hewhocaves wrote:i honestly feel we've trading something intangible to get that.
Even though I wasn't around in the days before digital mapping was as popular as it seems to be these days, I agree with you. The Chattanooga Grotto had their 50th anniversary the other night and everyone brought out little bits of caving history, it was really amazing! Jim Wilbanks brought out his half of the very first piece of Blue Water rope ever produced. It was made while the very first order of their characteristic blue yarn was still on it's way, so the rope doesn't have the blue stripe. Too cool!
Buddy Lane also brought out his original map (the one he drafted by hand, not a copy) of Run to the Mill Cave. This was the version before they discovered and surveyed a big chunk of new cave. It was pretty amazing, compared to the way I am used to seeing mapping done. It was on mylar and at least 12 ft long. You could still see pencil here and there underneath the stuff he'd gone over in ink.
That hand-drawn precision and care really does add a lot that computers can't replicate, I agree.