Compass?

[Mags]

And yet somehow humans did without some of these so-called "essentials" for eons (sunscreen? flashlight? first aid? hah!), likely endowed with navigating and survival skills superior to most ours here.

People have been navigating with a compass since ~1300 AD for navigation. Before that I suspect they used celestial navigation, an astrolabe, the sun, knew the route from experience/oral tradition only, or simply became lost. New fangled technology vs others. Of course maps are pretty darn old, too


Before sunscreen or sunglasses? People covered up with clothing..or ignored it and "enjoyed" various types of skin cancer, cataracts and/or premature aging of the skin.

Night time jaunts? Well, people stopped. Or used torches, candles or lanterns. Just ask the ancient Greeks or Chinese.


First aid? Conquered most of the Mediterranean world with it I reckon... About 2000 years ago.

And since they marched ~20 miles a day with 60 lbs of gear, a repair kit was needed.


And shelters, warm clothes fire starting kit,etc ... Well, Ozti thought they were pretty good ~3200 BC.

So, not sure of your point unless you are advocating hiking naked, going without food, and doing away with nearly 5000 years of technology in many cases.

While a valid case can be made for using a compass or not on the AT in three-season hiking, this "And yet somehow humans did without some of these so-called "essentials" for eons" argument is well, not correct.

Maybe we make up new guidelines like the ten essentials because we learn from the past and find better ways to do things.

People have been using the ten essential in one form or another for EONS to use a term from another person.

Warm clothing, extra food, navigation aids, ways to tend to/repair equipment and protection from the elements have been needed for a long, long, long time.

[rocketsocks]

I would suggest that from time to time the 10 essentials can change, for instance! If my ass is hurtin' real bad, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be packin' in thee ole Preparation H...essentially.

[rocketsocks]

Or lazy writers trying to crank out a click bait article for Backpacker magazine.


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[rocketsocks]

Or lazy writers trying to crank out a click bait article for Backpacker magazine.


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lets try that again!
image.jpeg

[ernie84]

lets try that again!
image.jpeg

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[GoLight]

I guess it is kind of easy to assume things about other hikers. Like if a AT hiker has a compass and has hiked nearly 1000 miles, they would surely know how to use the compass. Using a compass is so simple and easy to learn I just assumed anyone who has one knows what to do with it. Even without a map in hand you have a general map in your head of the region around you. You would know for example that there is a town in that direction, or a highway in that direction, or whatever. You would just use your compass to go in the direction you felt rescue was most likely.
In the case of Inchworm, she did have a compass in her possession yet apparently she didn´t know how to use it. She relied solely on her Samsung cell phone to send text messages asking for help, but there wasn´t any signal.
Reading the newspaper accounts is saddening. Even though she had hiked almost 1000 miles she had shown several times she was directionally challenged. She had left her PLB in a hotel room. She was hiking alone in one of the most remote areas of the AT. She stepped off the trail in dense underbrush for a toilet break, and was found two miles from the trail. At some point she ran out of anxiety medication and probably had panic attacks. She survived a month after getting lost and was found 2 years later.

Could it happen to anyone else? Yes, according to the Maine state game warden it happens dozens of times each year, just in the state of Maine, never mind the 13 other states on the AT. Heres´s his statement:
Every year, about 28 Appalachian Trail hikers get lost in Maine, Lt. Kevin Adam of the Maine Warden Service said shortly after Largay was reported missing.
Searchers find lost hikers within 12 hours 95 percent of the time, and within 24 hours in 98 percent of the cases.

My take away is that hiking without a compass, or hiking with a compass and not knowing how to use it, is just dumb. Period.

[GoLight]

Here´s the newspaper article: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/05/2...use-a-compass/

[rickb]

I'm always uncomfortable camping in sight of the footpath. I'm surely uncomfortable pooping in sight of the footpath. And I know how easy it is to get turned around, so when I leave the trail to poop or sleep, I do it following a compass bearing and follow the back bearing when I'm done.

Exactly.

While there are many sections of the AT where you do not have a legal option to pitch a tent off trail, there are significant stretches where you do.

Moving away from the comfort of the white blazes -- even for a relatively short distance -- can be disconcerting. The thing is, for all the disadvantages of doing so, there are other compelling reasons to give this a try.

It may seem strange suggesting that a thru or section hiker may need special courage to walk out of site of the blazed trail to pitch a tent and camp by him or herself, but think about it: from the very beginning the trail reinforces the idea that you will always be tethered to others with a blaze, and you are forced to camp in close proximity to the footpath and others.

Which brings me back to the compass.

Even if one is not needed to walk out of site of the trail to camp, having a compass can give you just a bit of extra confidence to do so. In a way, it can give you additional options even when all is going great

And really help you hike your own hike.

Ther are better reasons for having a compass, I suppose -- just wanted to add this one to the list.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

For the record, she did have a compass. They found it with the rest of her belongings. She didn't know how to use it.

Methinks you just ratified the opinions of those who believe it's foolish, dumb, or at least unwise to backpack anywhere without a compass. You most certainly proved my own personal mantra: There is no complete substitute for a map, a compass, and the ability to use them.

