The Tech-watch Geek Returns

Now that I have my Casio Pathfinder...well, it gives me a gadget to play with when I go on these hikes.  And, fellow hikers, remember this, whenever you set out on a trail head from Skyline Drive you will either climb first, then descend back to your starting point, or you will descend first, and climb back to the starting point. 

Why?  Because the Drive follows the Ridge.  So consider your route before you start, and be prepared for the climb, whether it is the start or end of your hike.

In the case of the Hightop Mountain hike I took last Sunday, the hike bagan with the ascent.  Although it was a mild climb at the start and end, there were some steep sections through the middle, and even a switchback or two to help the path make its way up the mountain.

I took a few measurements with the altimeter function, summarized in the table below.

In looking at the entries I've numbered "5" and "5a" - note the difference.  The error factor is less at the lower altitude, and had changed by 100 feet by the time I had reached the summit. 

There are a couple of potential reasons for this.  Of course, one of them is operator malfunction, but more likely, there was a change of barometric pressure during my hike.  The other possible reason for this inaccuracy is a temperature change during the hike - I don't remember that being the case, so I am pretty sure the pressure was rising...in fact, there had been storms overnight and the atmosphere was still clearing when I got up on the mountain.

The other thing I did while I was at the summit was to take a reading on my compass.  North was indicated as 292 degrees, so I was facing approximately west up there on my ledge (photo shows the view - note that it was obscured by clouds!  The town of Elkton was somewhere out there).

I guess I am pretty comfortable with the watch's basic functions now, and I need to move on and learn how to do a couple of things with it - setting a reference altitude, and also calibrating the compass.  And just now I deleted some earlier records. 

So it's a work in progress, but it's coming along.

Hey, if you want to be like me, here's my watch on Amazon!