Posted by gmharris [71.105.35.249] on Monday, November 04, 2013 at 00:03:04 :
In Reply to: GPS posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.153.105] on Sunday, November 03, 2013 at 22:36:49 :
Agree with what you are saying, especially part about lulling people into complacency. And, as a prior sailor and aviator, I know the importance of keeping good positional awareness independent of electronic aids.
But, GPS's designed for hiking often have a "bread crumb" feature which allows you to easily backtrack without any knowledge of anything.
I once heard a guy talking to the Coast Guard. He was lost a fairly short distance off the California Coast. The Coast Guard Station would give you a radio bearing from them, but would not tell you how to sail your vessel.
The guy didn't understand that he needed to head exactly the opposite (the reciprocal) of the radio bearing. Finally, the exasperated Coastie said, "Skipper, if you follow that heading, you will end up in Hawaii".