pre entering backwoods waypoints

[horsepower]

I remember in my old gps from eons ago (It unfortunately got stolen and I'll never find all those crappie beds again), I could use a topo map and enter waypoints before I was ever actually there.  This came in really handy for backpacking and horseback riding (as in I know there is water for the horse to drink at this location).  I have been looking at the etrex hcx as suggested to me in the other thread but my eyes gloss over on all the road map info stuff.  I am sure that is a great feature that will be useful in finding routes to get to horse races but are all the same kinds of backwoods features still present.  I am much more interested in topographic than road map use and the ability to download routes on my computer or even share routes via e-mail with another user and then up load to my unit.  I don't remember which unit I had but it was the first Garmin unit to hit a sale price below $200 back in the early 1990s so it was seriously bare bones, took forever to get a lock on satellites and if there was a leaf or hill within 100 yards, forget about it but I loved it to pieces.

With the etrex, can I pre enter waypoint data from topographic maps or data from another gps unit as well as keep a track log of where I am going and how fast I am traveling?  Are there electronic topo map sources now?  When I was doing it, I was using hard copy maps bought from the USFS and manually finding and entering waypoints.  I had a book that really opened up the use of the gps beyond just "How to get back to camp" entitlled something like "Land Navigation using GPS"  The knowledge I learned from that book made the unit worthwhile to have and I bet 15 years later, that old unit will seem like a sun dial once I have my hands on a new one.

[Siskiyou]

When I started out with the eTrex Legend one of my early uses was marking schools of Kokanee. 

1.   For clarification to others who may read this tropic, there are a number of eTrex models in the eTrex series.  In this response I will target my response at the HCx models and the older mapping units.
2.   As an outdoors man I recommend the MapSource Topo 2008 software.  It is an updated version of the older U.S. Topo software that I use. 
3.   Waypoints can be created using the Topo software on your computer and then loaded on to your Garmin Mapping gps.  Or you can download and store your waypoints on your computer using the same software.
4.   Maps:   With MapSource Topo software loaded on your computer you can select the maps you want.  Using the new eTrex HCx models with the micro SD card you can store a lot of maps.  I have most of the maps from West of the Rockies to the Pacific, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.  I know that I will not use most of them.  Mapping software and functions for auto routing are optional and you do not need to use them.  I waited a few years and suddenly I decided I wanted the City Navigator software.  I have it and the Topo software loaded on my computer.  From the two software packages I generated a huge mapset and have it stored on a 2GB micro SD card. (If you look back at old topics you will see that I was not recommending the 2 GB card because Garmin software did not recognize it.  But Garmin updated the software and I downloaded it from Garmin’s support page.
5.   You can transfer waypoints, and tracks from many manufactures mapping software to your Garmin.  But the maps will not transfer.  I like the National Geographic State Series Topographic Map software.  It produces better printed maps.
6.   “Are there electronic Topo map sources now? “  I believe you can purchase and download certain Garmin Map Updates.  In addition you can go to   http:www.topozone.com  and download Topo maps for free or order hard copies.  I avoid downloading computer software because of the “Blue” screen of death that computers suffer.  If I need to reformat my computer I want the original CD or DVD for the job.
7.   Same brand upgrade.  There is an advantage for a former Garmin user to up grade to another Garmin gps.  The basic terms that Garmin uses has reminded the same.
8.   Google Earth Plus.  I save my hunting and fishing tracks and routes to paper maps, and downloaded them to Google Earth Plus.  While Google Earth Plus does not provide you with the detail that aerial photos use by land management agencies do, it provides a great deal of intelligence.  This hunting season I will have maps in my pack that have my pre-scouting tracks, and waypoints on it.  In addition I will have prints of images from Google Earth Plus that goes with the maps.  This feature is available to Garmin and Magellan users.

This last year I made a lot of use of the City Navigator software.  It has an icon for hospitals and it will give you a number of options.  Once you select a hospital you can auto route to it.  Not bad for a guy riding a horse who just encountered enraged hen turkey.  It will also route you to a restaurant that might cook the turkey for you.

A nice feature to the Topo software is the POI (points of interest).  These included of mines, campgrounds, and other features.

The base map will include freeway exits, gas stations, and other business associated with a selected exit.  I found this handy, and using the provided phone number called ahead to reserve a motel room.