To GPS or not to GPS, that is the question.

An ode to Shakespeare.  

Hamlet:  Alas poor Yorick, I knew him.  He would still be here had he carried a GPS. 
First Clown:  Aye, Prince Hamlet, he had but a map and a compass yet he still wandered off into the wilderness. 
Hamlet:  Yorick would have not suffered the slings and arrows of despair had he known only that he were but 100 yards from the ranger station. 
First Clown:  Yeah though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he found his compass to be of naught, for he did not know from whence he came. 

OK, enough with the silliness. 

Is a GPS a toy, or is it a necessary tool?  As a toy, it has cute maps and can tell you down to the thousandth of a second where you are on the earth.  But do you really need to know exactly where you are?  Particularly if you have a well marked trail and a map.  It is helpful if you need to backtrack or are wandering and need to find your way to a ranger station.  GPS technology is dependent on a line of sight to a number of satellites, which may be difficult in the forest with a large mountain in the way.  The GPS will also require batteries, which will require extra batteries and weight to bring.  Finally, the GPS is not a substitute for a map, for without batteries, you may just as well forget it.

But, is it a fun enough toy that I can spare the extra 8 oz. plus the couple more for batteries.  And given my GPS has a built-in camera, will that spare the weight of bringing a camera?  

ay, there's the rub.