Showerthought: A ranger in the Sierras said something about trail grades that stuck with me

I was at the Lone Pine visitor center last fall and overheard a ranger telling a group that a 10% grade means you gain 10 feet for every 100 feet you walk forward. I always just thought 'steep' or 'not steep'. Now I check the grade on my map before a big climb, and it helps me plan my day way better. Anyone else have a simple map detail that changed how you plan a route?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_gonzalez251mo ago

Wait, you mean you guys weren't already doing this? I used to just look at the squiggly lines and think "oh boy, up we go." Now I know that a 15% grade is basically a wall and I can mentally prepare for the pain. It's the difference between "this will suck" and "this will REALLY suck, pack extra snacks." That ranger did you a solid.

william_henderson1mo ago

Ugh, I feel this so hard. I was totally the same as you, @margaret_gonzalez25, just seeing squiggles and hoping for the best. Then I learned what the numbers actually meant and it was a game changer, but also kind of a horror show. Like, now I know exactly how much I'm going to suffer, which is better but also worse, you know? It takes a special kind of mental prep to see a 15% on the sign and not just turn the car around.

max_ross1mo ago

Oh man, a 15% grade is actually pretty rough. I mean, a real wall is more like 20% or higher.