A Map of my home range.

Got a song, a tale, some news of far off places or Orcs gathering? Step up and loose your word hoard.

Moderator: Greg

User avatar
SierraStrider
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:54 pm
Location: California
Contact:

A Map of my home range.

Post by SierraStrider »

Those of you whom I've met over in the Prancing Pony are aware of my intended quest to recreate the run of the three hunters by hiking 45 leagues in less than 4 days. Well, with a tentative route picked out, I figured I'd need a suitable map--So I whipped this up this morning:

Image

From the bottom right at Le Conte Ranger Station to the top left at Yosemite Valley, following the red trail, is almost exactly 45 leagues (135 miles/217km).

I'm not 100% happy with it. Yosemite lacks the detail I'd like, but it was kind of off in the distance in my reference imagery.
User avatar
Peter Remling
Athel Dunedain
Posts: 3735
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:20 am

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Peter Remling »

What kind of altitude are you looking at ? It can have a major impact on your run. How about water sources along the route.

BTW Welcome if I havn't said it before.
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Greg »

There are dozens of lakes along the route...all crystal clear sierra water. Still...pump it, even if you're in a hurry. My dad, in the 70's risked his stomach since they didn't have hiking filters yet, and had a two-day unplanned layover to clear his digestive tract.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
SierraStrider
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:54 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by SierraStrider »

Thanks for the welcome, Peter. I'll be ranging between about 12,000 feet at the highest and ending down around 4,000. Pretty rarified, but I'm pretty good at altitude.

I'll be using a Light of Earendil to ward off evil, though with what kind of water vessel I'm still not sure. I like waterskins for authenticity but wouldn't trust my light to reach the whole thing. I'll probably take a copper flask or two; they don't feel quite right to me, but sometimes you have to balance authenticity with pragmatism.

Greg, your dad's lucky if he got off with only 2 days from a water contagion. They can be bad news.
User avatar
Kortoso
Haeropada
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:37 pm
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Kortoso »

Excellent map! It certainly strikes the right tone.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Manveruon »

This is fantastic! I just giddy over everything you've posted so far! Can't wait to see more!
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
Straelbora
Haeropada
Posts: 937
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Straelbora »

Is that about 3 or 4 miles per hour for like 12 hours a day? I'm certainly not built for that kind of speed, but it seems to me that that's the kind of speed one can get on flats, not in the mountains. (Weren't Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli crossing the grasslands of Rohan at that speed for this portion of the book?)

Great map and awesome project.
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
User avatar
SierraStrider
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:54 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by SierraStrider »

Indeed. And I've never covered more than 20 miles a day on foot. But the unsupported record for the whole JMT is 3 days, 12 hours, and that's 211 miles, half as long again.

I'm embarking on marathon training in preparation for the feat.
Straelbora
Haeropada
Posts: 937
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Straelbora »

Wow! Keep us posted.
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
LegenGary
Wayfarer
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:24 am
Location: Tampa, Florida

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by LegenGary »

Wow! This is a magnificent map!
Ranger Austin
Wayfarer
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:32 am

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Ranger Austin »

Woah my friend, this looks very intense. Best of luck to you and I really hope that you bring video equipment so we can see your progress.
User avatar
kleenur
Wanderer
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2017 3:08 am
Location: Haverhill, NH USA
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by kleenur »

That map looks great! Did you use some kind of software to make it, or did you free hand it?
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


-J.R.R Tolkien
User avatar
SierraStrider
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:54 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by SierraStrider »

Since this post has been lighting up a bit more, I thought I'd post the second draft of that map.
Image
kleenur wrote:That map looks great! Did you use some kind of software to make it, or did you free hand it?
Both of these maps were traced in Gnu Image Manipulation Program. The first one was traced off a Google Earth screenshot, but Google Earth projects its surface in a "Perspective" view, so more distant objects are smaller and less detailed. It was a quick exercise that didn't give me the result I wanted.

The second map was based off of USGS Digital Elevation Models which I projected in an isometric view. Isometric projections have some use some geometric trickery so that while the subject appears to be viewed at an angle, there's no foreshortening. As such, the scale of Yosemite National Park in the "distance" is identical to the scale of Mt. Whitney and Sequoia National Park in the "foreground". I built the DEM and assigned false color based on elevation, overlaid the trail by hand (hence some errors) and ported the result into GIMP. I traced the mountains, drew in the trail and park boundaries, messed with the false-color elevation profile, and added text.

It's not a final draft. I'm not satisfied with the line quality in the full-res version, and there are some errors. I want to find a better way to integrate the labels. Got distracted for a long minute, but I'm getting laid off in February, so maybe it's time to pick this back up...
Ranger Austin wrote:Woah my friend, this looks very intense. Best of luck to you and I really hope that you bring video equipment so we can see your progress.
That project is on hold in favor of a much bigger Non-Tolkien Ranger project that I've been keeping a super-secret but plan to divulge by October, hopefully much sooner. I do hope to hike the JMT this summer, but with modern kit and a much more leisurely pace.

If you're interested in non-period hiking videos, check out my youtube channel.
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by Manveruon »

Always happy to see updates from you, SierraStrider! These maps are simply fantastic! Can't wait to see more!
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
kleenur
Wanderer
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2017 3:08 am
Location: Haverhill, NH USA
Contact:

Re: A Map of my home range.

Post by kleenur »

Both of these maps were traced in Gnu Image Manipulation Program. The first one was traced off a Google Earth screenshot, but Google Earth projects its surface in a "Perspective" view, so more distant objects are smaller and less detailed. It was a quick exercise that didn't give me the result I wanted.

The second map was based off of USGS Digital Elevation Models which I projected in an isometric view. Isometric projections have some use some geometric trickery so that while the subject appears to be viewed at an angle, there's no foreshortening. As such, the scale of Yosemite National Park in the "distance" is identical to the scale of Mt. Whitney and Sequoia National Park in the "foreground". I built the DEM and assigned false color based on elevation, overlaid the trail by hand (hence some errors) and ported the result into GIMP. I traced the mountains, drew in the trail and park boundaries, messed with the false-color elevation profile, and added text.

It's not a final draft. I'm not satisfied with the line quality in the full-res version, and there are some errors. I want to find a better way to integrate the labels. Got distracted for a long minute, but I'm getting laid off in February, so maybe it's time to pick this back up...
Ah ha! Well, though I don't understand most of those words, I DO understand that it involves some sort of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Sorcery! I've been looking for an excuse to really try diving into GIMP, and this seems like a good one. I would also guess that is wouldn't take terribly ling once you get the hang of it. How cool would it be to print out and "age" one of these maps every time you go a rangering, or even to generate one of these with a marked location for an adventure! Hmm, this could be a very deep rabbit hole for me! Thanks!
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


-J.R.R Tolkien
Post Reply