Watch the GPS or the Trail

[bikehikeskifish]

https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/

There are many things that contribute to accuracy of GPS, only some of which relate to the device and some of which relate to the user. Even in what I consider the most controlled circumstances that I can provide, there is considerable variability.

Use Case 1 - Stem Mounted, Garmin 520 Cycling GPS and my last 100 bicycle commutes to work, all following the same route. I zoomed in on a corner as that had the largest amount of visible deviation.

Use Case 2 - Pocket Mounted Apple iPhone 6s and my last 100 times walking my dog in the neighborhood. Again I zoomed in on a corner.

There aren't walls or cliffs or other obstructions in these corners. There are leafs and ice and snow and other seasonal changes.

Use Case 3 - Backpack mounted Garmin 76CSx, Out-and-Back in a snowshoe track.

FWIW,
Tim

 

[TJsName]

Given the choice, I'd probably follow the trail in this circumstance. But I'd also read the guidebook and study the map ahead of time. The turn at Gem Pool is well noted.

I had a friend lead a group astray while attempting to do Isolation at night via Glen Boulder. We ended up hiking the Avalanche Brook Ski trail all the way down to the Rocky Branch trail. This was the last time I went on a hike just following-the-leader. We chastised him at the time, but I didn't know there was a ski trail either, so I was no better (I did become skeptical, pointing out that hiking trails aren't typically marked with plastic markings).

While leaders should be held to a higher standard, some don't (or can't) rise to the occasion. Hopefully we live and learn and move on. Just like with gear, one should try to avoid a single point of failure with the "brain" stuff.

 

[Remix]

Weren't all the AMC White Mountain maps generated by an employee hiking with a GPS?

What gear did he use?

 

[Raven]

Given the choice, I'd probably follow the trail in this circumstance. But I'd also read the guidebook and study the map ahead of time. The turn at Gem Pool is well noted.

This is a key point becoming less obvious to hikers all the time it appears. Read the trail description from a guide book, note the features, distances, and changes in elevation. People have successfully hiked the Whites for over 100 years. GPS doesn't replace reading about the terrain one is covering.

I understand people who like the cool features of GPS technology. To each his own. Personally, I don't carry electronics in the woods. Once in awhile I'll take a cell phone. I go to the woods to leave those facades behind. GPS will come and go as all technology does. The mountains will still be here.

I also think they're a bit overkill for recreational trail hiking. Again personal opinion. I can clearly see the value for S&R as mistakes are too costly to risk, but a GPS can lead a person home in the dark in the northern Atlantic with no visuals in sight. That's a very different environment than being on solid ground, marked trail system, map and compass, feature recognition, and elevation changes. Am I one of the few that thinks GPS takes a bit of the fun and adventure out of being in the woods?

 

[peakbagger]

Guy Waterman for one was not a fan of electronics in the woods and has a chapter in one of his books about the impact. It was written before GPS and cell phones were readily available and refers to the use of a short wave radio but the commentary still applies.

 

[jniehof]

We chastised him at the time, but I didn't know there was a ski trail either

The WMG maps used to include a few of the major ski trails, including Avalanche Brook. They removed them a few editions ago, which I think was a mistake. Mapmakers in general should mark junctions with "this used to be a major trail" or "this is a trail but you shouldn't take it" as they're very obvious landmarks. Just put a little cross and don't have it go anywhere.

 

[dug]

Hmmm....Never hiked with a GPS. Don't even own one.

Oh well, another reason why I've become a hiking community outlaw I suppose...

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Some of the reasons I will never leave my gps in my pack .....

I agree that on the water without the benefit of land features, a GPS is essential.

But my map and compass don't need electricity.

 

[Mike P.]

What's a GPS? (and yes, my initials are MAP)

FWIW, I do very little actual bushwhacking, closest winter bushwhacking I do is walking through the woods often within earshot of ski trails on Pat's Peak in Henniker, I'll be doing it again for the 3rd time this weekend.

Sticking on marked trails, following brooks from time to time (Cowboy Brook bushwhack before taking the logging road into the back of Camp Dodge when doing Carter Dome, South & Middle Carter and limiting the road walk when you have just one car)

At this point, I'm rarely looking at the maps anymore during the trip. Afterall, that's part of pre-trip planning, map and trail guide reading. (I guess if you drive north without knowing where your hiking in the Whites or the ADKs or wherever, then yes, you better be looking at all the maps and electronics you need) A featureless ocean is another story altogether....

