[pct-l] PCT Atlas

[Bill]

I decided to go back and cut/paste the pertinent information about the
upgrades coming to the Atlas books.  The beginning of this email I snipped
a touching piece on Erik and his relationship with his father who passed
away without warning last week.   The end of this email had a couple
pictures of the new Atlas look, but they do not pass through the PCT-L site
to share them.   If you go to pctatlas.com you can sign up to be included on
future announcements.

 

PG

 

<snip>

 

I have invested everything I had into the PCT Atlas and I need to
start recouping some money from this project now. So here is what
I'm going to do...

The big announcement that I had planned to make next spring is that
all five second edition PCT Atlases will be in FULL COLOR! When I
originally envisioned this project they were going to feature full
color maps but due to budget constraints I had to go with grayscale
for the first editions.

Color makes for a huge improvement. It is much easier to identify
features on the maps and contour line visibility has been improved
100%.

All of the icons denoting trail features like: campsites, water
sources, etc. are now also in full color and I have added a bunch
of new feature icons such as: creek fords in the Sierra, bear
boxes, trail registers, and more.

Landmarks are of course still named, numbered and cross-referenced
between the elevation profiles, maps and data tables, and are now
marked in an easy-to-read bright-yellow font. 

The elevation profiles have been improved with even more data points.

The books are still the same small size and will still weigh in at
only 4 ounces apiece and cover more than 500 miles of trail each.

So here's the deal with the 2nd editions:

Volume 1 (Southern California) and Volume 2 ( Central California)
are already done. Volume 3 ( Northern California) and Volume 5 
(Washington) are nearly done and will be ready before the Kickoff in
2009. Volume 4 ( Oregon) will probably not be ready until May.

In about a week I will send Volumes 1 & 2 to my book manufacturer
to be printed and I will start accepting pre-orders. The first two
volumes should be ready to ship before the end of January and they
will cover the first 1,100 miles from the Mexico border to Echo Lake.

Volumes 3 and 5 are nearly finished so I will be sending those to
the printer sometime in February and they will be ready to ship in
April.

Volume 4 will be ready to ship in May or early June at the latest,
well-before you get to Oregon if you are thru hiking northbound.

I am going to offer two options for ordering:

Option 1: You can pre-order the entire 5-volume set and I will ship
them to you as each book comes out (to wherever you like: home,
resupply person, general delivery, etc.). If you choose this option
I will also cover the cost of shipping for all of the books.

Option 2: You can order the books one at a time as they become
available. If you choose this option you'll have to pay shipping
for each book.

The per-book price will be the same whether you order the entire
set or individual books, but if you pre-order the whole set you
will save some money on shipping and you'll be first in line when
the books become available.

I'm sure you're wondering how much the new PCT Atlas is going to
cost. Well, I'll be honest with you. They are not going to be
cheap. Pacific Crest Trail hikers are not a big group. I believe
this is the reason why our trail has been so neglected in the guide
book department for so long.

I figure the only way I can turn this into a profitable business is
to either water down the content (and add more fluff) to try to
appeal to everyone who walks into an REI (which I don't want to do)
or charge a premium price to keep producing a product that appeals
to "serious" PCT hikers. I've chosen the later.

The PCT Atlas will be a premium product designed specifically for
the needs of long distance hikers who plan to spend a significant
amount of time on the trail. I have designed them from the bottom
up to provide maximum on-trail usability in the smallest, lightest,
simplest format possible.

In that respect, the PCT Atlas is more of a tool than a book. So I
will be pricing the complete set similar to other pieces of
specialized trail gear.

But I'm certain you'll find them to be worth every single penny.
I've poured my heart and soul into these books. The feedback I have
received from 2008 hikers who carried the PCT Atlas has been
overwhelmingly positive, sometimes bordering on fanatical. I will
be sharing some of the notes I have received from raving PCT Atlas
fans in future emails.

Stay turned for more information about the new PCT Atlas 2nd
Edition, including a new free chapter which you can download... and
ordering instructions once I can update the website.

I wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday season. I'm going to try 

to spend this Christmas remembering the good times I had with my Dad.