[pct-l] New PCTatlas maps

[Brian Lewis]

Eric Payne said:
"Could someone please compare this map to the maps included in the
guidebooks popular on the trail?"

Thanks for pointing out this PCT Atlas offering Eric!

Summary: I think a reasonable way to view the PCT Atlas might be as an
alternate to the *Data* book (not the actual Guidebook), with integrated
maps and elevation profiles given along with the data.  I would definitely
carry the Wilderness Press Guidebook pages regardless.

Read on only if you're interested in some hasty analysis of this vs.
Wilderness Press offerings.

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I printed out the free sample pages of the PCT Atlas and compared these to
the Wilderness Press Guide content, and it looks to me like there's
relatively little overlap with the Guide itself.
 
It appears that the PCT Atlas will take about half as many pages to cover
the same ground as the Guide, but on the order of three times as much as the
Data book.   To compare and contrast the Atlas with the Guide:

The PCT Atlas has no text, gives you a similarly scaled map with less detail
and little color contrast but shows the location of various points on the
map, gives running mileage and elevation of these various points, plus
offers UTM coordinates, an elevation profile, and a running list of distance
to the next water source.   The Wilderness Press PCT books give you a lot of
text, more detailed maps with more color contrast but no UTM (to date), and
relative (not absolute) mileages.

"Maps with less detail and little color contrast" don't sound too good, but
in some ways the PCT Atlas maps are easier to read --- less detail can make
it easier to see the information that is there, and having specific points
labelled on the map, with distances between these points shown on the same
page with an elevation profile on the same or adjacent page --- handy stuff.
In this brief sample it looks to me that the Wilderness Press maps typically
cover a little more territory on the whole.

If you add the Wilderness Press Data Book pages to their PCT guidebook
content, then you have the type of running mileage and elevation data that
PCT Atlas provides --- in fact, about 40% more such data points in the Data
book (based on the PCT Atlas example).   The PCT Atlas also provides a very
minimal amount of information that a "town guide" (or Yogi's book) offers,
with map symbols showing locations of things like post offices, stores, etc,
and a subset sketch map of towns.

At the end of the day if you carry both data book and guidebook pages from
Wilderness Press, the PCT Atlas doesn't offer too much.   I think another
way to view the PCT Atlas might be as an alternate to the Data book, with
integrated maps and elevation profiles, but with a somewhat lower number of
data points given.

And note again that this was a pretty hasty "analysis".  I plan to hike much
of the sample PCT Atlas terrain next month, and will hopefully remember to
bring along PCT Atlas content as well as Wilderness Press guide and databook
pages --- to try to decide which of data book or atlas pages might be more
worth while to carry on a thru-hike.


	Brian Lewis