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Read Thread: Trail Map-reading Lessons???

Re: Trail Map-reading Lessons???
Board: Camping, Backpacking, and the Great Outdoors
Reply to: #519270 by Kizmet
Jun 1, 2010 7:41am
Thread (disabled) Board
take a picture of the trail map (the one at the trailhead) so that I have some kind of reference while I am a mile down the trail

We do that, too! :) Often that's the only map in existence it seems -- nothing online or at the park office.

I agree that sometimes maps/markers are just confusing. At the trails here there is often more than one "start point" and many times there are no signs. If that wasn't bad enough we once hiked a trail that was called *different names* depending on which end you started from!

Another time a group of us were on a hike through a state park when the ranger guide who was with us stopped at a trail marker to discuss how to read the markers and didn't even notice that the one he was leaning on (at a five way trail intersection) had been installed backward and pointed in all the wrong directions until we (the hikers) pointed it out because we noticed the blazes on the trees didn't match... talk about getting confused on the trail!!

~Ohana
Re: Trail Map-reading Lessons???
Board: Camping, Backpacking, and the Great Outdoors
Reply to: #519212 by Outdoor Adventurer
Jun 1, 2010 7:53am
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lmao!!!!! when you find that class drop me a line. i've made a few blunders myself tring to read maps!
Re: Trail Map-reading Lessons???
Board: Camping, Backpacking, and the Great Outdoors
Reply to: #519269 by Fiddleheads
Jun 1, 2010 8:24am
Thread (disabled) Board
I have a series of 3 on a loop. Instead of saying "turn left", it tells the boxer to travel clockwise around the loop. Nearly everyone goes the wrong way. It must be in our nature to turn right.

In this case, no amount of skilled map reading would help!

However, without having a complete area map, the person actually can't KNOW which is clockwise versus counter clockwise...

You can either be starting outside the loop in which case it is left but if you started inside the loop (a perimeter trail around a park for instance) then it is right. ::shrug::
Re: Trail Map-reading Lessons???
Board: Camping, Backpacking, and the Great Outdoors
Reply to: #519212 by Outdoor Adventurer
Jun 2, 2010 1:33pm
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oh man that so sounds like a couple of the adventures that me and my group went on...my best advice would be practice makes perfect :) and if all else fails you can always do a "dry run" ahead of time with out the kids to be sure box is there and then take them with you once your sure you can find it :)