Re: Caution when going off trail to the bathroom (Appalachian Trail story)

Somewhat sad story ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/26/when-you-find-my-body-please-call-my-husband-wrote-dying-hiker-lost-along-the-appalachian-trail/

The comments on the article mention something called SPOT GPS or something like that. Anyone here used one?

Definitely tragic. Looks like she was on the final leg of the adventure, too. But was she carrying a map? Compass?

I carry an INreach which is similar to the spot but allows for 2 way communication. Also allows me to get the NWS forecast for those longer trips.

I believe one of the articles I read about this said she did have a map and compass. Still...pretty sad

Since we live in Maine throughout the summer we got a little more information about this hiker. Despite the fact she was an accomplished hiker she unfortunately had no sense of direction and would not have been helped by a compass. The concept of East-West-North-South or reading maps was alien to her. She always hiked with her husband or other friends and relied on them for directional issues. I have always been amazed at the number of people who have no sense of direction or ability to read maps. To such folks the top of a map being North and the bottom meaning South, et. has no associative meaning because compass points have no meaning. For that reason alone this lady should not have gone on alone after her hiking partner dropped out. I am somewhat familiar with this area and if you go a few miles in any direction you will at least hit a logging trail or another road. Twenty-six days in a straight line SW would have put her 4-5 states away in New York city! This is very sad and need not have happened just to meet a call of nature.

Thanks for the background.

I take classes at our local JC in Natural Resource Management for fun and this fall they have an orienteering class (Compass orienteering, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and topographic map reading for backpackers and wilderness recreation users.). I think I will take it.