Agreed this is a pretty good summary.
On the first item, rather than relying on a quality map and compass more than electronics, I would say instead just bring a plenty adequate map and compass and have good experience at land navigation, and to a lessor degree, compass skills. But if my GPS tells me that it’s got solid signal from 10 satellites and I have no data to suggest the GPS-given location is wrong, I’ll err on the side of using that data point over my current best guess on the map, particularly if I’m in an area without long sightlines.
I don’t mean to dispute your overall point here, just saying that practically speaking “don’t rely on GPS” is quite different than “don’t trust GPS results”. I certainly have seen situations where the GPS just flat gives an incorrect result. Part of using the tool is understanding the limitations. In practice, the GPS pretty much “just works”, however (within the constraints of how it works and what it can do).
Personally, I regard the combination of paper map, compass and GPS as kind of the "Holy Trinity" of land navigation. When used properly, it's a fantastic system, and I hope what I'd written earlier wasn't disparaging toward GPS navigation. It's very nice because someone who knows how to use one can jot down the UTM coordinate the unit is reading and transpose that on a map and know exactly where they are. It's also nice in areas where, as you've mentioned line-of-sight is troubled at best.
Tracks are also nice, because if you have to retrace your steps, they're right there in your handheld.
So, maybe I should have said something to the nature of "Keep GPS use in perspective: it's a useful tool, but not something that should be relied on solely. Be aware that not all tools work properly, and when something doesn't look right, use the other tools (map, compass and visual) to discern the trouble and work around it."
I really think that's more in line with a safe mindset regarding GPS, thank you for bringing that up.
Ahh, this stuff gets tricky to talk about, doesn’t it? For example, by “quality map”, I hope that no one thinks that they have to go out and buy an expensive and tedious to fold/refold big paper map (Green trails, USGS, forest service, blm, whatever).
What? I
only buy maps that're made out of paper pressed from rare tropical rain forest tree pulp and printed using expensive inks made from dyed organic llama tears and the hopes and dreams of little children in sweatshops!
Naw, what I meant by "quality" was quality of information. I am partial to USGS quads because they work with UTM, their level of detail is very good, and they tend to be relatively up-to-date, but they're not the end-all of maps.
Ultimately any topo map that's the right scale, has UTM grids in a standardized format (NAD27 or WGS84), it's recent to within a decade and from a reputable source (not a necessarily a high-end brand, but not some chicken tracks scrawled on a Post-it either) will work.
The idea of a perimeter zone depends very much on the type of trip you contemplate. For trips I hike solo, the idea of an itinerary or a perimeter zone doesn’t make sense. What I do instead is call or email or text when I can to update the home front on where I currently am, plus establish ahead of time a best guess at resupply stop locations. On one such trip I brought a SPOT and punched in “I’m here” at lunch and dinner each day --- but with a solid “set expectations” discussion with my spouse ahead of time about what it would (not) mean if I failed to check in a time or two.
Checking in is a good idea if ever possible. I have an In-Reach on my "sometime this year, maybe" list which could facilitate that. I think the itinerary and perimeter are still reasonable to utilize as a primary system, though. Too many variables can count against the favor of electronics, making it conceivable that serious trouble could ensue without a failsafe.
I am in the habit of taking my phone with me. I chose the phone I have because it is rugged and water-resistant so it could live in my pack. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to fire off a text message or two on some of my hikes, sometimes not. It would be useful for sending out "checkpoint" messages whenever possible, but I like to reserve the battery for serious emergencies. It's still a basic "phone-phone" not a "smart-phone" so it does have ten days worth of juice, and SAR can locate the last tower it pinged. It is essentially my current failsafe.
The “bubble of ignorance” with smartphone or mp3 player --- again, very situational. Many, many people walk very long distances solo and listen to music and/or audio books a lot with no issues. It depends on experience and on the nature of the trail in question.
You're right about that, music players have revolutionized how people hike alot these days. They can change up the BPMs on their music and up their mileage considerably, or listen to audiobooks, which can offset some of the loneliness. I won't argue these tools aren't useful, but they're certainly not for me. All it takes is that clash of high-hats on the end of a drum solo to mask the rattle of an upset snake, or spacing off listening to a book to miss a turn.
It comes down to one of those "do what works for you" things, but know that if the electronics interfere with awareness or safety, maybe it's time to unplug. Perhaps that was the point I should have stressed when elaborating on the be aware point.
With the above, I don’t mean to detract from the many good points made.
Not at all!
One of the reasons why I posted that list up was for feedback to evolve and refine the points made, and I'm very glad you gave your thoughts because they have been used to refine and enhance the statements into things that're more practical if not more realistic.
Now I'm gonna go back to reading my gold-plated organic llama tear map thingy...
Previous Topic
Index
