[pct-l] navigational aids

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Halfmile's maps are great.

My personal feeling about maps is that they are a tool and not an  
exact representation of the trail. Often on the PCT you can see the  
trail far ahead or behind you. If the map is off at these times, does  
it matter?

If the trail is covered with snow, you will be able to find your way  
by heading toward a large landmark on the map rather than the exact  
position of the skinny trail. So if the map is off, it does not  
matter much.

If you are hiking along and the map is off and you are for sure on  
the trail, it won't matter because you should believe your eyes more  
than the map.

That's not to say that GPS and maps are not useful tools. It's just  
that I don't see that it's terribly important that they be pin-point  
accurate on the ground.
On Oct 27, 2010, at 8:53 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> Kevin,
> You are correct that maps often have trails marked incorrectly,
> although usually (but not always) it's within a few hundred feet of
> the correct location and only people with a gps usually notice those
> kind of small errors. Sometimes maps are outdated or sometimes
> mapmakers just get it wrong and you occasionally see some pretty big
> errors.
>
> All my tracks and the maps made from them come from a GPS attached to
> the shoulder strap of my pack recording the exact location of the
> trail as I hike usually at 2 second intervals.

I find this totally amazing. Dedication! Most of the time I was too  
tired or full of wonder to think of adding a big project on top of my  
hike. Thanks for your hard work!

Diane