Letterboxing USA - Yahoo Groups Archive

Alternative Distance measurements

2 messages in this thread | Started on 2001-06-01

Alternative Distance measurements

From: Forester (jrov@nji.com) | Date: 2001-06-01 19:31:31 UTC-04:00
I was thinking of a new challenge for following clues.  I realize that part of the challenge of the pacing is that people have different strides.  Then I realized something about my own background.  Although foresters and surveyors often measure by pacing, they never describe their distances in paces.  They use standard measurement units. 
 
Most forestry field camps have a lesson where the students are required to walk certain premeasured distances and calibrate their pace.  Once you know how to pace on level ground the next challenge is to learn how to compensate for slopes or even for running (in the case of Orienteering).  I thought it might be a new and interesting challenge for some of you if I did a set of clues using the measurement units of the U.S. Public Land Survey.  These units were devised by Thomas Jefferson who initiated the survey when he became president.
 
They aren't common units like feet or yards. I won't mention the names of the units here.  Some of you might already know of them.  I'll even give you some hints on how to calculate them in the clues.  Half the fun would be researching what they are before going out.  The folks in Ohio and west of the Mississippi, would be more familiar with them.  That whole part of the country is divided that way. 
 
Is this something new for most of you or is it common knowledge.  If that's the case, there are other alternative units that I can use such as a Texas Vara.
 
I welcome your input,
 
John
 
 

Re: [LbNA] Alternative Distance measurements

From: Thom Cheney (tcgrafx@imagina.com) | Date: 2001-06-01 17:17:38 UTC-07:00
on 6/1/01 4:31 PM, Forester at jrov@nji.com wrote:

>
> Is this something new for most of you or is it common knowledge. If that's
> the case, there are other alternative units that I can use such as a Texas
> Vara.

Definitely new for me... that would be pretty cool!