Hi, can anyone tell me if they used a GPS on the AT? Can you down load a map of the trail ? Was it a help? I recieved one as a gift and tho I’m learning and having fun with it I’m not great with tech stuff. Any help would be appreicated, thanks. Cowboy
Cowboy
In 1999, Del Doc, for the ATC, did a GPS survey of the AT. Lots of us ran into him.
The recent release of the AT maps on CD-ROM also allow for waypoints and trailmaps to be downloaded into a GPS unit which could be helpful to you. It now makes the idea of using a GPS on the trail maybe a useful idea if one needs the co-ordinate system used by a GPS and 7.5 degree maps to establish rendez-vous points for pickups and/or locations of cached food for a hiker left by a support team. Or it could be used to blaze a wilderness trail and return to the AT if one wants to explore unmarked trail just for fun. Wilderness areas on the trail are notorious for being poorly marked. And side trails off of the AT in these areas might be more poorly marked than the AT.
Otherwise, the trail is so well white blazed, a GPS seems hardly worth the extra weight in one’s pack. But it is a great toy. And we are guys after all! No need to ask directions with this toy, now is there.
Mr. Boo
Have one. Don’t need it for the AT unless you like to hike in full fog and blizzards. Although down load maps may be a hell of a lot better. I do like thier GoTo feature which lets you put in a coordinate and Goto with time to distance etc. How long it takes to run to the shelter. But you have to use with topo maps and you have to be dam accurate to the 1/4 minute when entering positions. You could enter most of the trip on one of the high end models and just go point to point.
Bushwhack
Hey, I just found out that Trails.Com has etrail downloads available which might be useful with a GPS if you just want to play with your toy and see what you can do with it.
Mr. Boo
I haven’t yet looked to see if TopoZone’s USGS maps show the
ATC, but here is a link to their website:
http://www.topozone.com
Ken J
Ken J
I checked out the TopoZone site and the AT is shown. Search
for Springer or Amicalola in GA. Springer isn’t a named mtn.
but TopoZone will center a map on it, and the AT is labelled
beginning there.
Ken J
Ken J
Thanks all, I do tend to wander and find the gps handy. I used it in Hawaii on trails that were not marked to well,it worked great. Who can get lost on aan Island? ME I ck. with Garmin and they informed me the system wuld work fine as loaded. I havn’t decided yet rather I want topos yet. Thanks again. Cowboy
cowboy
Pat from maine and I didn’t use a GPS to hike the AT in 2000. I bought Pat a Garmin Vista for Christmas but we don’t know much about them. We thought we’d use it for geocaching, section hiking the AT and if we find it useful we’ll use it to rehike the AT in 2005. What’s the best maps that cover the whole AT?
Superman/Winter GA>ME 2000
Jim Thompson