What happened to maps? Have they, too, disappeared?
Pffft! You expect people to still be able to read maps!?
Someone who did all the things wrong that have been listed in various earlier posts?
Not likely.
“What happened to maps?”
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Very good question. We rely on our GPS quite a bit, BUT we still carry state & local maps in all three vehicles.
Map reading is an acquired skill that has been for the most part lost for quite some time. Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow Brotherhood taught me many things that paid off when I entered the service of our country.
In basic training, one of the items on the bivouac week was to navigate a specific route given to us with the only directions a map, some landmarks and compass azimuths. Each of us individually had to navigate that course in a time limited test. I was stunned how many in 1971 could not even get to where they were starting from, never mind where it was they were to be going.
GPS is nice when trying to find something in an urban setting but I always switch over to the map view when traveling. I still carry my lensatic compass wherever I go and in addition to keeping my mileage and daily work tables, the little netbook laptop runs Microsofts Street & Trips with a GPS dongle. The only trouble with that is Microsoft no longer supports the product and the updated maps are non-existent.