USGS Making Me Crazy

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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planet54
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USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by planet54 »

You learn to deal with it but consistency would be nice. Do you have any good ones? There are a lot depending on what bugs you.

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justiner
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by justiner »

What's bugging you exactly? The only thing that really stands out is in map #2, it's in meters. map #1 is super ancient.
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planet54
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by planet54 »

justiner wrote: Wed Apr 07, 2021 6:58 pm What's bugging you exactly? The only thing that really stands out is in map #2, it's in meters. map #1 is super ancient.
#1 North Eolus not named. I do realize that maps get updated. There is a spot elevation but not a name
#2 Maroon Bells . Not Maroon Peak or North Maroon. Only USGS map that I have seen that way.
#3 No elevations for peaks.
Last edited by planet54 on Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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HikerGuy
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by HikerGuy »

You are comparing historical maps, older versions. Maps change over time. The current USGS topo has it labeled the way you expect.
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planet54
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by planet54 »

HikerGuy wrote: Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:16 pm You are comparing historical maps, older versions. Maps change over time. The current USGS topo has it labeled the way you expect.
I know that . I am just saying that you have to be careful what you look at. #3 map is from 2016. #2 is from 1983.
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by Scott P »

Some mountains have 3 or 4 different names on different USGS maps.
Last edited by Scott P on Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by planet54 »

So everyone knows I have been looking at USGS maps for over 50 years. Just saying that things are not always the same and I find that interesting.
Yeah the Needle Mountains map is ancient I was pointing out that North Eolus had not been named yet.Or if it was why isn't it named on the map?
Last edited by planet54 on Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Dave B
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by Dave B »

Pro tip: Vote for politicians who don't gut federal science funding instead of blaming short-changed agencies for imperfections in their grossly-underfunded public services.
Make wilderness less accessible.
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planet54
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by planet54 »

Dave B wrote: Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:54 pm Pro tip: Vote for politicians who don't gut federal science funding instead of blaming short-changed agencies for short-comings in their grossly-underfunded public services.
I don't see it as being too much trouble to put peak elevations on a map as they have done for over 100 years or label a couple of peaks as they have traditionally been. No blame just looking for odd things on a map.
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by +Gravy »

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Last edited by +Gravy on Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by gore galore »

#1 North Eolus not named. North Eolus was most probably named during the Colorado Mountain Club Annual Outing of 1920 when Windom, Sunlight, Eolus and North Eolus were climbed in one day. The CMC Outing of 1927 indicated in its climbing report that "North Eolus - if that is to be its name" suggests prior use of the name. On this same outing a party of five including Mary Cronin duplicated the four peaks in one day "to afford Mary the opportunity of adding four more 14,000-foot peaks to her rapidly growing list of 'high tops'." This suggests that North Eolus was considered by some as a 14er in those days but it doesn't appear on the CMC lists of the time. North Eolus probably didn't appear on an U.S.G.S map until later.
I can relate to looking at old maps having spent many hours at a time back in the day at the U. S. Geological Survey Library off of Kipling in Lakewood.
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Re: USGS Making Me Crazy

Post by seano »

I love the old hand-drawn maps like #1 (comparing trails on old and new maps via Caltopo is fun and occasionally useful).

Metric quads like #2 are really annoying; they seem to be a failed experiment that left only a few traces in e.g. the Palisades in California.

I think the new computer-drawn maps like #3 are sterile and ugly compared to #1. The lack of peak elevations feels like a concession to reduce clutter because their layout algorithm can't handle it.
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