occur immediately. If you want to verify that this change will be in next year's companion, offer to work with the regional rep, maybe even go out to the shelter with them to show them. When doing this however, you will need to be flexible to work within their schedule. These folks are volunteers and gather information updates when time permits.

You may also want to let the trail maintaining club know that this is incorrect. They can then add appropriate signage at the shelter to alert hikers that may be misdirected by the information in the companion.

[Manwich]

The pump is within direct sight of the shelter.

[bulldog49]

Wanting to improve the accuracy of the info in the ALDHA Companion, I e-mailed them in early November re their entry on the Ten Mile River shelter in CT. They say the water source, hand pump, is 0.2 miles north of the shelter.

It's actually 100 feet south and west (to the left as you're facing the front of the shelter).

This detail is important because 0.2 north is on the other side of Ten Mile River.

Unfortunately, the 2010 Companion retains the incorrect information.

They also still list the GCT-Pawling/AT Stop commuter train fare as $11.00/$15.25 off-peak/peak when it's been $13.00/$17.25 since March 2009.

My thought is if you are sincere in being helpful, why don't you contact ALDHA directly instead of posting here? My guess is, as someone else suggested, is they received your info too late to confirm it and get it entered in the month or so before it was published.

[JustaTouron]

sometimes people get confused with north and south, i m not familiar with the area you are talking about but, in the books north is trail north not compass north. so east is always to the right when you are going north on the trail and west is always to the left, even if you are going in a southely direction on the trail, if you are hiking to maine, you are considered to be going north in the books.

Suggestion to trail book writers.....maybe where trail and true are very different make that clear......

e.g. "100 feet N(AT);SW(C)"

AT meaning in the direction of the trail towards Baxter. C being compass. I avoided Trail and True. Because Tr could mean either.

Would not need to included this for directions...if it clear..roads only go two directions. Telling someone to go west when the road really goes SW and NE should not be a problem. But if the trail has done a switch back it might be nice to do something like this. "2m E(AT)W(C)" if they are in fact going to be walking into the sunset to get to town.

[Lone Wolf]

his years Companion is bigger and heavier than the other 2 guides

[Jester2000]

In the future, the original poster may want to contact ALDHA earlier than November for inclusion in the following year's Companion. In addition, I don't know where he sent the info, but contacting the field editor for that section would be the way to go.

They actually enjoy getting help.

As for the directional thing, I don't see the point in making things any more complicated than they need to be. Four directions work just fine.

[GGS2]

...
As for the directional thing, I don't see the point in making things any more complicated than they need to be. Four directions work just fine.

I wonder if you are like my wife, who continually entertains me with directional references like "See the bird? It's there at 2o'clock," leaving me to wonder if she means relative to the direction she is facing, or the trail direction, or something else, perhaps wherever she happened to be looking before she noticed the bird. I think it's usually the latter. She often assumes I know what she's talking about, see what she's seeing. And when I finally understand which direction I'm supposed to look, I get, "Oh, it's gone now." Diverting, but not always effective.

[JustaTouron]

As for the directional thing, I don't see the point in making things any more complicated than they need to be. Four directions work just fine.

I wonder if you are like my wife, who continually entertains me with directional references like "See the bird? It's there at 2o'clock," leaving me to wonder if she means relative to the direction she is facing, or the trail direction, or something else, perhaps wherever she happened to be looking before she noticed the bird. I think it's usually the latter. She often assumes I know what she's talking about, see what she's seeing. And when I finally understand which direction I'm supposed to look, I get, "Oh, it's gone now." Diverting, but not always effective.

I think four directions COULD work fine. If the all the hikers on the AT carried a compass and the editors used east to mean the direction in which the sun rises and west to mean where it sets. Instead of left and right of a winding trail. North of a shelter next to winding trail means almost nothing.

[Cookerhiker]

.... As for the directional thing, I don't see the point in making things any more complicated than they need to be. ....

What? Wait a minute - I thought you prided yourself on doing just that.

[Manwich]

I think four directions COULD work fine. If the all the hikers on the AT carried a compass and the editors used east to mean the direction in which the sun rises and west to mean where it sets. Instead of left and right of a winding trail. North of a shelter next to winding trail means almost nothing.

If a hiker wants to know where the water is, then he'll need to learn where north, south, left and right are. ALDHA doesn't need to baby him, he's backpacking.

[the goat]

North of a shelter next to winding trail means almost nothing.

not if the direction "north" denotes the direction of the trail as it heads north. most figure this out on day one.

[Jester2000]

I have yet to be at a shelter and been so confused as to where the water is that I had to break out a compass or a guidebook. But that's because I'm always carrying a dowsing rod.

[BobTheBuilder]

This detail is important because 0.2 north is on the other side of Ten Mile River.

Well, if you try to cross a river to get to a water source, maybe hiking isn't for you.

[Mags]

I hate it when GoogleMaps tell me to take I-95N when I-95 is obviously going west....

[Ender]

Well, if you try to cross a river to get to a water source, maybe hiking isn't for you.

This made me laugh out loud at my desk. Coworkers now think I'm nuts.

[XCskiNYC]

Well, if you try to cross a river to get to a water source, maybe hiking isn't for you.

Au contraire, anybody who fords the Ten Mile River with a heavy pack, they're probably going to be a very successful hiker.