[pct-l] GPS, is it worth it?

[pdascalos at gmail.com (Peter Dascalos)]

I find that I use my GPS regularly when I am on the trail. I have a
Garmin Geko 201(http://www.garmin.com/products/geko201/). This is a
simple GPS that has good battery life and is small and light. I only
turn on the Geko to get my UTM coordinates and can in a matter of a
minute locate myself on the map. By setting waypoints at critical
junctions I am also able to route find very easily. Just last month we
got of trail and were able to get back on track and find the trail
junction within minutes. I also use a grid tool
(http://www.maptools.com) in conjunction with the GPS and map to make
locating positions a snap.
Hopefully you have some map and compass skills to build upon. I carry
a compass as a backup. You never know, electronic devices can fail.
But after learning how to us my GPS, I would not leave home without
it.

Good luck, Peter

On 4/19/05, Erica Martin <pcthiken05@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>  I'm going to attempt a solo thru-hike of the PCT starting in campo on the 23rd. I have some but very little experience with snow route finding and map and compass work, enough to feel OK attempting this treck even with all the snow. The debate is, I have a friend who is worried and is trying to convience me to get and carry a GPS system, I have never used one and don't know if it's worth the weight and time to learn how to use one. Any Advice?
>   Any insights eaither way will be helpful, mtnfaery
> 
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