[philmont] GPS vs Map and Compass

You're not going to fool me! I know how the 'list' feels about GPS.

If Philmont thought GPS was required for a safe trek it would be on the
required gear list. Its not even on the optional list so you must have to
sneak it in your pack along with the telephone number for the pizza place
that delivers to the trail. (I carried my GPS the whole way. The tracks made
a nice souvenir. We didn't order pizza.)

By the way, at one of our local orienteering meets, they let a group use a
GPS to navigate the course. They finished in 2.5 hours. My son and I
finished in less than an hour. Not quite an apples to oranges comparison but
interesting. That said I always carry my unit buried in my pack so I can
analyze our performance when we get home. (The 'detour' cost us 5 minutes
and would have moved us from fifth to fourth place!)

On 8/28/07, WHDickens@aol.com <WHDickens@aol.com> wrote:
>
> GPS is used for more than "recreational purposes" at Philmont, or
> anywhere else in the outdoors. Think about trying to navigate the gulf
> coast area after Katrina.
>
> Our trek #7 through the Valle Vidal in 2006 was during "Extreme Fire
> Danger, EVERYWHERE".
> For those of you who haven't enjoyed a trek through the Valle, the intent
> is to leave no trace. There are not marked trails that any Tenderfoot, or
> city slicker, could follow. You plan each day's hike the good old fashioned
> way, "Where do you guys want to hike today?" Of course, each day's
> destination was firm, only the route was at the choosing of the crew. The
> crew leader had to file a hiking plan each day that detailed the grids their
> crew would be traversing. This was to allow PhilSAR and staff to quickly
> locate crews to remove them from any advancing fire danger. The true beauty
> of the wilderness opens up when you hike without being bound to established
> trails.
>
> As lead advisor I had a GPS with not just our campsites, but all sectional
> points of interest. If we had to move in a hurry due to fire or other
> emergencies, I knew we had multiple options (i.e., Plan B) available. If
> you need PhilSAR the messengers could give them your coordinates. Map and
> compass is a great training tool, but don't count on it exclusively in life
> or death situations. The crew never used GPS, only maps and compasses. I
> never used it for navigation, although I did track our daily hikes. The
> crew never misplaced themselves, and we never had any emergencies to contend
> with, but as with all adult positions of leadership you must, "Be Prepared".
>
>
> In a message dated 8/27/2007 11:08:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> philmontjohn@yahoo.com writes:
>
> Kevin Cutts
>
> PS. GPS is only to be carried on a Philmont trek for recreational
> purposes. I would never think to carry one for navigational use...
>
> *****************************************************************
>
> Dear Kevin,
>
> I would! That is what the system is for. Sorry, Kev, after all the
> banter between Mark and me I just could not help myself.
>
> But I do know what you mean and almost agree with you. If we don't teach
> Scouts or conversely, let the Scouts teach us, then we are still trying to
> light a fire with flint and steel. It's a fun thing to do, but matches sure
> are nice also.
>
> I'll never forget my old Scoutmaster walking up to a group of us trying to
> light a fire in the rain. He asked in his broken English (as a native of
> Denmark) "why don't youse boys try flint and steel". We all looked at each
> other sort of bumfounded and he whipped out an overly full Zippo and fired
> the thing off with a six inch flame and lit our fire.
>
> He then smiled and walked away.
>
> Flint and steel. You bet.
>
> GPS for recreation? You bet. For navigation? You bet.
>
> John LeBlanc
>
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Received on Tue Aug 28 13:09:16 2007