We’re relying more and more on modern technology to get us where we are going. In fact, people use their phones, GPS and navigational systems so much that we can barely find our way around our home without checking Waze for the fastest route to the kitchen. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not fighting technology, but forgetting how to navigate without a cell phone can be dangerous for outdoor adventurers. Relying too much on technology in remote places can get you lost, quick.
Learn old school navigation tools like a map and a compass to stay safe and oriented on the Colorado hiking trails
Know how to read a map and use a compass before hitting the trails
When you go on a hike, take a minute to orient yourself with a map. You know, one of those things printed on paper, that folds out (no scrolling) and can get your from point A to point Z. We’re poking fun, but the truth is that basic map reading skills are on the decline, leaving many hikers and climbers vulnerable.
The problem with relying on your smart and iPhones is that many time when you’re out in the wilderness, hiking a fourteener or a national park trail, cell phone service is often lost, and once that service is lost, it won’t be long before the hiker might be lost as well.
Teaching your kids to use a map and a compass will help them stay safe while exploring the great outdoors.
Technology can be unreliable in the remote wilderness
If you love nature and the great outdoors, if you want to get out of the city, breath in some fresh mountain air and get off the grid, then do yourself a favor and let your phone or your navigational system be your plan B. Get back to basics, back to nature by picking up that old school map and a compass and doing it the way explorers have been doing for centuries.
Every part of this great earth was discovered long before Google maps and cell phones were available to the public. They didn’t need them then, we don’t need them now.
Put your phone away and enjoy your surroundings. Isn’t that why you’re outside in the first place?