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. 

New GPS (or, why we buy things at REI)

About 18 months ago, we decided we'd get a GPS, however, we were more interested in using it for Hiking and other outdoor activities, so we didn't get a vehicle GPS.  We decided we'd get a GPS with Topographic maps instead.  Furthermore, we decided to go to REI to get our GPS because REI is really good at helping poor misguided souls and answering really basic questions.

So over a year ago, we got a Garmin Oregon 400t which was great with only one flaw.  The roads that were on the GPS didn't match the roads we drove on.  Many times, the roads would be off by 50 feet or more.  This didn't bug us too much until we started doing more geocaching.  The GPS would get to the right coordinates, however, at times when geocaching in an urban area, we'd go down the wrong street because the map was off.

So, last week, I took it back to REI and asked them if this behavior was expected (remember, misguided souls with stupid questions).  They said that this shouldn't do this, so they offered to exchange the maps.  When the map came, I came back and tried the new map but it didn't really work.  When the supervisor couldn't figure out how to make the exchange, he asked me if I wanted to replace my old unit for a new one.  I said sure, if it'll fix the problem. 

So, without batting an eye, they exchanged a 18 month old GPS for a new one that has a built in camera and a few more features.  I was happy, until I tried to track my path on the way home. 

The maps are still off.  I guess I have to do some more work to figure out how that should work. 

A Saturday Stroll (with a GPS)

It came to pass that I finally got tired enough of the cold I'm fighting to go to the doctor.  It started last night with a number of dry coughing fits and although I managed to sleep until 6am, that was about it.  So instead of going up to the mountains to snowshoe, I ended up at the Walk-in Clinic at 8:30 this morning.  Sent on my way with a prescription and some recommended over the counter medicines, I figured that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go snowshoeing in 40 degree weather with rain.  Instead, we decided that we'd take a long walk around the neighborhood.  6.75 miles later, I figured I should interrupt my Gear stories and talk about my neighborhood.

Mill Creek, Washington, was one of those 70's planned communities, with lots of walking trails, greenbelts (woods for those of you living on the other side of the Rockies) and cute neighborhoods surrounding a golf course and nature preserve.  Proper behavior is embedded on covenants enforced by the Mill Creek Community Association, otherwise referred to as the Garbage Can Nazis.  We live on the eastern edge of the city, and my prescription was being filled on the western edge.  So we decided to take a little walk to get the prescription.

Since we were walking, and since we got a new GPS (another story for another day), we decided to do some geocaching along the way. That took us to a bit of a round about route, allowing us to explore more trails than we usually do.  Playing with the new GPS, we decided to go ahead and track our route.  We found that during 3 hours, 15 minutes, we walked for 2 hours, rested for 1:15 and travelled 6.64 miles for an average walking speed of 3.3 miles per hour.  I had on a small backpack, maybe a couple of pounds at the most, so it was basically just a stroll.

And during all that time, no rain.  Altogether a good day.