[pct-l] Using a GPS

[Austin Williams]

IMHO, southbounder's would be foolish to leave without one (for numerous
reasons).

Nobos - so I hear - can make do without one.  But if you're heading out
early, or for some other reason expect to hike through a lot of snow, a GPS
can save you TON of time when playing "find the trail".

There are also a few "forks" in the trail.... not on the WP Guidebook maps
(which I had), that are completely unmarked.  I remember coming up on that
fork in Washington.... standing there staring at it... and laughing my head
off (I have a good sense of humor).  Not having a GPS - and with both trails
differing in direction by only about 10 degrees - one guess was just as good
as the other.

I literally flipped a coin to make the decision.  I got lucky - the coin was
right - and I continued along the trail.

The second time this happened, the coin wasn't right, and I wasted about 3
hours figuring that out.

I also remember being about two days away from the nearest town, out in the
cascades, and the trail completely disappeared under the snow.  I looked up,
and there was about a foot of snow all the way out the the horizon, and the
area was relatively flat (which makes all but the highest resolution topo
maps utterly useless.  Fortunately I was hiking with someone who did have a
GPS.  He fired it up and we navigated through that section effortlessly.
(without the GPS we'd have some hard decision to make, and several hours of
difficult on-snow navigation had we decided to continue forward).

Granted, I was hiking after one of the heaviest snow years on record, and I
was heading southbound.  But if I had brought a GPS I wouldn't have
experienced any of that trouble.

So there's that.

Also, using a GPS is (usually) quicker, easier, and more accurate than
navigating by map and compass.  [insert comment about how people shouldn't
rely solely on modern technology to navigate the wilderness here].  So
that's another reason they are becoming more popular.

I hike both with and without a GPS (not at the same time, of course).  If I
were heading nobo "in the pack" I'd leave it behind.  If I were going sobo
or heading nobo away from the pack (either ahead or behind) then I'd bring a
GPS.

Just my two cents.  Many people disagree.

-Austin
PlanYourHike.com