Log 2016082501

I have GPS tracks for the American Discovery Trail in Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana both NMR and SMR, except some of the off-road... that's a later step.  Right now, if Google Map doesn't track the off-road, I'll have to find GPS tracks from other users, or trace it from a map drawn to scale.  Without knowing, it's possible that I won't have both in some places.  The worst case scenario in those area will probably be that an adventurist will have to navigate on waypoints.  Their like bread crumbs spread further out, or stationary beacons that ping to tell you if your getting closer, or further away.  It's not an actual sound, but rather the distance displayed a GPS's computer when the adventurist locks into one.

I refer to somebody traveling on the American Discovery Trail (ADT) as an "adventurist" because it's multi-mode.  Meaning that it's routed for hikers, cyclist, horses, jogging strollers and I be missing one.  Right now, the ADT does not have either paper maps, nor a GPS track (the line that you follow).  Instead, they have waypoints (spots on the map) and a turn-by-turn guide.

What I've been doing is working on the track, starting with the on-road and few off-road portions.  Tomorrow, I'm moving on to the western region which should be most of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California.  Once done, I should have about half of the trail tracked?

Why half?  Well, I might try the center, but I have other things to do.  I'm the section supervisor of the Whipple Section - Buckeye/ North Country Trail.  Stabilizing it's ability to operate has been ongoing since I took the post in December of 2014.  My duties account for less than half of Trail Promotion.  But despite that we might be thin on support for that, it has to be done.

I'm hoping that Whipple's "good behavior" on maintenance will produce a pattern, particularly with this blog.  This section almost doesn't belong on the BT.  It's off-road is not the kind that many of it's hikers are use to.  This was designed and built by the National Forest Service for the North Country Trail to please the likes of those on the Appalachian Trail.  It's arguably the most remote and strenuous part of Ohio.  When I go into trail maintenance, it might double my load as supervisor?

The long story short is that anymore volunteerism and it might unbalance my life.  To all of you out there, sometimes is good to know your limits and just say "no."