my favorite map story,

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/263720.The_Lion_of_Boaz_Jachin_and_Jachin_Boaz

“Jachin-Boaz lives in a dusty town where he owns a shop that sells all kinds of maps: maps to find water, love, money, whatever the heart desires. He has a son, Boaz-Jachin, for whom he is making him a master-map that will be given to him when he is a man. This map that will contain all the secrets of the other maps combined, so that he will be able to find whatever he wishes to seek.

Jachin-Boaz shows his son the map, a labor of love representing years of his life spent upon it. Rhetorically he asks, ‘What can you seek that this map will not show you how to find?’ ‘A lion?’ asks Boaz-Jachin. Disappointed, the father responds: ‘A lion. I don’t think I understand you. I don’t think you’re being serious with me. You know very well there are no lions now.’ ”
hijinks ensue..

The Tom Harrison TRT maps are very good. I believe it is water resistant. For traditional paper maps, I use a ziplock myself. Echo Lake would be a good place to start/end the trail.

Love your website and the Trail Show. Am a big fan.

Have printed a map on CalTopo for a TRT adventure. Am using the print website you all suggested on the Trail Show. One question I have is, what is the best paper to use for a trail map? What finishes to order? Does it need to be Waterproof? We used to use mapcases/Zip Locks when I was in the Army, but not sure which techniques are State of the art, or best for the light weight hiker.

Thanks,

John

Appreciate the response. I think I’ll also contact our local SAR group. Hope you find some quality time soon for the GET.

The GET is one of the few “lettered” trails that holds my interest at this point. Sounds like a great time!

The best way to get good map and compass skills is to get some practical experience. Many outdoor groups will hold map and compass classes with practical field experience. If such a class is not offered locally, I’d get out there and practice on my own. Something simple like this to start: http://blog.eurekatent.com/3-great-compass-navigation-exercises/ Then I’d go off trail, but with something with a large backstop (a road for example) where it would be impossible to get truly lost. Something like this works, too, for practice http://kapn.net/403TO/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mapcomp.pdf

http://tgrblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/mappist.html?m=1

Here’s another map quote:

Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all looked that) I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there.

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness