by Kiefer » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:53 am
by Diego Sahagún » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:58 am
The Chief wrote:GP WHAAAT??????
Learn your map & compass and become proficient at it. It will most certainly save your ass one day.
by MoapaPk » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:45 am
by mconnell » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:16 am
Dingus Milktoast wrote:I don't even bother with a compass. I barely bother with beta. (the ole BBB).
by MtnHermit » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:23 am
I can totally buy into the uncertainty, etc. but at the end of the day(s) of "getting lost" you need to get back, the GPS can be a great aid.Dingus Milktoast wrote:It kills the part of peak bagging I most enjoy - the uncertainty, the exploration, the 'finding my own way.'
by The Chief » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:27 am
MoapaPk wrote:I think we've settled it. If you want to be a real rough-tough he-man, don't use a GPS. Instead bring a compass, which you can claim to know all about; at least, you probably know which end of the needle sorta points north.
by woodsxc » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:29 am
goldenhopper wrote:Dingus Milktoast wrote:I don't even bother with a compass. I barely bother with beta. (the ole BBB).
Has nothing to do with being a tough guy. It has everything to do with 'not needing one.'
If I were in a big mountain whiteout I'd surely want one and most likely need one.
But for day in and day out?
GPS takes away the very thing I seek. It kills the part of peak bagging I most enjoy - the uncertainty, the exploration, the 'finding my own way.'
I have no problem with e-gadgets in the back country. I carry iPod frequently, avi transciever, headlamps that are in every sense 'advanced electronics', yada yada yada.
As a principle I think the complete mapping of every point in the whole world is a dreadful thought.
But I own one for the car haha.
DMT
Well said DMT. It's not at all about being a tough guy, it's about having fun. So if using GPS is fun for you, then you woosies should feel free electro-navigate your way all day long.
by CClaude » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:10 pm
rhyang wrote:goldenhopper wrote:woodsxc wrote:The Chief wrote:GP WHAAAT??????
Learn your map & compass and become proficient at it. It will most certainly save your ass one day.
+1. Absolutely right Chief.
Save yourself some green too. Get a topo map, look over it before you leave, do a little bit of research, and you'll be fine.
+2
IMO the idea of using an electronic device to navigate seems contrary to the whole point of being in the wilderness.
For a long time I thought as you did. If you spend most of your time in the eastern sierra or southern california (and really most of the sierra) a GPS is mostly unnecessary. The terrain is usually open and landmarks easily sighted.
Mostly I set my waypoints and forget about them until I'm back home, plotting them on a map for later use.
But if you spend most of your time in the eastern sierra and / or southern california, then you probably don't know what the term 'thick forest' really means And then there are folks who just enjoy getting themselves lost .. hey, whatever floats your boat
And if you've ever spent time wandering up desert canyons, going into drainages, out of drainages, .. hey, which drainage are we in again ? Is this map correct ? Nope, it sure isn't .. then you know what I'm talking about. It's a more critical situation to know where you are and how to get out when there isn't any water except what you are carrying on your back and you can't see any landmarks. For map & compass navigation in those situations you really have to be careful.
by MoapaPk » Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:54 pm
The Chief wrote:
Get in with one of these comp's and you might just learn something, MoapaPk. You'd be surprised at what one can do with a map and compass in ANY environment, in any weather condition and a in any location.
by asmrz » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:10 pm
by Diego Sahagún » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:41 pm
by MtnHermit » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:51 pm
The primary reason for the satellite array is military, not civilian, we just benefit. Let's have The Chief explain how he'd put a Hellfire Missile within 30' of a target with a magnetic compass?MoapaPk wrote:The Chief wrote:Get in with one of these comp's and you might just learn something, MoapaPk. You'd be surprised at what one can do with a map and compass in ANY environment, in any weather condition and a in any location.
Go back and read the thread Chief. I mapped with an actually sighting compass for real, as part of my job, and have navigated thriough 8 whiteouts by map and compass. After reading your implication that one can triangulate without sighting distant objects, I now know why the military uses GPS so much.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests