For old-school, old-dog, old-farts like me, nothing beats the crutch of USGS topo-maps. Perhaps it sounds heretical but I'm not really a fan of Cal-Topo: too gimmicky with bad naming conventions for many features in Alaska as I've found many times when people write me for route beta in some obscure mountain range of AK.
For route planning I download .kmzs of USGS topos FOR FREE (no subscription) from here: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#4/40.00/-100.00, unzip them, and open them up in Google Earth Pro (GEP). If I'm lucky there's some good Maxar/DigitalGlobe half-meter resolution imagery hosted by GEP. If it's crappy old Landsat underneath, then I much prefer the topo. Call me what you will, but, boy, do I love those old maps, especially the 1:250,000 scale for not just planning but travel.
And by the way: why not leave the phone and Gaia home next time and just go paper?
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Thanks Roman, This link is fantastic and so much easier than the USGS Map Locator page. It takes the guesswork out of finding maps by giving actual boundaries of Quads. Laying the topos over Google Earth is way too cool. I have a bad feeling this site might eat up countless hours of my life.
ReplyDeleteAnon: Glad this helps. Google Earth Pro + R + Gaia + topovie = poor-persons EZ GIS!
DeleteI love using paper maps. Everyone is busy staring at their phones but the paper and compass won't fail me. I feel out of place sometimes where everyone else is using gps, especially around my age (27). I was berated in one of the ski classics by someone for only having paper. I still think he's wrong. Long live map and compass travel.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. You can start an emergency fire with a map, take notes without need for power, and wipe your sloppy butt if needed. Try any of those with your phone!
Deletethanks Roman! I like the online maps for planning but ultimately we still use paper in the field too. Something about batteries and cold weather...
ReplyDeleteIt was a sad day for me when USGS closed its map store on APU campus.
DeleteAlso, can we chat sometime about the newer packrafts? We've thinking about putting the Trail Boat out to pasture this spring. But your perspective as someone who has paddled old and new options would be invaluable....
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I'm a big fan of any simple Alpacka raft with a whitewater deck and a zipper (aka Cargo Fly).
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will send you a message on Facebook with my contact info. I’m thinking about the scout, tbh. If I can add a seat and create drain holes for self bail, I’m happy to keep wearing the dry suit because that’s dressing for the swim right? Or we could just go with a classic self bail. Except you prefer ww deck?
ReplyDeleteSome folks ran the Alsek's big cold water in self-bailers. My old dry-suit would not have handled it, and for Brooks Range rivers I like, a whitewater deck without a dry suit will be warmer and lighter than a self-bailer with a dry suit. But I'd not ever paddle a big glacial river again without a dry suit!
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