maxl93•24d ago

I always planned my trips with a paper map until I got lost near Silverton

Last fall I was trying to link up the Ice Lakes trail with a loop back to my car, using a standard Forest Service map. The trail junction was washed out and I spent two hours bushwhacking up the wrong drainage. The next trip, I used the Gaia GPS app on my phone with a downloaded topo layer. Having my exact blue dot on a detailed map showed me the real trail was 200 yards east of the old path. The difference was having real time location data versus guessing where I was on a static piece of paper. It saved me from a long, frustrating day. Has anyone else switched from paper to digital for route finding in tricky areas?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_reed6824d ago

That "real time location data versus guessing" part hits home... I still carry a paper map as a backup, but last summer in the Wind Rivers my phone showed me I was actually on a game trail that had split off from the main path a half mile back. How do you handle battery life on those longer days when you're relying on the app so much?

williamw7524d ago

Yeah that game trail split is exactly why I never fully trust my phone either. For battery life I bring a big power bank, keep my phone on airplane mode with the screen off most of the time, and only turn the app on for quick checks. Downloaded maps are key so you don't need a signal. Honestly, I still check the paper map at every major stop to save phone juice.

felixm2924d ago

Totally get what @rowan_reed68 means about game trails tricking you. I had that happen once where my phone buzzed just as I was about to follow a false trail. My trick is putting the phone in a low power mode before I even start, and I only open the map app for a few seconds to confirm my dot is on the right line. I keep a paper map folded to the section I'm on so I'm not staring at the screen. That combo saves enough battery that I've never fully run out, even on long days.