October 10, 2003

Lonewacko extends YDS, bags peak with new "Class 7" designation

The reader is, no doubt, familiar with the Yosemite Decimal System ("YDS")*. Earlier today, Lonewacko bagged the highpoint of Delaware, and has thereby extended the YDS to include a new class: Class 7. "Class 7" is the same as Class 1, but with the added risk factor not of falling, but of being hit by a car.

Delaware's highest point is located on a fairly fast and busy two-lane road, Ebright Ave. The actual high point is (supposedly...) located on private property in a trailer park across the street from the sign above. Lonewacko decided to do it the legal way, and just walked up and down the public street on either side the road and either side of the sign. Then, just to add a bit of work, he ran down the yellow line in the middle of the street from one end of the bump in the road to the other. Thus the new Class. Traffic was a bit light when he did that, but any neighbors watching no doubt wondered what was going on. In any case, Lonewacko believes he attained the highest legally accessible highpoint. He also believes that visiting the "real" highpoint might endanger future efforts to gain legal access to it; c.f. Rhode Island. (RI's highpoint will be accessible on Sunday, but since that's a few hundred miles to the north, and since Lonewacko already visited it a few years ago, he probably won't be doing it again this time.)

The GPS reading at the sign was N39 50' 9.1"/W75 31' 8.1" at an elevation of 451', bearing in mind that no GPS is 100% accurate.

Lonewacko would also like to give a big shout out and props to the young ranger lady who gave him directions to the summit. He had thought that the highpoint was not near Wilmington, but near Dover. The only reason he got off the freeway was to use the manly facilities, and he decided to check out Brandywine Creek State Park at the same time. He was surprised to learn that he had accidentally gotten fairly near the highpoint.

*The Yosemite Decimal System describes the difficulty of a trail or route's surface: Class 1 is a normal hiking trail, Class 2 means you might need your hands for balance, Class 3 means you need your hands to move, Class 4 is Class 3 with exposure: if you fall you could be seriously hurt, Class 5 means you need a rope for protection, Class 6 means you need some form of aid: ladders or the like. See this for more information.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at October 10, 2003 08:53 PM

Comments

Why is it called an azimuth, or bearing? Odd name.
Roger Williams, Boulder, Lat. 40 N. Long. 105 15' W., El. 1625 m.

Posted by: Roger A.C. Williams at October 18, 2003 11:53 AM