Greg: I don’t know if I’ll have occasion to get up to the White Mountains; because of family locations it tends to be more likely for us to go west and northwest rather than east. But I would love to get to that part of the country someday. Thanks for the suggestion!
Sam: I do live in a city (Austin) but I’ve been here so long I’ll have to hunt around for a part of it I’m not already pretty familiar with. I does sound like a method that would be easier to do frequently without having to plan a more elaborate outing.
Andrew: LSHT starts (western terminus) about 3 hours east of here. My sister and I through-hiked it last March, which was a lot of fun. But of course we were totally on-trail with guidebook in hand. I could try going out to Bastrop State Park, about 30 miles from here. We used to backpack there before it burned and backcountry camping ended. I have a copy of the old Houston Orienteering Club map they used to sell. Vegetation markings will be all wrong now of course but ravines and hills won’t have changed.
Geoff: The descriptions on the Brotherton book look ideal. I’ll get that. I doubt there will be a snow skills club within reach of where I live, so I’ll probably end up seeking out a formal course. One of those “someday” things. Rather than looking for course recommendations now, I should wait until the time comes, depending on what is operating then.
All: Greatly appreciate the encouragement that I can probably dig out the land navigation part by practicing on my own. Especially with map & compass. My relationship with GPS is still fraught; I find the electronic mapping and routing and the whole cumbersome interface to be irritating and often a source of frustration. Whether on phone or garmin. But that is another discussion.
