[pct-l] JMT map pack...

[Gary Wright]

On Dec 19, 2007, at 2:55 PM, jeffreyn wrote:

> If you're hiking the JMT, it's a fine set.  It's got useful  
> annotations,
> such as major trail junctions and mileage.  It's a good compromise  
> between
> size and detail.  You can fill in details from a number of guidebooks.
> OTOH, it can be said there's almost no need on the JMT for maps, as  
> the
> trail is for the most part obvious (Stephen Ambrose notes, in  
> "Undaunted
> Courage," that the locals told Lewis and Clark a trail back to the  
> plains
> was so obvious "even a white man could find it.").  The maps are on a
> plasticized paper, so rather durable and quite water-proof, yet  
> will take
> ink markings well.  YOU get to decide about the trade-off between  
> weight
> and the need for information.


You'll want a map if:
   the trail is covered in snow
   the trail junction isn't marked
   you missed the trail junction
   you are injured or sick and need an alternate route

I'm a big fan of 'hike your own hike' but it seem that hikers without
maps often end up utilizing the maps carried by *other* hikers.  I
would never deny hikers access to maps that I was carrying but it
does bother me a bit when this happens.

I've also been in several situations where one person in a group
had a map and others didn't have a map, and even worse, didn't
bother to familiarize themselves about the upcoming route with the
one map they did have.

What happens when the group gets separated, even for just a short
distance, right near a trail junction?  What happens when someone
gets hurt and the group has to split up to send someone for help?

Hike fast, hike slow, heavy, or light.  But please, carry a map.

Radar