Thoroughly prepared in other senses or not, and from what you report about her having had a compass in her gear, Inchworm would perhaps be alive today had she had a map, a compass, and the ability to use them. We can all think what we want to think about the level of risk of going afield without a map, a compass, and the ability to use them. I happen to be among those who think it totally foolish. There's simply no denying that overall risks are increased for those without a map, a compass, and the ability to use them.

As to the AT in particular, at a given point in time during any given day's AT hike, the NOBO or SOBO hiker is likely to be on a heading including all 360 degrees of the compass. Add in some fog, heavy rain, fatigue, etc, and it can be far easier than one might believe to become disoriented. Now add a simple slip/fall, sudden illness, hypothermia, etc, and you're in real trouble--and quite possibly off of the trail out of earshot of some who may be able to help.

The effect of errors and omissions is cumulative--the Law of Serial Consequences. Becoming disoriented in and of itself is unlikely to cause injury or death, but it can most definitely play a role which is entirely avoidable if only the hiker had a map, a compass, and the ability to use them.

AO

[ernie84]

Methinks you just ratified the opinions of those who believe it's foolish, dumb, or at least unwise to backpack anywhere without a compass. You most certainly proved my own personal mantra: There is no complete substitute for a map, a compass, and the ability to them.

AO

Methinks you have selectively quoted me. As I suggested, her inability to use a compass was not the reason she died. It was poor decision making. Had she continued hiking in any direction, rather than just staying put, she would have eventually come to a road or trail.

I consider the decision to carry a compass on the AT similar to the decision to carry bear spray. Bears attacks are very rare but do occasionally happen. But I don't carry bear spray and I bet most of you don't either. Yeah, I guess you could wander off the trail and get yourself horribly lost. But it's very unlikely for an experienced hiker, similar to the risk of a bear attack.

Again, you can download a free compass app for your phone! You'll probably never use it on the AT though.



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[pickNgrin]

Again, you can download a free compass app for your phone! You'll probably never use it on the AT though.

Other times you will never use it are when: your battery is dead, your phone got wet and died, your screen broke, etc. When you need a compass, you need it to work. A basic Silva compass is functional, never runs out of batteries, is nearly indestructible, and weighs less than an ounce.

[ernie84]

Other times you will never use it are when: your battery is dead, your phone got wet and died, your screen broke, etc. When you need a compass, you need it to work. A basic Silva compass is functional, never runs out of batteries, is nearly indestructible, and weighs less than an ounce.

I personally wouldn't start out on a multi day trip without a protective case for by phone and a back power source. My phone has many other uses besides the compass, including keeping in touch with family and taking photos. So it's not like I am carrying anything extra.

I'm glad you like your Silva so much. Carry wherever you want. But keep in mind that it too can break or malfunction.


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[Uriah]

So, not sure of your point unless you are advocating hiking naked, going without food, and doing away with nearly 5000 years of technology in many cases.

While a valid case can be made for using a compass or not on the AT in three-season hiking, this "And yet somehow humans did without some of these so-called "essentials" for eons" argument is well, not correct.

Paul! Head over to CU and brush up on your human history! It is correct. Eons goes back quite a bit further than the dates you've provided, by hundreds of thousands of years; in our current incarnation we've been around much longer than any of these "essentials" we've invented, and the skills our ancestors gleaned allow us to exist in the relatively comfortable state we're in today (a state of less and less self-reliance). My point, then, is that they're not entirely essential, as in required.

Do I use them? Sure, when required. Are they required to walk an excessively marked, often shaded trail? Not at all. Is it foolish not to carry them? (Therein lay the debate...) A one-ounce compass? Why not?! But having it doesn't means having the wherewithal to understand its intended use. (Let me assure you: as a previous SAR volunteer, most those in need of rescue did not understand how to use a compass; having it did not help!)

We might deem a car or a smartphone or an Internet connection as necessary to safely exist in "today's world," thus "essential" to our survival, but we know that this isn't entirely the case. (Travel more and you'll witness as much: that much of humanity exists without these things.)

Humans have always had the same basic essentials: our metabolic needs (air, water, food) and our protective needs: clothing, and a place to call home (if even on our backs). Most everything (sex, transportation, psychological needs, job security, etc) else is superfluous, even today. Especially today. So while you sit at your desk at work, to pay for your requirements, I'll pay for mine and head out for a walk. Note the sunglasses:

[Mags]

. My point, then, is that they're not entirely essential, as in required...and more and more and more

Uriah, geez. I've seen less tap dancing from my six year old niece.

[Another Kevin]

The effect of errors and omissions is cumulative--the Law of Serial Consequences. Becoming disoriented in and of itself is unlikely to cause injury or death, but it can most definitely play a role which is entirely avoidable if only the hiker had a map, a compass, and the ability to use them.

There's no point in carrying a compass that you don't know how to use. On the AT in peak season, you're likely to be able to make your way without one, just as you mightn't carry a highway map to drive a couple of thousand miles on Interstate 95 - and for much the same reason: it's well traveled, and well marked, and pretty hard to go astray.

