Death by GPS

**WVvan** · 02-03-2011, 06:00 PM

Found this interesting article. What happens when you trust your GPS too much.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/30/336...in-desert.html

charlie56 · 02-03-2011, 07:28 PM

I really liked the last blog after the article. The one about using water from the radiator. I'll have a pint of Prestone please.

Ford_6L_E350 · 02-04-2011, 10:14 AM

Reminds me why I rely on paper maps, not my GPS (which is rarely used).

Mike

**WVvan** · 02-04-2011, 10:54 AM

I love my GPS . Always use it when I'm hiking. Not for going forward. I use maps and compass for that. I've used the GPS to get my a** out of trouble a couple of times when bushwhacking. It's amazing how fast you can get disoriented in heavy rhododendron.

**daveb** · 02-05-2011, 09:45 PM

Last year I was doing a run below Shaver Lake that started off Trimmer Springs Road. It was an easy trail but had slick spots with some ruts and off camber spots due to weather conditions. At the start of the trail we saw some elderly folks with a GPS unit on their windshield follow us up this forest service road. At first I thought they were old timers that knew the area and although some cars can cross questionable terrain, it was soon that we realized they didn't have a clue what they were getting into. I couldn't figure out why they kept shadowing us on such a poor road until they finally turned back rather than try to go through a bog we passed through. When I turned on my Garmin I was surprised it showed the road as a thoroughfare to highway 180 listed as Trimmer Springs Road.
I can see how people get thrown off by the simple GPS units.