George Dasher wrote:I think my problem was that all the caves I was trying to locate are down in deep valleys. I need to find some caves up on the ridge (but that is, like, work, climbing those mountains). The location that was "waaaaay" off is in a deep sinkhole in the middle of a big open field; I sure didn't anticipate a problem there.
George,
down here in Ozarkistan, our hollows tend to be deep (not as deep as yours, God I love W Va) and jungle like. GPS locations tend to be problematic, to the extent that the MSS wants GPS
and PLS locations on all caves. That way, if they don't agree, Scott House can know there is a problem right away and can contact the person.
I am a little bit older and still highly distrustful of all things "computerized", so I do PSLs anyway (I do have an e-trex because the MSS and AACS both want those locations, and I know how to get that datum out of it, but that is all I know about it). I still remember taking Bill Elliot to a Shannon Co cave that MDC had been looking for for years. Their location had it down in the bottom of a hollow, it was in fact about halfway up the ridgeline. When we got there, he got real excited, did the GPS and plotted it on the map right there in the woods... putting it right back in the bottom of the hollow. I looked at it and said, "Uh, Bill, that's not right, you were just there... It's actually up here..." He got a little embarressed, mumbling something about a "quick and dirty calculation" and that he would fix it back at the office.
On the flip side, we found a new cave this past winter, did GPS and PLS locations which agreed dead on the money. This past wkend we went back to survey (500' of virgin cave and more to go
) We came at it from a different direction and used a buddies GPS to guide us there... in a driving rain storm, thru vegetation as thick as anything in Venezuala, and
very steep terrain. Took us right to it.
Sometimes they do work, and I guess they have their uses.
tom
If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you just don't get the joke.