<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body><br><div>I went map and compass and had a few mis-steps along the way which I solved by never back tracking.</div><div>When in doubt, I chose a prominent land feature from my map, something too far east or west for me to have reached yet while having "mis-placed" the trail.</div><div>Then I set a course generally north by which ever direction my "handrail" mentioned above was in.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheridan pass Wyoming near Lava Mountain.</div><div>That is the place that be-deviled me most.</div><div>If I had a GPS I surely would have hit the start button right there.</div><div>Somehow there are CDT markers all over the place in the vicinty. </div><div>I got lazy and began to simply follow them.</div><div>(This is always how trail mis-placements happen)</div><div><br></div><div>It seems that withou hikers on the trail to keep it there, it gets lost sometimes. ;)</div><div>Anyways,</div><div>The terrain is rolling forested hills with small clearings.</div><div>Not much of the hills are more than a single contour line in height and many are "invisible" on the map.</div><div>I reached a dirt road that wasn't on my map in the place I thought I should be.</div><div>In the fog I found a CDT marker but it did not make sense to me that it was going down that canyon.</div><div>After about an hours frustration I looked at my map and chose hwy 287 as my "handrail".</div><div>Then I plotted a generally North by North East course that would take me to a point crossing the highway east of where the trail crossed.</div><div>Then when I reached the highway I would know the trail crossed west of my position.</div><div>I deliberately went off trail in a specific direction so as to know which way the trail was when I reached the highway.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyhow, that all worked out fine.</div><div><br></div><div>The real story was that as I rounded Lava mountain having been offtrail for a few miles, I came upon a horse trail.</div><div>Hmm, I thought; as long as it goes my way, it was better than bushwhacking so I began to follow it.</div><div>A few paces along that path I caught something out of my peripheral vision.</div><div>A large brown shape coming towards me just beside a tree some 50 feet away.</div><div>Having never seen a Griz up to this point in life but having a lot of encounters with black bear I knew at once, no guidebook needed, THIS was a griz.</div><div>A sub adult sauntering right towards me with its head down and coming up just behind the base of a large tree.</div><div><br></div><div>I knew I had to alert the bear to my presence as I was already too close.</div><div>Much too close.</div><div>So I spoke to the bear in a stern tone the way I do with Ursus Americani.</div><div>Nothing.</div><div>The bear began to round the tree and was directly facing me but somehow I still didn't get the feeling it was aware of me despite my shouts.</div><div>I clicked my Leki's together and that bear wheeled around and took off at a terrific pace.</div><div><br></div><div>Then I had a thought...</div><div><br></div><div>I mean besides being pissed I never got my bear spray out of the side pouch of my pack or raised my camera.. I thought about mom.</div><div>Not my Mom.</div><div>I thought a sub adult like that just might have a mama nearby.</div><div>Well I am still here, so I suppose not.</div><div><br></div><div>This story has nothing and everything to do with GPS and no GPS.</div><div><br></div><div>I don't even know why it comes to mind when I think about GPS.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyhow, it made me smile.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Met all kinds of hikers carrying all kinds of gear.</div><div>Seems like we all got through in our own way.</div><div>Lots of arguments about gear.</div><div>No arguments about the trail we hiked.</div><div><br></div><div>Oh heck.. I hope the class of 2014 has fun out there on the trail this year!</div><div><br></div><div>-iceaxe<br><br><br><span style="font-size:87%">Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T</span></div></body></html>