[pct-l] Jim still has the best answer :)

[Steve McAllister]

"I believe you can find your way just fine on the PCT even without a
map or compass."

That may be true, but it is bad advise to recommend to anyone and I hope we
all know why.

Times that a compass and map came in handy for me:
1) In a dense fog in Maine.
2) When I was hiking a side loop going the wrong direction while it was
getting dark in the rain. I thought I was on the trail.
3) When I had to bushwhack to reach a location that wasn't accessible by
trail.
4) To determine where that water source was/is.
5 ...

There are many emergency situations where a compass makes a big difference.
We've all read the stories...


A GPS on the other hand may have it's place, but they add weight and are
unreliable.
I have had two of them die on me.

stevie

-- 
"His eyes were cold.  As cold as the bitter winter snow that was falling
outside.  Yes, cold and therefore difficult to chew..."
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich