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Objective The purpose if this site is to provide a database of the hike traces created with the GPS in the Greater Washington D.C. area. It covers hikes which are up to 3.5 hours away from the Washington Beltway and Backpacks that are between 3 and 6.5 hours away. I also included traces of my trips outside the nearby states.
The vast majority of trace are from: * The Appalachian Trail in MD, VA, PA and WV and its side trs. (for me side trails are more important than the AT). * Tuscarora Tr. in VA, WV, MD and PA and its side trs. * Shenandoah National Park. * Massanutten Mts., part of the George Washington National Forest in VA. * The Great North Mtn., part of the George Washington National Forest in VA and WV. My most favorite place. * Backpacks in the Cranberry Wilderness and Tea Creek, part of the Monongahela National Forest in WV. * Backpacks and ski trips in the Northern Section of Monongahela National Forest, including Dolly Sods, Roaring Plains, North Fork Mtn., Otter Creek, Blackwater Falls S.P., White Grass, Spruce Knob * Backpacks in the North-Eastern and North-Central parts of PA, primarily the Endless Mountains, including the Black Forest Tr., Quehanna Tr., Ricketts Glenn S.P., Gameland 13, Worlds End S.P., Loyalsock Tr., Old Loggers Path Tr., etc.
All traces in this site were either taken by me or my friends with the GPS. They were taken in real time during actual hikes or backpacks. In very rare occasions the GPS could not lock for a short period of time. In those cases the missing portions of the trail were drawn by hand, and these sections were described as such in the specifications.
What is unique about this site and how is it useful? * Most hike descriptions in guide books have hikes <10mi. and backpacks <8mi./day. My site has most trips between 12mi. and 20mi. and backpacks between 10mi./day and 14mi./day. * There are several hikes here that are not covered in any book, particularly to the hidden waterfalls, overlooks, places with beautiful flowers, lots of berries, and so on. * There are 350+ trips with 500+ variants, whereas a typical book will have 50-60 trips. * There are 7,600+ photos associated with the gps traces, so the reader can see what to look for on a trip. * Each hike is associated with the elevation profile which gives the distance, elevation gain and loss, as well as the shape of the ups and downs. * Each hike has an associated *.gpx format which is supported by any mapping software. * A lot of trails where we live get relocated, abandoned, added. A guide book typically will not say when the actual hike took place, so the hikers cannot be sure if the trails are still there. With this site, every trace has the date when it was taken. It doesn't solve the problem, but it makes it much easier to determine if the trails are still there or not. * Most importantly, if the user prints a trace from this site from the National Geographic's Topo! or any other mapping software on paper, the description file if available and uploads the waypoints and maybe the trace to the GPS, during the actual hike he will not miss any important turns, will easily find all the interesting places on the trail and safely return back.
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Page Created: 12/26/2006 |