LF hikers ― is “Map & Compass” a dying art?

[bobwysiwyg]

They [GPS] are here and they are accurate. I use one all the time. However, in the back of my mind is a thought about the consequences to all, including commerce, should a major EMP wipe out the satellites. I was watching a TV segment about Alaska the other day, and a real-time GPS set-up allowed a plow driver to stay on the road during a whiteout. That's impressive.

[mrladewig]

I'm a map and compass user as well. I carry a GPS sometimes as it can be convenient, but I prefer the big picture that can't be shown on a 2.5" screen. I like the ability of a GPS to show ETA on a hiking route though.

One thing I do really enjoy from technology is the ability to make maps for any area you need now. I print my own from the USGS topo data on lightweight 11X17 matte photo paper and it works great.

[Stephen Willard]

I spend months in the backcountry every year. Last year on one trip, I was in Wind River for 26 days without coming out to replenish for film or food. I bring a GPS only for recording the location of each photograph I take.

I refuse to use the GPS as a navigational too simply because it is a complex device that can fail. I rely solely on compass and maps, and for me, I consider it vital that I maintain my orienteering skills. Using a GPS is trite. Using a compass and map is a complex skill that one needs to practice on an on going basis.

[goamules]

I always know where I am in macro terms; "Gila Wilderness, somewhere on the West Fork..." but not to the exact tree or 5 meter CEP. It's a matter of your goal and timeframe. If I'm hiking or riding my mules for several days, the above is all I need and I seldom pull out the map and compass. I never have a GPS or cell phone.

Now if I'm looking for a particular cliff dwelling, or trail fork, I get more precise and may look at the map. The compass is usually just to give me cardinal directions, not to route me in/out. Because most of where I go in the southwest either follows canyons (there's only one way to go), or I'm out in the open and can use distant mountain ranges for reference. It's big and open out here. Nevada...that way....Mexico....that way.... However, I have walked off the trail in heavy timber a couple times and been surprised how quickly you can lose your way back to it!

[David de Gruyl]

Real maps are much easier to deal with than GPS. For serious hikes, a map is a necessity. GPS batteries die, and electronics are sometimes funny and drop dead because it would be inconvenient for you. A paper map (or, better, a waterproof topo map) will never stop working. Compasses (and I can use one quite well) are slightly less useful than a map, and almost completely useless without the map.

But what about sextant? I mean, I know how to use one, but that art might be dying faster than the compass.

[Scott Walker]

A sextant does not help much in the bush but I do have one on my boat and sort of know how to use it

[David de Gruyl]

I did erase the part about needing only a chronometer and horizon to determine your location...

[Vaughn]

I always know where I am in macro terms; "Gila Wilderness, somewhere on the West Fork..."

As a wilderness ranger I once received a letter complaining that we did not have enough trail signs -- and that I should have someone who was not knowledgable about hiking walk the trails and tell me where signs are needed.

My philolosophy was that is one can't figure out which creek one just crossed or what ridge one is on without a sign telling you, perhaps one should stay to the city parks. Every trail junction had a sign -- that should be more than enough!

[paulr]

A map and compass are part of the ten essentials. They are called that for a reason.

I'm not so swayed by old boy scout rhetoric. Back in 1974 Yvon Chouinard urged alpinists to "leave most of the 10 essentials and other impedimenta behind; if you bring overnight gear, you will need it."

Climbers following his advice (which he learned from the best of the avant garde in europe at the time) broke new boundaries for the next decade.

Everything I bring needs to earn its keep. Sometimes it's a hard decision and sometimes not. Compasses are easy for me leave home, since I've never needed one in the kinds of mountains I visit.

Beginners of course should pack conservatively. You'll know you're learning when each time you go out you bring less crap.

I laugh when I think of all the crap I anchored myself with back in the '80s, when I was a gear whore and maximalism was more in style. I could barely climb my way out of a paper bag back then.

[domaz]

I know how to use a map and compass and I'm glad I have that knowledge. We do get whiteout conditions in these parts fairly regularly and there are a lot of trails around here where it is very important to stay within the lines. The example being the Muir snowfield which I believe Backpacker rated as the most dangerous (or 2nd?) hike in the United States. GPS's can work fine too if they have useful topo maps- but you always must have a backup map/compass. There was a story of a party on the Muir snowfield that followed there GPS right onto a glacier, I assume because it didn't have useful topo maps and they plotted their course wrong.