4 minute read
Eversole, R.: Reading Maps
By Robert Eversole | https://www.trailmeister.com/
With the increasing popularity of GPS devices and cell phone navigation apps, you could be forgiven for thinking that the days of old-school, hard-copy paper maps are numbered. You would, however, be mistaken. In a world where technology reigns supreme, the skill of map reading is one that every outdoors person should have in their repertoire. Below, I’ve highlight the 6 most important reasons why you should learn how to use a map.
The most obvious and practical reason. A map is a visual resource crammed with information about the area we are exploring. The information tells us about water sources, potential campsites, viewpoints, cliffs, and more. By becoming a skilled map-reader, you will be able to find the former and avoid the latter, even in poor visibility. Learning to read a map will lower your risk of getting lost in the first place, will help you find your way again if it does happen, or – worst-case scenario – at the very least be able to tell rescue teams where you are should things go wrong.
While learning to read a map is certainly useful when following a marked and established trail, where it is most beneficial is when you want to satisfy your thirst for more serious adventure and take your trips off-trail. Map skills are enablers. The skill of map reading empowers you to take your adventures in the back-country further, letting you head into remote locations that you wouldn't dream of venturing into without ample competency with your topographics.
From cave paintings, ancient manuscripts, and on to the 21st century, people have created and used maps as essential tools to explain and navigate their way through the world.
With their longitudes and latitudes, as well as myriad lines crisscrossing miles of ground, encompassing mountains, valleys, and more, maps have been guiding the curious traveler for thousands of years. From enabling the discovery of new trails, to helping travelers plan their next pit stop, maps are crucial tools connecting the known and unknown for many generations of explorers.
Safety First
Maps Are A Passport To New Adventures
Maps Give You Self-Confidence and Peace Of Mind
Not only do maps let you find your way to new and exciting areas, learning to read a map can also provide a boost to your confidence both on the trail and before leaving the house. While pre-trip butterflies are a good thing, it is much better to head off with faith and confidence in your abilities and know that if anything goes wrong it is not going to be because you got lost. Honing your navigation talents and gaining confidence in your abilities is not only good for you, but also for those riding with you and the folks back home. Your confidence will spread to your riding partners. Your spouse and family members will feel a whole lot better about you venturing into the wild knowing that you have the requisite smarts to do so.
A Map Is More Than A Backup
Things go wrong. Especially when taking trips in the back-country. With so many variables to account for, it is almost expected that over the duration of a few days on the trails something will go wrong. A counterpoint to that, however, is fewer things go wrong if you know how to read a map. Mechanical devices will fail, electronic ones will die. Cell phones lose signal and batteries run low. In such circumstances, you are on your own, and getting out of that situation will often depend on your ability to use a map, especially if you have headed off-trail.
While GPS devices and navigation apps on cell phones are handy tools, they shouldn't be relied upon as your only means of navigation and instead, should be used in combination with a detailed paper topographic (topo) map and compass. After all, paper maps do not require either batteries or a signal and can survive a soaking. Try that with your phone and see what happens.
Maps Encourage Engagement With Your Surroundings
A map is used in conjunction with the physical world around you, be that reading a sign or identifying the mountain on your right. This process of using your eyes and engaging your brain leaves memories and knowledge of the world around you. With GPS as a guide, nothing is learned or loved about the journey. Indeed, there's something almost selfish about the GPS’s tiny screen displaying only the area immediately surrounding you: it's all about you. But let your eyes wander across a map and you will discover a nearby lake, a beautiful view or a convenient watering spot. Maps open the world, whereas GPS’s narrow your mind.
Maps Are Inspiring
Few things can inspire curiosity and wonder like a proper topo map. A paper map gives us the bigger picture, encompassing a huge swathe of terrain packed with countless features that can leave us marveling at the sheer scale and richness of the environment.
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