A Naked Hike Gets lost

[John P]

You will no doubt tell me what a wimp I am, but technology makes it so easy--I carry a phone with me, on which  I have maps loaded with GPS location, and a choice of several programs to display them. Apps with maps for nerdy chaps! If I want to wander without much knowledge of where I am, the phone can stay in my pack, but it's a useful safety device.

[jbeegoode]

I've got soo many topo maps.
Jbee

[John P]

You mean the old paper ones? I have a shelf full of those too, but I just took one on a trip this fall, and it was the first time I'd touched them in a few years. But the ones I've used most often are falling apart, and of course they only cover a small area each. I doubt if I'll ever buy another one.

[nuduke]

John P, The phone and GPS are perfectly acceptable accessories as they would be for non naked hiking.' Ian is a dab hand with a GPS a he is a gold standard geocacher and I think Bob does a fair bit too.  No, you are no wimp for embracing technology to guide you.  I often found that GPS was interrupted in woodland where there were high trees and a good aerial leaf coverage. So I got lost anyway!   Do others find that?

John

[eyesup]

If I am in a canyon, I'll lose the signal, but there's usually only one way out of a canyon. Kinda hard to get lost there. Otherwise my GPS works fine, if I remember to bring it.

Phones are another matter. The point on the highway where the last phone signal drops is about 10 miles from one of my hikes and about 4 from the other. Generally if I see a signal I figure I'm too close to civilization.

Duane

[reubenT]

never got close to lost that I can recall.  Probably because we like maps.   Try to get the most detailed maps possible when we go someplace new.  Now that electronic maps are in,   they are nice.   In time I'll get a good map puter with full detail maps installed and gps marking.    Maybe with battery charger backup of some kind.    Still not quite as reliable as the good ole paper topo map,  but it was very limited how many of those could be carried.    I have much respect for the pioneers and early explorers who traveled this roadless land with no maps,  made their own maps as they went. 

[Davie]

I always take a 25000 Ordnance Survey map as well as a GPS. Maps and compasses don't have batteries that run out and with a map you can see a reasonable amount of terrain unlike a minute screen. I usually use the GPS to confirm my location with a grid ref.

I like to achieve a balance between my mapping skills and devoting the whole  walk to the map. I want to enjoy the whole walking experience and not turn the day into just a mapping exercise. Its a bit worrying that some young people want to rely on technology alone. If they are doing expeditions they need basic skills too. It's like using a calculator without knowing what and why you are using one.

Davie 

[jbeegoode]

I used to have a software with all of Arizona on topo. I'd just print out maps as I needed them. Then, it became incompatible and the people who provided updates had troubles. I like getting the bigger picture. I like using the map skills that I learned over time. I love maps of all kinds.

A piece of paper folded up is lighter and generally less bulky than a device. They do get caught in the wind. The electronic stuff has a small screen. I have a 32 inch Sony high def screen for my PC. Google is then map size. I love the way google works and translates into photos. I do my planning and dreaming there.

I have a program that has all of the US in TOPO. I'm scrambling to find time to save the most important maps onto my computer before the year lease runs out. It has several types of map on it. After that is accumulated, I'll print them as needed.

The mountains are way confusing after distance and if I want to change course, more importantly, if I NEED to change course, I want to know and have access to all of my options with the most complete information. 

In the desert, we can often take an alternative bushwhack to another wash. Washes are often the best routes. This also, gets us off of the beaten path, where we have more privacy and explore a more pristine experience.
Jbee

[Davie]

I meant to say that you can now subscribe to digital  OS maps and then down-load just the bit you need. Handy for Christmas

Davie 

[jbeegoode]

I think the government should provide the maps online like that for the public welfare and safety and promotion of use of recreation land. They have to make the maps already, anyway. Just give it away. They just sell paper to us, or to some middle man for them to profit on what our taxes paid for originally. Electronic guidance is a safety public interest, too. The spy satellites and military interest have it. Adding us to the list of beneficiaries on the side wouldn't be that big a deal. How many lost hikers, die each year? The rescue cost in a search is huge for each incident.

Lost, naked or not, is a serious matter, that happens to the best of us. We help each other on the trails, to find our way and in emergencies, and to avoid emergencies. Why can't we help each other the same way with our governments table scraps, without somebody make it expensive?
Jbee

[John P]

JBG, USGS ( U.S. Geological Survey) maps are indeed available free, now that we no longer need to get them printed on dead trees. Caltopo.com is a good website for viewing them. I believe the British equivalent, Ordnance Survey maps, are more closely guarded, but I'm sure there's some kind of free alternative, or the data has leaked out onto the Internet somehow.

Back when I made more use of my GPS receiver, I found free maps (one file per state) for that too. The program I us most now on Android is Locus, and there are free maps for that too. It's also able to use topo maps, but I haven't found a source for them that gives coverage for a wide area all in one download. However, one can certainly get enough of a map for a region covered by a few days' walk.

The GPS receiver has a tiny screen, but it's easily readable in daylight. My phone has a bigger display, but it's tough to see it in sunlight. The range of maps available for it is irresistible, though. I think of the phone as "a GPS unit that you can make phone calls on".

[Davie]

OS maps down to 25,000 scale can be viewed free via Bing maps and and here This site includes some naturist beaches and French and some other countries maps down to 25000. You can also see OS maps at 50000 on google earth by downloading Gavin Brocks overlay, see here

The cost of producing paper maps must be high and whilst I'd love hem to be free, if I choose to go walking in wild places I think it reasonable to pay a fair price for my maps. The alternative is to be subsidised by every other taxpayer.

Incidentally some OS maps downloaded free have deliberate minor errors to catch out those who infringe copyright. I believe the AA (Automobile Association) was caught out.

Davie 

[milfmog]

JBG, USGS ( U.S. Geological Survey) maps are indeed available free, now that we no longer need to get them printed on dead trees. Caltopo.com is a good website for viewing them. I believe the British equivalent, Ordnance Survey maps, are more closely guarded, but I'm sure there's some kind of free alternative, or the data has leaked out onto the Internet somehow.

An alternative to Ordinance Survey maps is Open Street Maps. These are a sort of wikimap, as they can be updated by anyone and are frequently a better source of information about the footpaths that exist on the ground than the official maps. (Take care not to assume that because a path exists on the map it must be an official path; I have found many that are real paths but have no legal status).

Open street maps can be downloaded free from the web for use on GPS equipment, I use this site to generate the files I need. The web page feels a bit clunky, but it allows me to select any mapping region or combination of regions that I want and get them installed on my handheld within about 24 hours. Before our trip to Menorca last year I downloaded all the maps of Menorca, the British Isles and a corridor from Heathrow to Mahon so that I could follow the flight and see where the pilot went.

As has been mentioned several times, paper does not require batteries and is far superior for route planning; like Davie and others, I tend to use paper maps for the sheer joy of the information they contain.

Have fun,


Ian.