This has happened a few times but the the outcome has always been the same. Within a few minutes I step onto the the trail I was looking for. And this inevitably brings a smile because when you are bushwhacking even a lightly-used marked trail looks like a four-lane highway through the woods. From this I've developed a rule of thumb (Rule Number One of Bushwhacking); "You won't miss the trail, you'll spot it when you come to it, keep going." This rule has served me well because doubt can be a serious problem in its' own right. And doubt --edging towards panic-- has been the undoing of many a "lost" hiker or hunter.
This year I learned an interesting variation on my rule, which is; "you won't spot the trail if you are walking in the wrong direction." As you might imagine this corollary rule didn't appear out of the blue. I was attempting to reach Twin Ponds from the Thirteen Lake-Puffer Pond trail but tough conditions, and a late start, had caused me turn back short of the ponds. Heading back to rejoin the trail, which was less than a mile away, I decided to take an alternate route to avoid swampy terrain I had crossed on my way towards the ponds. After beating my way through rough terrain for nearly an hour I started to question my "rule number one of bushwhacking". The terrain didn't seem right and I really should have rejoined the trail by then.
I generally avoid using GPS for route finding but I had been recording my track using the GPS in my phone. So I pulled it out to have a look, and what I saw surprised me. If the GPS track was correct, I was going the wrong way. Only then did I pull the compass out of my pack and check my direction. Damn, I was traveling west when I wanted be going north. Correcting for this I came upon the trail after only a few minutes. I had been traveling parallel to it for some time. And the first rule of bushwhacking was confirmed. No way I would have crossed that trail without knowing it. (smile)
There was a lesson learned from this. It wasn't just over confidence, heck I hadn't even considered the possibility that I might be walking in the wrong direction. It was really a combination of hubris and laziness; the source of so many disasters, big and small. It was heavy overcast that day so there was no sun in the sky to help stay me on course and I hadn't bothered to check my compass. So now I have a new rule --Rule Number Two of Bushwhacking-- check your compass even if you already know the direction you are traveling.
I almost always have a couple of GPS devices with me, so why not just use GPS for route finding and eliminate the guess work? For starters, all the experts say that you shouldn't do it. Guidebooks, DEC and ADK websites, articles in the newspapers about hiker rescues, etc, all warn against "relying on electronic devices" to find your way when hiking. But this advice runs counter to common experience. Most of the time any decent GPS device, either a dedicated unit or the GPS feature built into a smartphone, can provide your location within a few yards. So why not use them?
The problem is that there are a variety of ways for these devices to fail or to give you incorrect information. Usually at a most inopportune moment. Still, the warning should really be that you should not trust to GPS alone to avoid getting lost. If know how to use your GPS device, and how it can fail you, then your GPS device is another tool you can use for route finding. I was going to conclude this little tale by saying "here are all the ways that GPS can fail you in the field; I've learned them all first hand." But that would have been foolish, I'm sure there other failure modes that I have not yet discovered. So here are some of the ways in which GPS can fail you in the field.
- Your phone probably has a useful GPS capability but you must enable the "Location" feature for it to work. Setting your phone to record your track is pretty easy these days but if location is off it won't work. A good App should warn you if Location is off but this warning is easily overlooked. A good practice is to check your track on the phone periodically to make sure that all is well. Otherwise you might find that (the electronic equivalent) of birds have been following you through the forest and eating the breadcrumbs you have dropped.
- Many people turn "Location" off because GPS puts a heavy load on your phone battery. My phone is over two years old and with "Location" turned on the battery lasts only six to eight hours; not enough for a full day of hiking. I carry a small auxiliary battery that I can use to recharge my phone in the field, but even this can go wrong. I recently returned from a trip to find that the track I thought I was recording ended 2/3rds of the way through the hike. At one point I had noted that phone battery was getting low and had plugged in the external battery. I had forgotten, however, that if the battery level in the phone falls below a certain level (10% I think) the phone disables the location feature to save itself (sort of HAL like). This had happened. The catch is that plugging in the external battery does not re-enable the GPS capabilities of the phone. So the later part of the track was not recorded.
- The battery life of hand-held GPS units varies considerably and cold temperatures reduce the power output of all batteries. Lithium cells are much more effective in cold weather and should be used in GPS receivers. And, if you are using your GPS for anything more than amusement, you should carry spares (thanks Mom).
- Anticipate that you will not have Cell service while hiking. The GPS in your phone will work because the GPS system does not rely on the cellular network. But this means that your phone will not be able to download maps while you are in the field. To see your location on a background map you must plan ahead and download the appropriate map imagery before you go. Otherwise you might find your phone showing your location as a dot on a blank background. It is surprisingly difficult to get the right maps onto many devices ahead of time so verify that you have the maps you need before you leave.
- Beyond dead batteries and software failures any electronic device you take with you on a hike can fail. A common cause complete failures is having the device in your pocket when you wade into a lake or river and it's deeper than you thought. Oops.
- Depending on where you are hiking you may find that your device cannot lock onto the GPS satellite network to give you an accurate location. Dedicated GPS units that can use both the US GPS network and the Russian GLONASS system are the best defense against this problem. The more satellites your receiver can use the better your chances of getting a signal.
- Finally, there are a surprising number of ways for the compass feature of your GPS unit to be completely wrong. With practice and care you can get the correct heading from a GPS compass but I have learned to be skeptical of GPS-based compass readings.
The best hedge against all of these potential problems is to carry a standard compass, and the appropriate maps, and know how to put them to use.
