[at-l] Georgia AT - post number one...

[Arthur Gaudet]

Hi Pitts,
I noticed that the distances are using 2 decimal digit accuracy. 

An online AT distance calculator is at
http://www.ragtag.org/cgi-bin/dbatdist/dbatdist.pl and it has one digit
accuracy, based on the Data Book. The distance from Springer to Gooch Mtn.
Shelter is 15.1.
The Georgia pdf file from the ALDHA site ( I think this is the 2007 Companion)
has the distance as 14.9.

I don't know what you measured as the distance, and that's not really the
question. The topic is more about "empty accuracy" when citing numbers. 

In order to have confidence in 2-digit accuracy we need information about the
statistics of your measurements. Specifically, if you measured the same distance
over & over, how tight a distribution of numbers do you get?

The errors in wheel measurements come from a variety of sources, and I can
discuss some of them more if there's any interest. But for now I'd like to hear
about the repeatability of your measurements. With no statistics I'd prefer that
you cite the distances in 1-decimal digit form, just as the other sources cite
them.

This is not meant to cast criticism on any of your work. It's very useful to
have recent on-the-ground data. I imagine it's been many years since Georgia was
measured "from scratch". (Does anyone know?) I'll bet the other measurements
above have all been arrived at by a method of applying differences whenever
changes to the trail occurred. But it's possible that the original data for that
method could be years or decades old!

--Arthur aka RockDancer

-----Original Message-----
From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On
Behalf Of Richard Mann
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 10:37 PM
To: at-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [at-l] Georgia AT - post number one...

over that past coupla years i've been in georgia with my trusty surveyors wheel,
and i've measured the entire trail from springer to bly gap, us many side
trails, including the approach trail.  i've been working on the daunting task of
putting all of this info on my website.  it is so much info that once i get
started, i am overwhelemd, and i stop.  soooooo, i need to get this info out
little by little.  there is a page out there on my website with some of this
info, but it isn't accurate, so i don't have it linked...

what i am going to do is put it here a little at a time.  so here is post number
one...

locations in ALL CAPS correspond to the entries in the Databook (my mileages
differ and are accurate)...

SPRINGER MOUNTAIN TO THE NEW STOVER CREEK SHELTER

miles    location & information
  /footpath features/

0.00    SPRINGER MOUNTAIN
           > vista west - no tenting allowed
  /easy descent/

0.15    SPRINGER MOUNTAIN SHELTER
           > tenting, privy 140 paces east on rolling BB (mostly level blue
blazed footpath)
           > shelter 120 further on rolling BB
           > water 95 paces further on rolling BB
           > second privy within sight just beyond shelter - /moderate descent/

  /easy descent/

0.24    southern terminus BMT
           > the white diamond blazed Benton Mackaye Trail heads east
           > the BMT is an alternate footpath from here through the Great Smoky
Mtn NP

  /moderatly difficult descent due rocks and roots - watch your step/

0.98    USFS42
           > cross unpaved road to parking area
           > tenting possible here if you show up late

  /rolling footpath/

1.31    cross BMT

  /easy descent/

1.61    cross stream

  /easy rolling footpath/

1.94    cross BMT
  /easy rolling footpath, then easy descent/

2.67    cross wooden bridge over stream
  /mostly easy descent, some easy rolling footpath/

2.80    THE NEW STOVER CREEK SHELTER - east on BB
           > shelter/tenting 125 paces on BB - /easy ascent/
           > water 115 paces further on BB - /easy descent/
           > privy?


      
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