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TIL my 'quick' map check for a trail in the Smokies took three hours
I was planning a two-day loop near Clingmans Dome and just wanted to confirm a water source marked on my old paper map. I figured it would take 20 minutes to cross-reference with the park's online GIS data and a couple of recent trip reports. Instead, I found conflicting info on three different sites, and the official park PDF had been updated with a note about seasonal dryness. I spent the whole evening digging through forum archives from two years ago to find a reliable answer. What should have been a simple task ate up my entire night. How much time do you guys usually budget for verifying route details like that?
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felixlane16d ago
Three hours seems like overkill for a water source check.
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carr.abby16d ago
Felixlane, how many water sources have you personally verified in the Smokies lately?
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the_emma16d ago
Oh man, that's my whole weekend gone right there... I once lost an entire afternoon just trying to figure out if a trailhead parking lot was paved or gravel.
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