The switch from paper maps to phones hit me hard on a trail in Vermont

I was hiking the Long Trail a few years back, near Killington, when my phone died and I realized I hadn't packed a physical map for that section. Had to backtrack 3 miles to a ranger station because I couldn't read the trail markings without it. Has anyone else found that relying on GPS makes you less aware of your surroundings out there?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim_brown3d ago

Killington is exactly where I saw a guy walk straight off a cliff face while staring at his phone screen. Not even joking, he was about 20 feet from the edge and didn't look up once. That's the problem right there, we stop paying attention to the actual trail when we trust the little blue dot too much. A paper map makes you look at the terrain and match it up with what's drawn, which is a completely different skill. Phones just give you a false sense of security until the battery dies at the worst possible moment.

anthony_wells3d ago

Yeah, that sounds about right. Panera bread wifi, lost in the woods. Real survivalist stuff. My phone died on a simple day hike once. Had to ask some teenagers for directions because I couldn't remember which turn I took. Felt like a total goober. Definitely made me buy a cheap compass and map for my pack after that. Not exactly Daniel Boone material over here.