"It showed what we suspected. The handy brochure map was either made as a joke, created by a geographically-challenged cartographer, produced without a copy editor, or was a sinister plot on the part of State Parks to annoy hikers. Or all four."
LMAO!!! Yes!
Today's post was exactly what I needed. I LOVED this post. I'm glad you can look at your adventure so lightheartedly. And yet another good reminder that it is of the utmost importance to ALWAYS carry chocolate because one never knows when one will encounter a navigation emergency which requires chocolate. Thank you for this and all your other great nature posts.
I just read THE WIDE WIDE SEA, about Captain Cook's 3rd journey and he could commiserate with you, armed with his maps showing Alaska as an island. He and his men hoped for a quick sail from Alaska, over the top of Canada, and right back to Britain. lol.
Lovely post to bring me a smile with each turn in the path! Thank you for the smile in your voice! We need all of the smiles we can get. And reminders that stepping outside brings more than a breath of fresh air.
I was fortunate enough to spend several years of my 20's living in near-by La Conner, WA. I got to know many of the old timers and heard some wonderful tales of growing up there. One old shoe maker told me about taking the 'gravel road' from north of Everett to Mt. Vernon, which has always stuck with me as a reminder of how quickly we have changed this land. And another former mayor of La Conner had wonderful tales to tell of hunting for sharks as a boy with his friend in a large row boat to sell to the military for their iodine. They were always mindful of the treacherous currents of Deception Pass which can become extremely fast through the narrow channel with the changing of the tides. They attached as many live sharks to the back of the boat as they could, until they no longer could row with any more! And they lived on a bag of pancake mix and an iron skillet and campfires! :-)
As the one who created the original map you were relying upon, let me state that the trail routes are shown accurately on the map, but the trail numbers for the Hoypus trails were not specifically identified in the key, with just a general "see map for options" label, as they are truly interwoven and confusing without a map! I retired many years ago and had not seen the changes for the newest version of that map. I looked at the new map after reading your hilarious experience and saw that the numbers do not correspond to the names of the trails given in the key! They are not even close in some places. Someone used the original map but added the trail names in the key with no knowledge of which trails are where. I am so sorry!
"Deception Pass" might have given you a hint about the maps! In the Southwest corner of Washington there is a place called Cape Disappointment which is not as deceptive at it might seem. I haven't hiked it but have driven through it, which is not so disappointing. :-)
Good point, I hadn't realized that the hint was right before our eyes! But Cape Disappointment, in contrast, is not disappointing. One of my favorite parts of our fair state.
Glad that you both survived and experienced the joys of parts our natural world less sullied by human impacts. Fire scars on the big trees show that forest ecosystems can be resilient. But I suspect a large part of the resilience was thanks to the active management of their lands and waters by the indigenous peoples before the arrival of us "settlors".
I enjoyed your podcast so much I had to read the text as well. And seeing the maps made the printed word come alive, just as your voice did. Thanks for the levity!
In the silly vein: Deception Pass could be the name of a villain's hideout.
I can think of many people right now who I wish were in hiding there, never to be seen or heard from in public again.
"It showed what we suspected. The handy brochure map was either made as a joke, created by a geographically-challenged cartographer, produced without a copy editor, or was a sinister plot on the part of State Parks to annoy hikers. Or all four."
LMAO!!! Yes!
Today's post was exactly what I needed. I LOVED this post. I'm glad you can look at your adventure so lightheartedly. And yet another good reminder that it is of the utmost importance to ALWAYS carry chocolate because one never knows when one will encounter a navigation emergency which requires chocolate. Thank you for this and all your other great nature posts.
I just read THE WIDE WIDE SEA, about Captain Cook's 3rd journey and he could commiserate with you, armed with his maps showing Alaska as an island. He and his men hoped for a quick sail from Alaska, over the top of Canada, and right back to Britain. lol.
Also, now I want to go back to Deception Pass!
Lovely post to bring me a smile with each turn in the path! Thank you for the smile in your voice! We need all of the smiles we can get. And reminders that stepping outside brings more than a breath of fresh air.
I was fortunate enough to spend several years of my 20's living in near-by La Conner, WA. I got to know many of the old timers and heard some wonderful tales of growing up there. One old shoe maker told me about taking the 'gravel road' from north of Everett to Mt. Vernon, which has always stuck with me as a reminder of how quickly we have changed this land. And another former mayor of La Conner had wonderful tales to tell of hunting for sharks as a boy with his friend in a large row boat to sell to the military for their iodine. They were always mindful of the treacherous currents of Deception Pass which can become extremely fast through the narrow channel with the changing of the tides. They attached as many live sharks to the back of the boat as they could, until they no longer could row with any more! And they lived on a bag of pancake mix and an iron skillet and campfires! :-)
As the one who created the original map you were relying upon, let me state that the trail routes are shown accurately on the map, but the trail numbers for the Hoypus trails were not specifically identified in the key, with just a general "see map for options" label, as they are truly interwoven and confusing without a map! I retired many years ago and had not seen the changes for the newest version of that map. I looked at the new map after reading your hilarious experience and saw that the numbers do not correspond to the names of the trails given in the key! They are not even close in some places. Someone used the original map but added the trail names in the key with no knowledge of which trails are where. I am so sorry!
jack
Jack, Thanks for your comment. And, thanks for the original map. As you noted, the trails are in the right place. And, it was a fun adventure. David
"Deception Pass" might have given you a hint about the maps! In the Southwest corner of Washington there is a place called Cape Disappointment which is not as deceptive at it might seem. I haven't hiked it but have driven through it, which is not so disappointing. :-)
<L>
Good point, I hadn't realized that the hint was right before our eyes! But Cape Disappointment, in contrast, is not disappointing. One of my favorite parts of our fair state.
Lesson Learned: always bring chocolate
Glad that you both survived and experienced the joys of parts our natural world less sullied by human impacts. Fire scars on the big trees show that forest ecosystems can be resilient. But I suspect a large part of the resilience was thanks to the active management of their lands and waters by the indigenous peoples before the arrival of us "settlors".
I enjoyed your podcast so much I had to read the text as well. And seeing the maps made the printed word come alive, just as your voice did. Thanks for the levity!