Example of using a topographic map in tricky terrain

[SSSdave]

I made a post to a thread in our Cross Country Passes board that is an example of how to do a detailed analysis of a route through tricky terrain.

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=11670

This is something old members like myself and giantbrookie do all the time by second nature and we have been navigating so for decades while I am aware many on the board don't seem to including some quite experienced members. One way that comes out is that few here bother to use Eric's High Sierra Map page features when describing routes or other online sites like mapper.acme. In this era, complementary Satellite images can also be quite valuable before trips in further refining route information.

David

[rlown]

You should write that up (like you did) and post that as an article. The description you give is good, but map usage and planning is perfect for an article. I find that generic lines on a picture or even your route on the HST map would work. I didn't see lines in your post in the pass post.

At the end of the day, a hiker still picks a path, regardless of the info provided. The HST map is nice as are other map tools.

Russ

[ERIC]

You should write that up (like you did) and post that as an article. The description you give is good, but map usage and planning is perfect for an article.

@SSSdave @rlown An article, or at the very least a stand alone thread we can pin.

[Cross Country]

The most difficult tricky terrain I experienced was out of Wishon. We left the trail from a trail junction on Scepter Creek heading to Crown Creek on the way to Tunamah. Mike and I were hiking at I think, about 9300 feet. I was tring to gain only very little elevation and therefore I needed to know how far we had gone at any given time. The problem was we were hiking amoungst the trees and I had to have a feel for our speed to know where we were. I had one (or less) landmark during the 5-6 hour hike. I didn't want to loose any elevation but I did't want to gain to much because I wanted to arrive just below the upper pass (to I think Blue Canyon). We arrived at the Creek (I had been there with "saint" Diane hiking down the creek 19 years earlier). very slightly below my destination goal. I think I was most proud of that orientering feat from all my experiences.

[Cross Country]

We left early in the morning from Scepter and arrived at just about dark on the upper Blue Canyon Creek.

[SSSdave]

...@SSSdave @rlown An article, or at the very least a stand alone thread we can pin.

Beyond my post there certainly is quite a lot more of interest on the subject of route topographic map analysis in the Sierra. There have always been numbers of posts by some wondering whether they might descend steeper slopes of interest that I can look at on a USGS topo for just a few moments and state such might not go. Pretty much a matter of being familiar with the distance between vertical lines and geology of the surface. And just on the my post the graphics could be improved if its purpose was more long term site use.

As days get shorter and the summer winds down, I ought to have more time to work on something. The nature of the subject is such that simple written descriptions are not really going to be of much help. Instead map and satellite jpgs's will need to be graphically annotated with Photoshop.