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On another thread recently, someone asked how the Saddleback cliffs could be measured with a wheel. I asked Tony Goodwin about it and he sent me an intereting reply that I thought was worth passing along. This explains why many of the distances on the signs don't match what is in the guidebook. Tony has been the Editor of the ADK High Peaks guidebook for the past several editions and has measured all the trails in the High Peaks.
"As for the cliffs on Saddleback, I measured the trail going down and just did the best I could to keep the wheel in contact with the rock. It actually wasn't that hard, and I don't think I came out much different from what someone would have gotten with a long tape. Furthermore, in that terrain exact mileage is hardly the most important factor in determining difficulty.
As for the discrepancies (almost always shorter than the ADK guide) in distances on the DEC signs, I determined during my first round of measuring in 1984 that the DEC had used the same type of wheel I was using but didn't know what it was measuring. The surveyor's wheel is best for rough terrain because it has a larger diameter than most other wheels. The only problem is that it measures in the arcane unit of chains. (1 chain = 66 feet = 80 chains to the mile.) (Also: 1 rod = 16.5 feet = 4 rods per chain - aren't you glad you asked?) Anyway, the wheel measures 1/10th of a chain or 6.6 feet = 800 revolutions per mile. The inaccuracies came from someone thinking that the wheel was measuring in fractions of a mile and that one revolution = 5.28 feet or 1,000 revolutions to the mile.
I had always wondered how the new (1974) trail from the Loj to Marcy Dam was said to be 1.8 mi. on the main DEC sign when it was clear that the new route was longer than the original route that was 2.1 mi. I guessed that this was perhaps a way of getting hikers to use the new trail. In working on the guide in 1984, I measured from Upper Works to Calamity lean-tos. At the junction there was a new DEC sign proclaiming that it was 3.7 mi. to Upper Works. The counter on the wheel showed just over 3,700 revolutions - aha! The next day I measured to Marcy Dam and it came out just over 1,800 revolutions - case closed in my book.
I didn't go into such detail in the intro to the guide, but since you asked, now you know; and you're welcome to pass this information along.
Best Regards,
Tony Goodwin"
"As for the cliffs on Saddleback, I measured the trail going down and just did the best I could to keep the wheel in contact with the rock. It actually wasn't that hard, and I don't think I came out much different from what someone would have gotten with a long tape. Furthermore, in that terrain exact mileage is hardly the most important factor in determining difficulty.
As for the discrepancies (almost always shorter than the ADK guide) in distances on the DEC signs, I determined during my first round of measuring in 1984 that the DEC had used the same type of wheel I was using but didn't know what it was measuring. The surveyor's wheel is best for rough terrain because it has a larger diameter than most other wheels. The only problem is that it measures in the arcane unit of chains. (1 chain = 66 feet = 80 chains to the mile.) (Also: 1 rod = 16.5 feet = 4 rods per chain - aren't you glad you asked?) Anyway, the wheel measures 1/10th of a chain or 6.6 feet = 800 revolutions per mile. The inaccuracies came from someone thinking that the wheel was measuring in fractions of a mile and that one revolution = 5.28 feet or 1,000 revolutions to the mile.
I had always wondered how the new (1974) trail from the Loj to Marcy Dam was said to be 1.8 mi. on the main DEC sign when it was clear that the new route was longer than the original route that was 2.1 mi. I guessed that this was perhaps a way of getting hikers to use the new trail. In working on the guide in 1984, I measured from Upper Works to Calamity lean-tos. At the junction there was a new DEC sign proclaiming that it was 3.7 mi. to Upper Works. The counter on the wheel showed just over 3,700 revolutions - aha! The next day I measured to Marcy Dam and it came out just over 1,800 revolutions - case closed in my book.
I didn't go into such detail in the intro to the guide, but since you asked, now you know; and you're welcome to pass this information along.
Best Regards,
Tony Goodwin"
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), my pace is somewhat quicker. I'm sure it's all on an individual basis
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