[cdt-l] CDT Mapping Effort

[Carl Rush]

I personally take just about every alternate trail I come to. I also will bushwhack to get to a place I want to see , or just to make my own shortcut ( which most times takes longer than the regular trail ). I am not a purist, this year on the PCT I bushwhacked down snow creek canyon instead of taking the 16 mile switchback again. I don't recommend this, there are a lot of rattlesnakes, and some small but tricky climbs. I also tore up my G-5 pack to where it was unusable. Now don't get me wrong, if I'm some place where there is a delicate ecosystem I stay on the trail.
  The point I'm trying to make is if there is a guidebook and even if it has alternate routes, it doesn't mean  ( to me at least ) that it absolutely has to be followed. I like to put a little extra adventure in my adventures. HYOH
  Carl

Ginny & Jim Owen <spiritbear2k at hotmail.com> wrote: 
  Backpacker Magazine is joining with CDTA to produce a definitive map of the 
CDT. They are looking for volunteers to go out for one week sections. This 
is similar to previous efforts, but with Backpacker pushing the idea, it may 
be more fruitful than some of the past efforts to gps the trail.

I have mixed emotions about this. I understand the necessity of creating 
good maps of the trail, but at the same time, I am sorry to see this happen. 
One of the best parts of the CDT is the idea that you can and will create 
your own route, by picking and choosing among many options. The CDTS 
guidebooks give several options, Jonathan Ley gives others on his mapset, 
and once you get used to the idea that you don't have to follow a single 
defined route, most hikers feel free to invent routes of their own choosing. 
It seems to me that with a single map set, showing only one possible 
route, that most hikers will no longer enjoy the freedom that is the CDT. 
It will be so much easier to simply follow the route on the map. What do 
you all think? If you had a map set available that showed only the 
offiicial route, would you follow it, no matter what?

If you haven't hiked the CDT yet, be aware that in many places the official 
route is not the best route for hikers. There are places where Jim Wolf's 
alternatives are much more scenic or better watered. There are places where 
Jonathan's routes were more adventurous.

I loved the fact that our hikes were totally unique. This mapping effort is 
likely to change the trail and the trail culture considerably for future 
hikers. What do you think?

Ginny



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