[pct-l] latitude vs altitude

[pcnst@oakapple.net (pcnst@oakapple.net)]

Taking long walks alone one sometimes thinks about strange things.
For instance, last month I started wondering how the various altitudes
along the PCT should be adjusted for latitude, in order to derive
climate-equivalent altitudes.

Some google search suggested that the ratio for equivalent vertical to
north-south change was about 1:3000, or about 120' vertical per degree of 
latitude.     That suggested a spreadsheet, which can be seen at

http://www.oakapple.net/pcnst/latitude/latitude.html

along with the same data in Star Office and Excel formats in case
anybody wants to plug in their own numbers.    I just used one latitude
per section of trail, rounded to half a degree; one could be much more
precise but it doesn't matter too much.    As you might expect, adjusted
for latitude, Forester Pass is still the top by quite a ways, but the
bottom is at San Gorgonio Pass rather than Cascade Locks.