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Just looked at the official trail logs for the Wind River High Route and the numbers are way off
I was planning a trip for next summer and dug into the old Forest Service survey data from 2012. The common guidebook says the main off-trail section is about 35 miles, but the original surveyor's notes from the first mapping trip put it closer to 42 miles of actual cross-country travel. That's a big difference when you're planning food carries. Has anyone else run into this kind of mileage gap on other high routes?
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the_piper16d ago
Ever try to follow a guidebook and end up adding an extra day of food? I ran into that on the Sierra High Route. The book said one thing, but my GPS track was always longer with all the little ups and downs they don't count. Now I just add a ten percent buffer to any off trail mileage I read. It saved me from running low last time.
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Guidebook miles are always a flat map fantasy. You have to factor in all the micro detours around talus and cliff bands. I just plan for the high end estimate and pack an extra day of food.
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