Earlier this month I confidently turned onto a faint trail that I was SURE had to be the loop connector trail I was looking for. There was no signage (other junctions had been lacking signage too), but my interpretation of the map I was carrying showed the trail junction had to be where I was. After dropping off the ridge and seeing the peek-a-boo trail eventually vanish, I wasn’t so sure anymore. After 5 hours of wild, cross-country thrashing I guessed (correctly, thank God) that my stepping-off point had been one drainage past where I should have been, and with that thought in mind (along with thoughts of how long my wife would wait before calling Search & Rescue) I managed to work my way over the intervening ridge and back onto a real trail.
Happy ending, but not something I want to repeat.
With that (mis)adventure in mind, I’m looking for a GPS. But I really don’t want or need the super-duper features that serious GPS-ers drool over because all I plan to use it for is to verify my location in situations where there might be some doubt. I still plan to carry map and compass, with the GPS unit complementing them, not replacing them.
Any thoughts on what make/model might be appropriate for an occasional user like me?
