[pct-l] PCT Atlas - Clarification Please

[Brian Lewis]

"...So, what's the primary objective of this new atlas?"


Erik might want to answer that, but I can comment just in the context of
being a potential customer.   Note that my response is in part impacted by
the price, which I don't think has been announced yet (?).

I do plan to take all the usual suspects (Yogi, PCT guides, Data book).  I
reckon that from each resupply point I might be carrying something like 2 oz
worth of paper and associated ziplocks with these, less in between if I
manage to (responsibly) ditch pages after I use them.     So one possible
answer is to ALSO carry the PCT Atlas.  Because IMO it does offer some
unique advantages --- the maps are easier to read IMO (while simpler) and
show known PCT points along the way with mileages in between, plus they
offer a UTM grid and an elevation profile.   Note that by "maps are easier
to read", I find that some maps in the PCT guidebook are in fact pretty easy
to read, while others have less color contrast or smaller print or fuzzier
print or some combination so as to be more difficult.

I think that the way in which people use the PCT Guide and data book vary by
the individual.  I've read somewhere that some folks look at the Guide books
strictly for the maps and ignore the text.  I like to look at both, though
the text only in my tent at night or maybe at a lunch stop.   

>From what little experience I had using the PCT Atlas (Campo to Laguna
recently) I think it could be a credible solution to go with just the PCT
Atlas and Yogi's guide pages, maybe augmented by JMT maps.   I personally
carry the entire PCT Topo set in electronic form --- small screen, harder to
use in bright sun, need to keep battery charged, but at least I have it.  In
that context too this could be a good solution.   I think that folks will
need to do some trail miles with these to really know (at least I will).

Of course not all potential users are thru-hikers; for a section hiker, the
dynamics are a bit different.

Yet another way of looking at the PCT Atlas offering is as the one thing
that you carry ready-to-hand en route, and I hope that could work out for
me.  I.e., with the current set of offerings, whenever I want to look at
map-related info, do I shuffle among all of PCT Guide + Data pages + Yogi
book pages?     I could see carrying all or a subset of that somewhere in my
pack and just having the PCT Atlas pages as the one "handy" item in a
ziplock bag in a pants pocket --- it gives a map, some data book info
equivalent, a (very) little town-related info, and some minimal text.

Perhaps a final reason to consider carrying yet another offering is those
infrequent moments when you wonder just what the right option is at a trail
junction or just where you are on the trail.  If it were to save me just a
few miles of backtracking and remove some potential frustration and
ambiguity, that could make it worth carrying. 

For me it's TBD if this offering would be worth the weight or not, but I
like the efficient way Erik has packed a lot of most-useful information on
the pages. I'll be interested to see how how accurate it is w.r.t. the
current state and location of the trail, including perhaps alternate trail
choices (Eagle Creek, etc).


	Brian Lewis