Smartphone GPS Basemap and Whipple Maintenance 07/24/2017

I continue to download a smartphone basemap for Ohio on Locus Maps.  This is big and is going to take a while, perhaps a month?

I weed whacked from Brooks by McCain Hill and Bean Ridge Roads and got just into the east side of the Little Muskingum River Flats.  That's where my trimmer needed a throttle adjustment and I don't know how to do that yet?  So, I got out of there.

With the DR Mower (Brush Hog), we usually attach a chainsaw to it with bungee cords and cut obstructing downed trees as we go.  But I don't have a DR and the chainsaw would be difficult to carry with the weed whacker.

So, I devised a new strategy.  An ax could be mounted to the trimmers shaft or be carried inside of my backpacks restraining straps.  A special canvas sleeve could be made for a 24" carpentry saw.  I can fit the bottom with the plastic that's used on the corners of some walls (maybe razor it down) to insert in the sleeve for the blade to grid up against when when I put it in, or take it out.  I could sew it to the bottom of my backpack and with the plastic angle, I should be able to re-insert with my backpack still on me?

I'm probably known for using a carpentry saw to remove obstructions.  It takes about 40 minutes to go through the sides of a 18-22" downed tree.  It's not like a chainsaw where you can just cut straight down.  This has to be done in "V" or "double V" (same thing, but upside down) cuts.  It's too easy to pinch the blade going straight down.

Sometimes, my cuts aren't spot on.  So when they get close, I start using the ax and I try to chop that pie cut out of there.  The chain saw would go there in minutes, but I'd rather cut them as I go because sometimes I encounter downed trees with the weed whacker and have to maneuver through them like a jungle gym.  I guess I could just take the chainsaw through and make two passes???

Trail Angel and Smartphone GPS Basemaps

I sent a lot of Buckeye Trail data to a supporter who's currently routing a thru hiker.  The thru hiker isn't using the BT's map & guides, instead he's being routed from the desk via phone calls, text and private messages on Facebook to his smartphone.  Everything should be more complete for them now.

When assisting another thru hiker about a month ago, we discovered something about smartphone GPS navigation.  The problem is off-line basemaps.  The easiest way to do it for the Buckeye Trail is to download everything for the entire State of Ohio at high resolution.  But, that's a huge file.  And the tile limits are 5,000 and 10,000.  I'm in the middle of it now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ties up my smartphone for the next 30 days.  Prospective thru hikers really don't have that kind of time.

I wish I could find basemaps that I could download to my desktop computer, then upload to my smartphone and work on my "Locus" app.  That could be faster for everyone involved.  And it would be preferred if it was USGS Topo.  That's a map that many are familiar with.