West Dorset, VT: First Solo off trail

re: GPS
I'm not a gadget person either; map and compass always got me through anything. But going off into more and more obscure places, almost always solo, I thought a GPS might be a good "if all else fails" tool. My wife bought me one last fall. Now I use map and compass and have eased into GPS, using probably 5% of the unit's features. I will say it's reassuring to mark a waypoint and reference the paper topo to find I'm right where I thought I was. (some of the time, at least!) For most of the hike, though, the GPS stays in its case while the compass is in my left hand.

bigmoose said:

re: GPS
I thought a GPS might be a good "if all else fails" tool. My wife bought me one last fall. ... I will say it's reassuring to mark a waypoint and reference the paper topo to find I'm right where I thought I was. (some of the time, at least!) For most of the hike, though, the GPS stays in its case while the compass is in my left hand.

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I understand what you are saying and the temptation to think that way. I'm not knocking responsible use of a gps if that's your thing, but try to think of it in the opposite way... before you venture out into those kinds of situations, the map and compass should be the fallback "if all else fails" tool. Plenty of people use a gps to "confidently" get back to where they might not otherwise go and now get there even if they had blinders on, which is fine only as long as they have another fail-safe tool that will get them safely back home. A tool that depends more on what you can see and figure out with the natural clues always at hand, without reliance on the fragility of gps.

Nessmuk - said perfectly.

Everyone so far is exactly right!

On certain trips I take the GPS and use it extensively for all the reasons mentioned and for efficiency. Efficiency because when I am a lightly packed peakbagger and have decided on what is (for me) an ambitious itinerary with the ultimate goal of getting back to the car I save lots of time by simply checking the bearing indicator and redialing new bearings into the compass. I don't have to be constantly thinking of how far off-course I might have zigged or zagged or keep sighting on trees up ahead.

OTOH, for a different experience I greatly enjoy relying on map and compass alone. Leaving the gps at home and having no quick and easy answers to solving the terrain interpretation and navigation problems is a most satisfying experience. I usually learn more and feel more accomplished after such trips. (Like Nessmuk has said elsewhere, you really do have to leave the unit at home and solve the problems entirely with your head. It's like doing today's crossword versus yesterday's with the solution.)

Neil said:

... It's like doing today's crossword versus yesterday's with the solution.

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Wow, I really like that analogy. In doing today's crossword you can't be tempted to give up on research to find the solution. After you are given the solution you realize that with a little more effort you could have figured it out (and maybe discover another something interesting along the way).

Great Job Toe Cozy. I have not done West Dorset but I have done Dorset. Definitely some obscure woods around there even on Dorset proper...Doing West as a first Solo Whack is a worthy deed!
As far as the GPS thing goes I personally Whacked for a long time without one because they were not available. When they became available I waited for a long time with some skepticism before getting one. Now I use it sometimes and others not depending on the trip. If you like computers like I do one of the best parts IMO about the GPS is the data it gives you after the hike. I like looking at the Track Logs and the Elevation Profiles. I will echo what many have said here in this thread and many others about GPS learn your Map and Compass well first and then you will see a GPS as something you will add to your skills not something that is replacing a skill. Besides in the Digital World that many of us live in it's nice to go Analog once and awhile .

Kudos for taking bushwhacking on solo. I haven't had the guts to do it myself but it's calling. I'm sure you got the "if I can do that, I can get through almost anything" feeling. That's such a great feeling - not one that you experience very frequently. Congrats again. I look forward to reading more of your solo adventures.