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The thing about ocean navigation (and to be clear - I do not have a USCG license (I do have a NH State Boating License), but have been a mate on a charter boat on/off for 30 years) is that you're not relying solely on the GPS either. You have a general compass bearing back to port. You often have radar to identify inlets (in addition to hazards). You often have sonar to read bottom structure (fish) and/or to find the channel. You have buoys (Red, Right, Return). You have lighthouses and other visual landmarks. You have maps and charts and a compass. What you don't have is a visible trail. It's kind of like bushwhacking in a giant open field where the local, micro navigation is less important than the gross, macro navigation.

You could suffer complete electrical failure on the boat and have to rely on the chart(s) and the compass to get home. Maybe in pea soup fog.

Tim

 

[iAmKrzys]

Hmmm....Never hiked with a GPS. Don't even own one.

Oh well, another reason why I've become a hiking community outlaw I suppose...

Do you own a smartphone? If you do then it is almost certain that it has a built in GPS and you carry it on your hikes.

If you don't then you have a life free of electronic chains. It's kind of a modern version of leading a hermit life (not judging anything here, just making a statement.)

 

[skiguy]

What's a GPS? (and yes, my initials are MAP)

I personally find a GPS to be a distraction from the real reason I am in the woods. I have used one occasionally but usually only to collect data about my hike.

 

[dug]

Do you own a smartphone? If you do then it is almost certain that it has a built in GPS and you carry it on your hikes.

If you don't then you have a life free of electronic chains. It's kind of a modern version of leading a hermit life (not judging anything here, just making a statement.)

I do; it sits buried in the bottom of my pack along with all other forms of electronics. It's the reason why I do go out.

So, sure, I guess you got me on a technicality. I own a GPS, although never used it as such.

 

[DayTrip]

I don't understand why everyone looks at this as an "either/or" conversation. Using a map/compass together with a GPS seems to be the most efficient way to navigate. There are things that are easier on a map like overall visualization of where you are against the terrain and landmarks and there are things the GPS is way easier for, like knowing your precise altitude (very useful finding yourself on a paper map) and getting quick, precise bearings to landmarks via way points, which can be pre-plotted or added on the map for calculations versus holding a compass to a map (especially in bad weather). Using each item for what they are best at makes for smooth, efficient navigating to me as opposed to being a die-hard purist of one over the other.

Based on many "debates" I have had on Facebook about this I think the big issue nowadays is people just take off hiking or wandering around and make no effort to keep track of where they are for hours on end. Then suddenly they loose track of turns or the weather gets bad and obscures landmarks and now they start from scratch trying to figure out where they are. That certainly puts the pressure on when you can't see where you are going, it's getting dark, wind has obscured a snow shoe track, etc. This seems to be what is regarded as "navigating" now and why so many people think you must have a GPS to "navigate". They're starting in the middle.

 

[Mike P.]

Do you own a smartphone? If you do then it is almost certain that it has a built in GPS and you carry it on your hikes.

If you don't then you have a life free of electronic chains. It's kind of a modern version of leading a hermit life (not judging anything here, just making a statement.)

Smart phone, dumb user, I am sure I don't know how to use it. If I am not hiking solo, my 15 year old is likely with me and he loves telling Google what his current location is, I always select no on my phone when asked. I love the Jack Links ad, some run with Sasquatch, some run from Sasquatch..... (Depending on how long you've been out, Sasquatch may run from you.....)

 

[Mike P.]

Based on many "debates" I have had on Facebook about this I think the big issue nowadays is people just take off hiking or wandering around and make no effort to keep track of where they are for hours on end. Then suddenly they loose track of turns or the weather gets bad and obscures landmarks and now they start from scratch trying to figure out where they are. That certainly puts the pressure on when you can't see where you are going, it's getting dark, wind has obscured a snow shoe track, etc. This seems to be what is regarded as "navigating" now and why so many people think you must have a GPS to "navigate". They're starting in the middle.

That would explain some of the dumb@$$ rescues, I left the car, took trails with names that began with vowels and the snow and ice on the rocks above treeline covered up the paint on the rocks. So many piles of rocks up above treeline too, I wonder why someone stacked some of them up but left so many others.... Then again, they only found the trailhead because their car's Navigation system got them there. Any chance that the HAL 9000 can be modified for automobiles..

