9/29/14

local cartography


The Good Doctor has recently been putting some nice detail into a series of BPG/ USGS/ Cooke City composite maps.  Think:  Krummholz Alley, Rip Curl and the Ozarks; keeping Oly's Woods company.  (and laminated for the Yurt.)

I sure do enjoy contemplating the different ways we reference the landscape.  Take Fred Inabnit's Greater Yellowstone piece, with a portion shown above.  It's about the size of a Navajo rug, was modeled in the early 1900's (mountain top trigonometry anyone! :) with amazing attention to accuracy. He even cut and fit mirrors to represent lakes.  Check it out at the Museum of the Beartooths next time you are in Columbus.

In contrast to these crazy days, where there are folks strafing around in the field (driving 80mph down the hwy), GPS equipped software on their smart phones; and eyeballs glued to screens.. 
More info the merrier!

It was a breath of fresh air to be in the hills last week, Way off trail, trying to read ridgelines and potential routes.  Wondering how the local Indians felt while out and about.

It's also been cool to see discrepancies amongst modern day mapmakers' renditions o the Beartooths.  One particular, remote rock spire comes to mind.  :)  A Google Earth illusion perhaps.?  Only one way to find out.

for scale: try a diameter of about 6-7 feet.  Friday in Whirlpool Creek.

Still Lots to genuinely explore, even amongst the Beartoohs, yet alone the GYE.
Reason to celebrate.!


8 comments:

  1. Any chance the spire you mentioned is near Cathedral? Went looking for one up there once because of google earth, but was disappointed to find out it doesn't exist...

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    1. Cathedral de Stillwater.! Not the area I had in mind, but cool to hear you went searching for a mysterious rock tower. Love the uncertain stuff. :)

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  2. It is quite humbling to ponder the early great cartographers pulling out an artist pad mid route to sketch and survey the land, and how accurate they were.....we have it easy.

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    1. Ben, we ought to sketch more.! Love a good hand drawn map. :)

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  3. Holy smoke, travel through Columbus all the time headed to one of my favorite rivers, didn't know it was home to the Museum of the Beartooths; guess I'm always too distracted by the New Atlas Bar, a museum in and of itself. Marveling at that tree.

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    1. Dale, is there an albino bison at the New Atlas Bar??!

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