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can gps really help me hike?
bmwrider
0 Points
I don't mean to be negitive about gps and love my vista csx but I don't think that a gps can do to much to get you some where in the woods, they are great for reviewing your hike or returning from it, but I cannot figure out what they can do to get you some where new, the only hiking destinations on topos are in national parks, I cannot figure out how to use one to take me somewhere I have not been, in michigan the gps topo maps don't show much to help you hike, am I missing something? I know how to set waypoints and use tracks and routes but these things can't guide you somewhere, unless you find that rare track log on the internet that will take you somewhere you would like to go.
Comments
A GPS can take you anywhere a paper map can. If you are trying to find different "off the beaten trail" places then you need to use your brain to choose an area to explore for starters. Then look at maps, either on the GPS, on the internet or in a book. Look at satellite photos on Google earth, mapslive.com, etc.
What maps have you used on your vista? I assume you have more than just the unit's basemap, which is pretty useless by itself. Garmin's US topo 100k (AKA US Topo 2008) is not the greatest map available, but it's not a bad start either. I have found plenty of interesting places using it.
Their new 24k topo's are better, but only available for select areas so far. Also look at some of the free Garmin maps which have been contributed by users at GPSFileDepot.com.
I don't know... it works for me. If it doesn't work for you, then don't use the GPS. :D
If you have a destination in mind, put the coordinates in the GPS, save it as a waypoint BEFORE setting out and follow the needle on the compass page in the field. Again, you really need to tell us what "somewhere new" means. If it's a point you found in Google Earth or something, you can pull the latitude/longitude coordinates directly from there. What kind of GPS do you have? If you have a Garmin, you can send locations from Google Maps directly to the GPS unit via a USB cable.
If you are willing to invest the time and have some computer skills, you can make your own Garmin maps using shareware/freeware. These can include anything you want. See: http://mapwel.biz/
I use this software and it is very nice. Capable of making either a really simple map or very sophisticated one... depends on your skill and amount of time you're willing to spend.
But I live in a "cabin in the woods", so there are some nice walks which begin at my back door :D
From that you get a "real" distance figure rather than point to point distances. You can also set estimated speeds based on the average grade or type of activity to give you realistic ETA figures. Back on the GPS, it will give you a more accurate estimate of time and distance remaining.
Beyond that... c'mon guys, just about every state has a Dept of Natural Resources or similar website with detailed information about all the parks and trail maps. I'm sure there are some exceptions, but a LOT of this stuff is available online, and these could be converted to transparent map overlays for your Garmin maps using Mapwel, which I mentioned earlier. There are also books of hikes for every state. Anything you can download or scan can be turned into a Garmin map. You would not need to make the entire map, just trace the features you want - like the trails - which can be loaded on top of your existing maps.
The user defined style editor in Mapwel is a very powerful feature for making unique looking maps, which is why I like it myself. But that is a rather advanced feature.
There is another program called MOAGU which tries to convert raster material to Garmin, some people think it does a better job at that than Mapwel. You can download some MOAGU-made maps at GPSFileDepot.com and see what you think.
Ok let me make this easier to understand, I want routes that someone actually took, on a trail they actually hiked, and recorded in their Garmin unit and have uploaded to the web. Where do we get these? I would think there would be a huge list of these somewhere online for users to download. I could then upload the verified route to Mapsource, print it for backup on the trail, and use the GPS to verify my track and wherabouts.
There are some sites Downunder where people are uploading their track logs; hasn't taken off in a big way though.