 

[Nessmuk]

IUsing a map/compass together with a GPS seems to be the most efficient way to navigate.

It may be the most efficient if you are involved with doing a job where the goal is that you absolutely must arrive at X, Y, and Z without deviation or error. That is what I must do by using the most definitive tools (GPS plus M&C) during a SAR incident, surveying property, or while canoe racing. But for this dinosaur it is not necessarily the most enjoyable or personally rewarding way to travel in the backcountry. What percentage of time is spent staring at the little GPS screen instead of observing the landscape? I keep being drawn to the video I show during training where a string of young boys and girls is following a trail through the woods and fields. All except for one girl are walking while staring down at the device in their hand. The one girl has her head on a swivel, looking at the landscape in all directions around her. Which person do you think is getting the most total enjoyment and memory out of their hike?

Several Years ago I was hiking with a long time senior land navigation instructor in a favorite remote off trail area deep in the Adirondacks. He was an early hand held GPS and other gadget adaptor and couldn't leave the thing alone. Every time we stopped he would declare where we were by looking at the screen. Finally at one point I said "no, we are really here", pointing to a place on my paper topo map somewhat removed from his declared position. "Just look at the shape of that nearby sloping ridge line end, and the bay of the lake is coming upon us. You are missing all of this." With that he put his "toy" away (up to that point he had been treating it as a toy), and didn't take it out again. Better to be saved for use on his hot air balloon (he was a balloon pilot/owner) with his ground recovery crew.

 

[DayTrip]

But for this dinosaur it is not necessarily the most enjoyable or personally rewarding way to travel in the backcountry. What percentage of time is spent staring at the little GPS screen instead of observing the landscape?

I agree. Nothing makes me crazier than seeing a group of people on a summit all drooling on their phones, posting selfies and generally missing the whole experience. Totally missing the point in my opinion but to each their own. Of course people do that everywhere now, not just the mountains. Sad really.

I really enjoy the planning part of hikes and spend a lot of time looking at the maps, studying routes, printing my own CalTopo maps with notes, etc. When I'm actually out on the trail the hike is usually embedded enough in my memory that I don't even refer to the maps or GPS. The GPS on 99% of my hikes is for time and record keeping really, with some waypoint marking for reference in case its needed later. I've started to bushwhack more and find that even then I don't refer to map or GPS much because I've researched where I intend to go and have a feel for the terrain. I usually use the GPS more for "how far am I" questions rather than "where am I" questions. Navigating off trail really is an enjoyable and rewarding process. Always feels good improvising a route to meet an objective.

 

[TJsName]

I agree. Nothing makes me crazier than seeing a group of people on a summit all drooling on their phones, posting selfies and generally missing the whole experience. Totally missing the point in my opinion but to each their own. Of course people do that everywhere now, not just the mountains. Sad really.

Counterpoint: https://xkcd.com/1314/

 

[CaptCaper]

I agree. Nothing makes me crazier than seeing a group of people on a summit all drooling on their phones, posting selfies and generally missing the whole experience. Totally missing the point in my opinion but to each their own. Of course people do that everywhere now, not just the mountains. Sad really.

I really enjoy the planning part of hikes and spend a lot of time looking at the maps, studying routes, printing my own CalTopo maps with notes, etc. When I'm actually out on the trail the hike is usually embedded enough in my memory that I don't even refer to the maps or GPS. The GPS on 99% of my hikes is for time and record keeping really, with some waypoint marking for reference in case its needed later. I've started to bushwhack more and find that even then I don't refer to map or GPS much because I've researched where I intend to go and have a feel for the terrain. I usually use the GPS more for "how far am I" questions rather than "where am I" questions. Navigating off trail really is an enjoyable and rewarding process. Always feels good improvising a route to meet an objective.

I don't agree. I enjoy the hike even more. I stay longer to take time to photo shoot or check the emails. Can't get a better place to see the world we come from then looking into the phone on a summit. Or capturing the moment. Fool on the hill I guess. Your missing out in my opinion.

This is just one thing we do with the GPS at the summit. Your missing many more. We sit down with the gps and use the many mountain summit waypoints and other points in it to see the distance and bearing and enjoy every summit we find because of it. I doubt you can name every summit and hill all over NH and USA with just your eyes and brain.