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Thread: Maps Questions

  1. #21

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    FYI, the Maine MATC maps were sized intentionally at a scale that's sized large enough to include most blue blaze side trails. The tough part with Maine is that some of the side trails to "civilization" end up many miles away from civilization. That and the very poor to non existent cell service particularly east of Mt Bigelow to Katahdin means that if you get in trouble and need to get to civilization you may be out of luck with any technology that requires a cell connection. I collect old trail guides to maine and its surprising how many highway maps are cut up and folded into the bindings of these guides for what I expect is this purpose.

    As a prior poster mentions you could spend years in the whites visiting spots off the AT. Most thru hikers just blast through and realistically the AT does hit the most scenic sections. It unfortunately skirts the headwall of the Great Gulf which is a very impressive glacial cirque. The real disappointing parts that many thru hikers miss are at Baxter State Park. The trail ends literally feet away from the Great Basin cirque which is surrounded by trails that many thru hikers skip as they are done and headed home. The infamous Knife Edge starts there and there is nothing on the AT like it plus the walk down Helon Taylor to Roaring brook isn't slumming either. There is also a very wild area north of the summit called Russell Pond which is accessed by two trails, Northern Peaks and Northwest Basin Trail that are hard to match along the AT for their remoteness and wild features.

  2. #22

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    To the OP, don't sweat the details. The majority of the side trail sights along the trail are short excursions that aren't going to add days to the hike. Just take them as the opportunity presents it's self.

    Believe me, once you climb up onto the ridge in the GSMNP, your not going to want to drop 4000 feet to see something and then climb all the way back up again. And if you do deviate from the AT, your thru hiker pass is no longer valid so you have to make additional arrangements if your not going right back to an AT shelter.

    Typically what adds days to the hike are side trips to town where you get stuck for a few days. Which happens a lot for various reasons.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

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