Map reading, land navigation, use of GPS, compass, the stars, sextant, the sun etc when used properly or alone will get ya home. I carry two, compasses and two gps devices as well as topographical maps and satellite images of the area traveled when in remote regions 4 wheeling or hunting.
Urban ...yes as you say, simple smartphone swarmed with cell tower data points works well, augmented with artificial waypoints I like to call street signs and addresses.....:o)
Remote regions, wilderness ..... whole different ball game. Map reading is a skill and very reliable.
Lifelong experiences from scouting to military land nav, SERE, geocaching, hashing and outdoor hobbies taught me to double or triple check with all the tools an knowledge at my disposal when / if time allowed.
Sad story here.....
sounds like you’ve had an interesting life. cool :)
bttt
Two different implementations of GPS.
Vehicle navigation systems are only as good as OEM updates of roadway systems. In my dense suburban county new developments are constantly in construction. New roads are built, some old ones get dead ended. The algorithms aren't and can't be 100% accurate 100% of the time. Just as with nautical and air charts one must update street maps and even then it has certain holes. Like spellczech it requires some basic user knowledge.
The handhelds give excellent positional info regardless of roads. Lots of goodies available, waypoint memory, altitude, compass bearing, quad sheet info, etc.
Makes moving about easier, works best as you said in conjunction with paper maps. The old magnetic compasses work only if one knows how to use them.
In any case I use maps before setting out into unknown areas.... there be dragons out there.....
;>)
Boy Scouts provided excellent training. Our Marine scout leader taught us to sketch up our own maps, how to pick landmarks, indicate terrain features, rough elevation guesses, etc, driving the points home with his Korean war experience
We love geocaching. What a great little hobby.
L
It’s a very sad story indeed. :-( I’ve noticed that vehicle type GPS units are sorely lacking. As you know, I’m on a search team and we use the ones that actually give you USEFUL information... such as WHERE YOU ARE AT!!! ...in both Lat/Lon, and UTM. Vehicle GPS units simply show you a picture of the road and tell you where you’re going and people trust it!...and DIE because of it. But even people like us who end up out in the middle of nowhere looking for a lost person don’t entirely rely on GPS. We DO indeed have MAPS and GOOD compasses!... plus, we KNOW how to find Polaris (on a clear night). Land navigation is a good skill to have. :-)
No kidding.
I, on the other hand, get totally lost trying to get to my bathroom.
I now just poop in the bed. I figure I’ll clean it up later. Or not.