[pct-l] [John Muir Trail] How to avoid getting lost on a hike

[Yoshihiro Murakami]

Dear Ned

How do you think about snow pack at JMT on this August. I had carried
the aluminum crampons for the past two summers. But, snow was very
rare. I had send them back to Japan from VVR. If snow pack exists for
about several miles, I will carry micro spikes, because  I am a heavy
trucker, and need more friction.




2011/7/6  <ned at mountaineducation.org>:
> Ah, the GPS debate...
>
> "How not to get lost on a hike" I imagine refers to route-finding over snow? If this is the case, I have to encourage hikers to carry and know how to use a decent GPS unit with your trail's tracks installed. I am no tech-savvy person, but our Rino 530HCx units have kept us on-track when we had nothing by which to judge our position because of heavy tree cover.
>
> Yes, batteries die and their life is shortened by the cold, so carry more. Suddenly finding yourself "lost" is one scary thing to have to deal with out there! Take a course, watch someone's video on the subject, read the manual, but don't go out into the woods and snow this year without one. Of course, bring good 7.5-minute topo maps or Halfmile's maps (we have even been navigating by Tom Harrison's recently) along with a compass that you know how to use. But I assure you, even the old, grizzled "mountain men" out there are being challenged this year!
>
> Oh well, off we go in a few days on another section of the Tahoe Rim (one trail that is actually harder under snow than its bigger brother, the JMT)!
>
>
>
> "Just remember, Be Careful out there!"
>
> Ned Tibbits, Director
> Mountain Education
> 1106A Ski Run Blvd
> South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
>    P: 888-996-8333
>    F: 530-541-1456
>    C: 530-721-1551
>    http://www.mountaineducation.org
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-- 
Sincerely
--------------- --------------------------------------
Hiro    ( Yoshihiro Murakami  村上宣寛 )
Blogs http://completewalker.blogspot.com/
Photo http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/CompleteWalker/
Backpacking since about 1980 in Japan
2009 JMT, the first America.
2010 JMT, the second America.
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