Re: [Philmont]: GPS e-Trex

> I have recently invested in a Garmin e-Trex Vista GPS to fulfill my
> passion
> for geocaching. I assume several of you own the same or similar units
> that
> you use on backpacking trips. I plan to take my e-Trex to Philmont this
> summer and I am looking for some information.
>
> Can anyone tell me where I can purchase software to download maps of the
> trails and campsites at Philmont Scout Reservation?

I guess it's time for me to chime in here. It's been a while since I've
posted anything......

I have an eTrex (original model) that's been to Philmont twice. I found it
a very useful tool for myself, but then, I'm a computer geek.

I tracked down several lists of waypoints from sources on this list. I took
all the data and fed it into TopoUSA (Delorme). I then judged from what I
knew (including waypoints from my first trip) and came up with a set of
points I was happy with. I started out just mapping our trek, but when it
became obvious (last summer) that it would change, I dumped all the data
into the device. I picked from the points I had, and from what I could read
from the map and developed my own set of points. I did not load a route.
Instead, each evening I'd go through the points I had and come up with the
route for the next day, using as many points as possible. I should mention
that I printed out maps from TopoUSA, double sided, on water proof paper. I
tried to print them in such a way that I could select only the set I needed
for the trek we ended up with. These maps had the waypoints marked on them,
so I didn't have to guess from the 6 character name as to what was what.

The other use for the GPS is tracking where you've been. My eTrex can save
10 tracks, so at Philmont, that's one per day. You also have to clear the
current track out of the memory, or you end up with more and more data that
eventually overwrites itself. When I got home, I uploaded the data, back to
TopoUSA, and massaged the data a bit to come up with a reasonable
approximation of our trek. This gave me a better guess at the mileage (it
included side trips). I also tried to mark waypoints here and there.

Now, before anyone asks me for my data.......I posted this to get you
thinking about how to use the device. I, unfortunately, toasted my hard
drive over the holidays. I now have my data back, but it is in no shape to
give to anyone.

In the end, I found my track matched the waypoints precisely at time, and at
other times, one or the other were off. There were times I lost signal and
had to "guess" at the data. Sometimes the data followed the trails on the
map. Sometimes, either the data or the map were off. It's a tool. I've
learned how to use it and enjoy using it.

I offered my data to all on the crew who chose to take a GPS.
Interestingly, none took me up on my offer. For the most part, they used
their GPS as a locator, then found the spot on the map (and looked around to
make sure what they were reading was sane). In reality, there were only a
couple of times that we were actually in doubt as to where we were.

I didn't intend this to be so long winded, but take the info as it is.
TopoUSA isn't necessarily the best package out there, but who can beat the
entire US for $100 (I got the latest update on DVD, so I have one disk
instead of 6). There are also a couple of nice options. I actually
downloaded most of the Ranch area as satellite maps. These helped pinpoint
some of waypoints which were questionable. I can't highly recommend
TopoUSA, but after looking at everything available, it's the one I chose.

David DeLano
Phoenix, AZ
Troop 5
Crew 124

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Received on Wed Mar 12 16:54:45 2003