c/backpacking-routes

Map contour lines clicked for me after 12 years of ignoring them

Tbh I always just followed trails and looked at elevation numbers. Last spring in the Smokies I took a shortcut that looked fine on paper, ended up on a 40 degree slope that took 3 hours to get out of. Once I actually learned what tight contour lines mean, I started planning around them and my daily mileage went way up. Anyone else have a navigation basic that finally made sense after a dumb mistake?

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maxm63•2d ago

Switching to an old paper map cut 2 hours off my last hike

Phone GPS kept dying on the JMT section near Tuolumne, so I grabbed a free ranger map at the visitor center. Following contour lines instead of a blue dot changed how I read the trail, found a cutoff marked only on paper. Anyone else ditch GPS for the old-school approach on a familiar route?

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charlie_roberts87•3d ago

Skeptical about paper maps, now I carry one in the Sierras

I've been using GPS apps for years. Last month on the JMT near Bishop, my phone died on day 3 of a 6 day stretch. Battery bank got soaked crossing a creek. Pulled out the paper map I bought on a whim for $12 at a ranger station. The route finding was way easier than I expected. Read the contour lines and found a pass that shaved 4 miles off my planned path. Anyone else ditch digital and go back to the paper setup?

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cora400•5d ago

Hit 10,000 miles on the PCT last summer and it felt unreal

Honestly, I didn't track my mileage that closely for the first few weeks. Then in Northern California, I added up my logbook and realized I was at 9,987. Walking the next mile to cross 10k felt like a bigger deal than summiting Whitney or the whole Sierra stretch. It hit me that all those boring flat miles through burnt forest mattered just as much as the pretty peaks. Has anyone else fixated on a random number like that during a long hike, or am I just weird about milestones?

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angela_dixon•6d ago

Swapped my map case strategy after a foggy morning in the Smokies

I used to keep my paper maps inside a zip bag in my pack side pocket. Last spring on the Lower Mount Cammerer trail, a sudden fog soaked everything and the ink started running before I could even pull it out. Now I carry a waterproof roll-top case clipped to my shoulder strap and I slide the map out to the section I need before I start moving. Has anyone else switched to keeping maps on their body instead of buried in gear? What works when the weather turns fast?

c/backpacking-routes

Map contour lines clicked for me after 12 years of ignoring them

Switching to an old paper map cut 2 hours off my last hike

Skeptical about paper maps, now I carry one in the Sierras

Hit 10,000 miles on the PCT last summer and it felt unreal

Swapped my map case strategy after a foggy morning in the Smokies

Overheard a ranger say the CDT is 'just a dirt path with opinions' and I can't stop thinking about it

The AT through Georgia got way busier after 2020

Used to obsess over mileage per day, now I plan around coffee spots

A ranger in Glacier told me my pacing plan was backwards

Appreciation post: the detour that saved my John Muir Trail trip

Wasted $180 on a fancy GPS unit, turns out paper maps work fine

The shortcut I found on AllTrails took 4 extra hours near Glacier Peak

Rant: The 'quick exit' detour that cost me 3 hours in Joshua Tree

GPS trackers showed my route was 2 miles off, here's how

Ditching the ultralight tent for a hammock in the Smokies, 3 rainy nights

Vent: half the trail markers in Shenandoah are useless after rain

Paper maps at a ranger station made me feel old

Trail mix vs tortillas with peanut butter, no contest after my Sierras trip

Water crossing GPS mistake on the JMT last August

GPS app vs paper map on the Lost Coast, no contest

Broken crampon strap 18 miles from the trailhead near Anaconda

Wasted $180 on a guidebook that was 4 years out of date

Pro tip: map the water sources on your route BEFORE you leave, learned this the hard way near Moab

Cottonwood Pass on the JMT got 4x busier since the 2019 sign went up

Three years of resupply boxes, finally switched to buying on trail