[pct-l] Good Maps/High Snow Year

Sat Jan 23 14:01:56 CST 2010

Eric makes a good, though self serving, point regarding the importance of having good maps to navigate in a heavy snow year. Many discussions on the subject of maps can be found in the archives for the past two months. Much has been said about the pros and cons of the available guides and maps. I would like to address the topic of route finding while using these existing map sources.

In average conditions all of the main publications, WP, Atlas, Forest Service, will serve to keep you on track. The trail is easy to follow along most of its length. Quick reference to these maps is all that is needed to be sure that your on the right track. The problem occurs in trying to use these maps for actual route finding when there is no obvious trail tread to follow. All three of these sources are lacking the definition necessary to route find in my opinion. 

Take the Atlas for example. The Atlas maps are a great improvement over the WP maps in many regards. Full color, full page and encompassing more of the immediate surroundings. But it is this larger scope that is the downfall of the Atlas maps. The maps themselves have contour lines spaced at 50 feet which would normally be perfect for route finding. The problem lies in that to encompass more of the immediate surroundings the maps are shrunk to fit the page. The contour lines are often difficult to read and this shrunken scope greatly decreases the definition that a map with 50 foot contour lines possesses. 

To demonstrate this . Switchbacks.  When I'm cutting trail across snow in the attempt of rejoining the PCT, it's important for me to know that the trail switches back and forth above me four times before passing into the next side canyon. The vast majority of switchbacks are glossed over with a straight line in the Atlas. The contour lines have been shrunk so small that it is impossible to squeeze these switches into the picture. Most of the time this is only a small annoyance to gripe about on a hot day. Complaining about the guides is a pass-time on the trail. But when I need a good map to navigate with, this will not due.

In relation to the SoCal section of the trail, there are only a few sections where there is a need to worry about this;  Mt. Laguna, San Jacinto, San Bernadino and San Gabriel areas. If snow conditions in these areas call for the possibility of having to route find, I would suggest that you take a look at the Tom Harrison or Half-Mile map series. Both of these map series are of top quality and are better suited to true Navigation. The scope of these maps is vastly superior in definition for traveling on snow or off trail. You can use these maps to augment whatever combination of guide and data sources that you plan on using.

Jason Moores
"Jackass"

> From: erik at eriktheblack.com
> To: Pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:57:19 -0800
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Death on the PCT / John Joseph Donovan
> 
> Thanks for sharing this story.
> 
> I remember hearing about John Donovan when I was hiking the PCT in '06.
> 
> Sometimes the Southern California mountains get under-estimated because
> SoCal is known for it's beaches and deserts. But it's not all desert here...
> 
> 
> At my house in Big Bear there is more than 5 feet of snow on the ground
> right now after a huge storm that lasted all week. 
> 
> Not sure what this will mean for early-season thru-hikers this year. I guess
> it will depend on what the rest of the winter holds...
> 
> But, my advice to this year's thru-hikers is: If you do decide to head into
> the San Jacintos, San Bernardinos or San Gabriels early this spring (if
> there is still a lot of snow then) just make sure to bring two things: 
> 
> 1) An ice axe for self-rescue in case you slip off a ledge (especially
> around Fuller Ridge and Mt. Baden-Powell)
> 
> 2) Good maps and compass (and know how to use them) and *maybe* even a GPS
> 
> The chances of sliding down a hill aren't that great (if you are careful and
> use hiking poles)... could still happen though. 
> 
> But the chances of making a wrong turn in deep snow are high if you try to
> just "eyeball" the trail (especially if you are hiking at the front of the
> pack and there is no clear set of footprints to follow).
> 
> 
> Happy trails!
> Erik the Black
> 
> Maps & Ultralight Trail Guides - By Blackwoods Press
> -----------------------------------------------------
> * Pacific Crest Trail Atlas 2nd Edition
> http://www.blackwoodspress.com/pct/atlas/
> 
> * NEW! Pacific Crest Trail Wall Map
> http://www.blackwoodspress.com/pct/map/
> 
> * John Muir Trail Atlas
> http://www.blackwoodspress.com/jmt/atlas/
> 
> * FREE Ultralight Gear Planner Tool
> http://www.blackwoodspress.com/bonuses/gearplanner.htm
> 
> 
> .
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Don Billings [mailto:dbillings803 at yahoo.com] 
> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 9:26 PM
> To: Pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Death on the PCT / John Joseph Donovan
> 
> I just caught an interesting TV show regarding two tourists from Texas who
> wandered away from the Tram area on
> San Juancinto Mountain and got lost in 2006. They weren't really hikers.
> They were just walking a tourist trail and decided to go 
> off trail but got confused.
> 
> They stumbled around for four days before being rescued. 
> 
> The interesting thing was that they stumbled across what appeared to be an
> abandoned
> camp site. The tarp, backpack, shoes, and such were present. But upon
> evaluating what
> they had found, they realized by the log book that they had found a man's
> camp site who
> went missing exactly one year to the day before they found his camp. 
> 
> The remains of the thru hiker on the PCT were found two weeks later after
> they handed the
> man's ID over to their own rescuers. The remains were only 150 feet or so
> from his camp. He 
> apparently had become disoriented in snowfall and was an ultralight hiker
> w/o much gear. As 
> a solo hiker, nobody knew he was missing for about 10 days. It was an irony
> that the man had 
> always said his biggest fear was to die alone. And, he did. 
> 
> His name was John Joseph Donovan. He turned age 60 just days before he died.
> He wasn't an
> inexperienced hiker but he did have a reputation for being a little sloppy
> and stubborn. He was
> supposed to partner up with a friend who had wisely decided to postpone two
> weeks due to the snowfall
> that year.
> 
> The story can be read at Backpacker Magazine: Oct 2006.
> 
> The young couple from Texas were the focus of the show I watched, but I
> researched the
> back story of the hiker. I knew from the description on the show that it was
> a PCT event even 
> though the TV show did not mention the PCT.
> 
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