Sooner or later, at least some of us aspire to hiking trails that are less like a superhighway, or find ourselves doing so by accident. It's probably a good idea to have a road map for that trip on I-95, just in case there's a detour or you make a wrong turn somewhere. And we all know how far astray we can go if we just listen to the GPS Lady. The way I see it, it's the same on the trail. You'll eventually go astray and need to get back from straying.

Moreover, you're a lot less likely to panic, and get stupid as a consequence, if you've got the skills to become unlost. You can say to yourself, "gee, it's a while since I saw a blaze, what does the compass say? The trail is tending southwestward and losing elevation while the map shows it going westward on a ridge," when you have that map, compass, and ability to use them. You can react by whipping out the notebook and writing "14:50 - S of trail? Eroded woods road with stone wall on N side and overhanging hemlock tree." Then you can decide, with a cool head, whether to push on farther in hopes of spotting a blaze, or bail out on your emergency route, or try to backtrack to the trail, or whatever. That's much more likely to yield a response that will get you to where you want to go than, "OMG I'm LOST!!!!" But that blind panic is apparently where too many hikers find themselves.

Of course, learning land navigation is a slippery slope, which might turn you into an orienteer, or even a bush-whacko.

Really, how do you have the confidence to get 200 feet off the trail to do your business if you can't handle a compass? In the dense Eastern forest, you surely don't have a 200 foot sight line back to it. Maybe that's why there are so many paper flowers on the trail. Bleah.

[GoLight]

I was trying to find how many people get lost on the AT each year, but the only verifiable figures I´ve found so far are solely for Great Smokey Mountains National Park. They had 139 people lost in 2014 resulting in 103 search and rescue missions and 4 deaths.
In one notable case, three men were lost together on the AT. They couldn´t find the shelter so they burned their clothing and other items to keep warm. God, that is scary. Imagine first of all going into the mountains without a map and compass, and without a head light or flashlight for night walking and without basic outdoors skills for fire building. They were surrounded by wood, yet burned clothes to stay alive. That´s double stupid in my opinion.

[ernie84]

I was trying to find how many people get lost on the AT each year, but the only verifiable figures I´ve found so far are solely for Great Smokey Mountains National Park. They had 139 people lost in 2014 resulting in 103 search and rescue missions and 4 deaths.

Goof grief, man. The GSMNP is the most visited national park in the country. A lot of these search and rescue missions are for day hikers that start out on a 12 mile round trip at five o'clock in the afternoon. The sun starts going down and they freak out, whip out the cell phone, and call for help. Those numbers also include people who fall and break a leg or sprain an ankle. A compass is not going to help you if you break your leg.

[ernie84]

I was trying to find how many people get lost on the AT each year, but the only verifiable figures I´ve found so far are solely for Great Smokey Mountains National Park. They had 139 people lost in 2014 resulting in 103 search and rescue missions and 4 deaths.

I'm assuming you are referencing this article from the Asheville Citizen-Times:

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/n...cues/29815445/

The article notes there were 104 incidents involving 139 people in 2014. However, not all were "lost" as you claim. Not even the majority. Most incidents, 74, were for people who were ill or injured. Twenty-nine were for darkness!

Twenty-six involved either "insufficient information or an error in judgment or insufficient equipment, clothing or experience." Presumably this group includes the three knuckle heads from SC that burned their britches. Now, there might be one or two hikers that were otherwise prepared but wound up getting lost without a compass, but I doubt it.

[GoLight]

Jajajajaja, Ernie, chill man, we all know you are against compasses on the AT and we accept that. Let it go. We´re not trying to change your mind, we respect your decision even though we don´t agree with it and we certainly don´t want to encourage others to follow your example but we are just as certainly not going to condemn you because you don´t carry.
This GSMNP statistic I´m sharing is about all the other idiots who went out there without proper equipment. This is in no way a reflection on you personally or on your equipment habits. We all know the trail is deep from thousands of feet and there are white blazes every so often, but admit it, things happen and systems fall apart unexpectedly.
By the way, one of the reports I read was written by David AWOL Miller. He´s the guy who writes and publishes the annual AT Guide. He was talking about the time he himself got lost on the AT.

[ernie84]

Jajajajaja, Ernie, chill man, we all know you are against compasses on the AT and we accept that. Let it go. We´re not trying to change your mind, we respect your decision even though we don´t agree with it and we certainly don´t want to encourage others to follow your example but we are just as certainly not going to condemn you because you don´t carry.

I am not against carrying a compass on the AT, if that is what you chose to do. Like I said, carry whatever you want. I just don't think it is necessary. It is an opinion that is shared by many experienced hikers. However, you and others have characterized it as "dumb", "foolish", and "dead wrong". That hardly qualifies as respect. In fact, I would say that sounds more like condemnation.

I am perfectly willing to drop the subject and move on to other topics. It is you who are dredging up misleading statistics and tallying up message board posts.