[pct-l] Maps

[Scott Bryce]

Julian Plamann wrote:
> Speaking of the PCT Atlas mentioned below by Sean, I wanted to ask if
>  anyone else has had a chance to check them out in person yet? Thus
> far, my plan for my '09 thru has been to use the "Eric The Black"'s 
> PCT Atlas for topo and a Yogi's guidebook pages for town/water info.
>  I've been reading through Yogi's book for a few months and am LOVING
> it, but I wanted to get some second opinions on the PCT Atlas before
> I make the purchase.

I only hiked the first 150 miles, so other's opinions may be worth more....


I carried The Wilderness Press guidebook, Yogi's guide, The PCT Atlas,
the Data Book and the water report.

I never used the Wilderness Press guidebook. I used the PCT Atlas the
most. The Data Book was a close second.

I started out without the water report, and was caught by surprise at
Boulder Oaks when I found that the water had been turned off.
Fortunately, I only had to backtrack 1/2 mile for water. After that I
carried the water report and worked out a water strategy a couple of
days in advance.

The section of the trail I hiked was very well marked. (Too well between
Barrel Spring and Warner Springs. Do we really need every rock and tree
on that portion of the trail marked with a blaze?) Following a map
through the day was not really necessary. The Data Book was useful to
give me an idea where I was on the trail. When I needed a broader
perspective, I referred to the maps in the PCT Atlas.

I marked the water sources in the PCT Atlas based on information from
the water report. "Dry," "Don't Rely," "12 miles to next water," "Get 3
quarts here," etc. I started out using Yogi's guide and the PCT Atlas to
plan a water strategy based on how reliable Yogi's guide said a source
was, but realized that wasn't going to work when I found the water
turned off at Boulder Oaks. After marking the PCT Atlas, I could pretty
much use it for whatever information I needed during the day. The Data
Book has more mile points than the PCT Atlas, so I used it to determine
where I was more often.

> I was looking at those giant, 4-part PCT Guide Books by Wilderness
> Press in REI a few weeks ago and they seem like overkill to me for
> what seemed like poor topo maps.

That is why I never used them. Some of that information might have been
interesting, but I never found the time to read the guidebook. I liked
the maps in the Atlas better.