Put it on the map

Plagued by a lack of good trekking maps, Indian hikers make their own

For trekkers, nothing can parallelthe thrill of hitting thetrail, but that doesn't meanthat they walk in unprepared.As any good trekker knows,his survival depends on his preparationand in ensuring that he has theright equipment, enough food and propernavigation tools. Unfortunately forIndian trekkers, maps are hard to comeby. Which is why there is already a clanof trekkers who stick by self-made mapswhen walking on uncharted trails.

Partha S Banerjee, who's beentrekking in the Indian Himalayas for 15odd years started making his own mapsnine years ago. In fact, he even compiledthem into a book that trekkerscan purchase.

Others who make their own mapshave taken them online. Having becomea reliable medium for adventure groupsto plan their activities, the Internet isalso fast emerging as a compendium ofuser-generated maps. Trekkers use themedium to collaborate, thus ensuringthat maps are always updated.

Hiker Ajay Reddy started the websiteTrip Naksha a year ago when hewanted information on trek localesaround Hyderabad and couldn't find awebsite that offered trekking maps.

"I made use of the application programminginterface (API) that Googlemaps offers, and used their base mapsto sketch my own trails. No sooner hadI uploaded a few of my own maps thancontributions from trekkers started toflow in," he says. The site has nowbecome a forum for trekkers to shareexperiences, maps and photographs.

But tracing your route on a map isn'teasy, even with GPS devices at your disposal,and a lot of effort goes into it.When trekking in the Sahyadris, hikerAbhijit Avalaskar uses his eTrexVenture GPS receiver to record hiscoordinates periodically. On connectingto the computer, the device automaticallytransfers the position points,which Avalaskar then draws on a mapdemarcating the locations of wells,streams and forts. "I add colours tonotify a change in topography or terrainso that trekkers have a fair clue ofwhat to expect," he says.

Some detailed maps are made usingsatellite images. MapsofIndia.com hasa team of cartographers who useGeographic Information Systems (GIS)software applications to chart maps,and build on them using graphic designingsoftware. These maps are not toscale. Explaining this, Subir Roy ofMapsofIndia says, "To publish mapsthat are to scale, you need permissionsfrom Survey of India and the Ministryof Defence as there are a lot of restrictedzones that you cannot encroachupon." However, the websiteoffers mapsmade by their inhouseteam thatspecifically depictposition sites like fortsand hills that are ofinterest to trekkers. Youcan order these online.

An important concernfor trekkers is that trailmaps become obsoletevery quickly. The geographyof a place is continually altering,and new routes bring newchallenges. According to adventureenthusiast Ivon Gill, who manages theHimadventures.com portal, it just isn'tpossible to describe the exact topographyof a trail.

"In the Himalayas, landslides andsnowfall commonly block old roads andgive rise to new ones, not all of whichcan be kept track of. What one mustideally do is carry a GPS system afterstudying the nature of the climb on amap before setting out," he says.

And always remember the rules ofthe mountains: Have atleast four people in agroup, walk together,and leave a schedulebehind with someonewho can take action ifthey don't hear backfrom you in a specifiedtime. Be preparedso that you canhave fun.

How to prepare
Trip Naksha has a collection of trails marked on Google Maps, which are free. You can get Partha Banerjee's maps at www.milestoneguides.comMapsofindia.com sells trekking maps designed by their own cartographers.Himadventures has hand-drawn maps. Contact them at 9915160121. To make your own maps: You can sketch the trail on Google Maps andembed it on your webpage. GPS devices come with software applications which help you prepare rough drafts of routes.

HT Image