Hiking with GPS

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Many people want to make hiking a permanent hobby for them, but are usually thrown back by a few excuses. What if it’s too cold or too hot today? Won’t it be uncomfortable? What happens if I get lost? What will I do?

There are answers to these questions, and if you’re serious about being a habitual hiker, you might even just ignore them. But here’s one question that has a definite answer you can find right away: “will I get lost?” No, you don’t have to. If you want to do some deep-words exploring, you can go hiking with a GPS to help you find your way, and leave “bread crumbs” through the forrest to not only get you where you’re going, but to get yourself back to where you came from.

Of course, there’s another mental hurdle. “Isn’t GPS hard to use?” Well, of course, the answer is no. GPS devices including GPS watches can be like mobile computers, but that doesn’t mean you have to be computer literate to handle one. Instead, you can either ask someone who knows, consult the sales team where you buy your GPS, try it out yourself, or some combinatino of all three. It’s not like you haven’t learned anything before and, believe me, it will actually end up being much simpler than you’re making it out to be.

Once these mental hurdles are gone, you’ll be able to go hiking worry-free. You’ll feel free to explore and try paths you wouldn’t have tried otherwise if there was a fear that you might get lost. Instead, you’ll be able to simply put “one foot in front of the other” on your journey, keeping your focus off of your navigation. the GPS will handle navigation for you, and besides, you can’t enjoy the mental benefits of hiking if you’re too worried about getting back.

For many people, hiking is about the freedom of the open woods, about climbing obstacles and conquering hills. The best way to do this is to keep things simple, and by keeping close watch on your path and your navigation, you lose some of the intense foccus that gives many hikers such an intense natural high. You want to be full y present when you’re out there, and having GPS on your wrist can often give you the peace of mind to do just that.

Keep one thing in mind, however: GPS does strip some of the mystique away. You might even want to keep your GPS covered or in your backpack during the trip yourself to add to the reality of being in the wilderness with only yourself and your wits with you. You’ll always know that you’re leaving that metaphorical trail of bread crumbs to get back, but you’ll also experience the reality of living totally natural, if only for a while. It makes for a great escape from civilization, and once you’re ready to come home, fire up the GPS and find your car. It’s that simple.

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