To start I would just like to say I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, if you celebrate something else or nothing at all then bah humbug to you. Well as you can tell from the title I have decided to start doing a tip of the week on my blog. I figured I might as well share what little knowledge I have with others. From now on plan on seeing a new tip every week, probably on Saturday or Sunday unless I'm gone and then you may see it before I leave or as soon as I get back.
I was looking through some old posts on my blog and it gave me the idea for this first tip of the week. So what is the tip of the week you ask? Well here it is, STOP RELYING ON ELECTRONICS! OK so why is relying on electronics bad? Let me set one thing straight right now, I'm not saying don't use them or don't learn to use them, I'm saying don't rely on them.
Some people are so dependent on electronics it's ridiculous, take GPS's for instance. People have gone away from practicing basic map and compass skills. They have become dependant on their GPS to tell them where they are and where they need to go. What happens when it breaks when you are out in the middle of no where? What happens when you are lost and the trees are so thick or the cloud cover is so bad you can't get a good signal? Do you break the number one rule about getting lost and move to find better reception? Or do you know how to read a map well enough that you could pull it out and find out exactly where you are without moving?
Map and compass skills are perishable and if you don't practice them you will lose them. Practice with a map and compass every time you head out for a hike, no matter how small. If you have children, teaching them map and compass skills can be a good refresher for you. If you don't know how to use a map and compass, take a course or find someone who does to teach you, or email me and I may add it to another tip of the week. According to many friends I have, even the US Army has gone away from basic map and compass skills, many Army leaders feel that this is also a huge mistake.
This is the pic that made me think of this tip. No again I wasn't lost, just trying to mark a waypoint.
Although not nearly as big of a problem, avalanche transceivers are another piece of electronic equipment people have become to reliant on. Just because you have a transceiver doesn't mean you don't have to check the avalanche conditions before you go out. Carrying one doesn't mean that you shouldn't be doing your own analysis of the snow pack or that you don't have to be aware of your surroundings.
To summarize I would just like to say that while electronics have made life a lot easier and safer to explore the backcountry, don't let them replace basic skills. Keep practicing those basic skills and remember the electronics should be used to aid you, not to do all the work for you. Last but not least, explore safely. Enjoy your New Year's everyone!
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