My concept is to not worry about getting lost, but to 'keep myself found'.
I just use a simple map & compass; $20 for a compass, $10 for a topo map of San J (they're still available by mail order from the USGS). This method requires that you keep track of where you are from the first step on the trail ('keeping yourself found') rather than depending on a belt full of e-devices when you get lost.
Yes, I have a cellphone (prepaid plan), but I never expect it to work in the backcountry.
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3 of the 5 voices in my head are telling me to "Go for it!"
scotts said:
People with a modicum of competence and good judgement have been traversing the SJ's without gps for millenia.
With competence and judgement the wilderness has been human friendly since, well, before we were humans. Without these qualities, whether you have a gps or not is probably the least of your worries.
Insisting on a brittle technological fix for all cases (including those where nothing is broken) seems like a mandate for undercutting the very competencies and judgement skills we ought to be valuing above all else.
It's hard to imagine wanting a gps to get to the grocery store.
First post here I guess. Hey all.
I have to agree with these guys. Hell, you can downlowd the maps off the internet for free... and with a good compass, you're good to go. You never have to worry about your electronics getting wet and stop working, your battery dieing, or (God forbid) the sattellites crashing and burning.
Oh! The horror!
