Well this is quite the story.
National Geographic makes a product that they call Topo! State Series, that is really terrific. It is USGS topo maps at all 5 levels, right on your computer so that you can edit, print, route, export, etc.
Perhaps the best feature is that if you own a Magellan Triton GPS (like me), the entire map is exportable to the unit, including any edits or overlays that you create.
I have this product for Michigan, and I've been looking to buy the North Carolina version for some time, because it would be useful in planning and executing this trip, but it is on the pricy side ($99.95).
I currently have TOPO 4, but when I bought my Michigan discs it was version 3, so when version 4 came out I simply upgraded; the software can download the new quads and all of the features upgrade.
So I went on eBay, and bought someones version 3 of NC that was missing a disc for $18.95 with shipping. Then I called Nat Geo and ordered a replacement disc for $13.00 with shipping. This is an old version but when I put it on my computer all of the quads updated and it's just like having version 4, except I don't have South Carolina like version 4 does.
Anyway I feel pretty good right now because I just saved a lot of money!
Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The beginning of a great journey
So although I've been dreaming for a while, this post is the official announcement. I am planning a thru-hike on the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
The MST is a near 1000 mile trail in development stretching from Clingman's Dome, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western NC, to Jockey's Ridge State Park, in the dunes of the Outer Banks on NC's east coast. Currently, approximately 50% of the route is on designated trail, while the other 50% follows bike routes on North Carolina's highway system.
I have imagined myself doing this trail for a few years now, but the time is nearing and it is time to start the great planning procedure. I am currently about 3/4 through Allen De Hart's book, "Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail," and it has been a fantastic read thus far. It seems that one of the greatest difficulties of this trail is the lack of places to stay along it, due to it's nature as a relatively new trail that only a few have thru-hiked. This is certainly an obstacle I am willing to meet.
I plan on starting this trip in early May of 2010 or 2011, and I don't plan on going solo. As for my hiking companion(s), I have a few likely suspects, and we'll see what works out as far as ability and availability.
I am mostly set as far as gear as concerned, but there are a few pieces of equipment that I may need, and this will probably be a point of discussion until I go. I also am going to try to update this journal semi-regularly while out there, which will require me to carry more technology than I have traditionally while backpacking.
The final section of the MST is that of the Outer Banks. Chances are good that I will be hiking this section in May of this year to get a taste for the MST and because I have always wanted to see the Outer Banks.
Anyway, I am very excited to begin the planning stages and to use this blog as a place to gather my ideas, and hopefully get outside opinions.
The MST is a near 1000 mile trail in development stretching from Clingman's Dome, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western NC, to Jockey's Ridge State Park, in the dunes of the Outer Banks on NC's east coast. Currently, approximately 50% of the route is on designated trail, while the other 50% follows bike routes on North Carolina's highway system.
I have imagined myself doing this trail for a few years now, but the time is nearing and it is time to start the great planning procedure. I am currently about 3/4 through Allen De Hart's book, "Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail," and it has been a fantastic read thus far. It seems that one of the greatest difficulties of this trail is the lack of places to stay along it, due to it's nature as a relatively new trail that only a few have thru-hiked. This is certainly an obstacle I am willing to meet.
I plan on starting this trip in early May of 2010 or 2011, and I don't plan on going solo. As for my hiking companion(s), I have a few likely suspects, and we'll see what works out as far as ability and availability.
I am mostly set as far as gear as concerned, but there are a few pieces of equipment that I may need, and this will probably be a point of discussion until I go. I also am going to try to update this journal semi-regularly while out there, which will require me to carry more technology than I have traditionally while backpacking.
The final section of the MST is that of the Outer Banks. Chances are good that I will be hiking this section in May of this year to get a taste for the MST and because I have always wanted to see the Outer Banks.
Anyway, I am very excited to begin the planning stages and to use this blog as a place to gather my ideas, and hopefully get outside opinions.
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