Resting, Converter and Wolf Run State Park

I'm resting today. But there's been problems with the AC to DC converter in the motorhome. It's putting off excessive noise. But this is the first time in 2 years that I've plugged the shore cable into a 220V outlet. Home Port didn't have one, so it was converted to 110V when it was there. But I flicked the breaker switch a couple times and it's normal now. The laptop and smartphone is charging off the motorhome's 110V power and im starting to charge my extra smartphone batteries with an external charger that I have on board.  If the converter becomes a bigger problem, I have an extension cord that I can run into the chassis from the outside.

Currently, I'm near the north side of The Wilderness Loop - Buckeye Trail/ North Country Temporary Connector. My location is in the campground at Wolf Run State Park. Blogger can't lock on to it.

Blazing - 50 Yard Pace Count

I did a pace count in advance of reblazing the Duck Creek area on the Whipple Section - Buckeye Trail/ North Country Temporary Connector. It's something I leaned in the Army where you count every left step out to 50 meters.  You do it 3 times and average the count, than that's what you use.  I also understand that this is a Boy Scout method.

Because of conditions on-road, the blazing count will be mostly 50yds. Well, the stadium at Marietta College with a synthetic turf field and lines that are always painted isn't always open to the public.  But it's practice field had yard marker signs attached to its fence. So, I did my pace count on the other side and it worked out well. With a 36in inseam (I'm 6ft 6in) I have a 50yd pace count of 27.  And shorter folks will be more. But it's just an off-road measurement for blazes.

Sometimes, you could find yourself maintaining a new segment where the blazes are badly faded, or they weren't done right to begin with.  In this situation, an "initial" blazing has to be done. It's "initial" as if it was getting it for the first time.

WCHS Tour Along The BT/ NCTC

I just e-mailed the Washington County Historical Society requesting information on their WCHS Tour signs that I see every now and then.  There's one on the Whipple Section - Buckeye Trail/ North Country Temporary Connector in Macksburg.  The signs I've seen are few and very faded, which, to me, could suggest that there might be other sites along the trail?

It is possible that I could GPS all of their sites and produce a file to download.  And I'd have to check my recording equipment, but I think I could make vocal mp3 files if there was a written guide to these sites.  It could be available for download, or on CD.  If they're downloaded, they could be used on a smartphone.  Audio playback is no problem, in fact many of our automobiles can now use bluetooth to connect it to the stereo system.

But it gets a little tricky with a smartphone GPS.  Google Maps, the stock navigation app on Android devices won't support this.  The user would need to have an app that allows them to download off-line maps.  I use "Locus" on mine.  After the off-line maps and GPS waypoints are downloaded, they can be displayed together, but they probably won't have any turn by turn directions when they're out of signal?  But a prescribed track, or route could work.

If in the event they'd need help (and we'd need help), then I already know that I'm one of very few people who can do this GPS mapping and make that track.  So, it might have to be me?

Water Resupply - The Wilderness Loop 05/05/2016

I've been working with the mining and surface stream data for The Wilderness Loop of the Buckeye Trail (North Country concurrent partially), which consists of the Road Fork, Whipple and parts of the Belle Valley and Stockport Sections.  I've got data that might make the situation better than it has been.  What I've mean is that I've identified streams that are probably not contaminated with heavy metals.  And so far, my data can support 10 mile continuous hikes, except present day RF 04 - 10.  That's 13.82 miles where I can't get public access to the few surface streams that I believe are uncontaminated.  This area, which is northwest of Caldwell of Noble County is, or was heavily mined and the only two remedies that I can see now are if the section gets a private water or camp host, or an in-person trip down OH-78 reveals the presence of a convenience store that wouldn't show up on a Google map or search (sometimes this happens).