When we first moved to Corner Brook 30 years ago it didn’t take us too long to accumulate a pile of topographic maps of western Newfoundland.
These maps were the best way to figure out how to ski to that summit or hike into that secret waterfall. We used the maps to plan backcountry ski trips in the Blow Me Down mountains or multi-day hiking trips like the Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne National Park.
Usually the routine was to get out the map, plan the trip and then use the map and compass together in the field to show you which way to travel to get to the destination.
We got involved with the local Corner Brook orienteering group and found this was a good way to practice using a map and compass. Also in those early years I was asked by the Community Education department at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College to put on a map and compass course for the general public. Those courses ran for many years and I remember giving it to numerous hikers, snowmobilers, skiers and just about anyone who wanted to travel off the beaten track.
Then along came the Global Positioning System (GPS). Here was a great high tech way to stay found. It works at night and in the fog when traditional navigation is difficult. If you are lost, simply turn on the GPS and in short order it gives you your location in latitude and longitude (or UTM co-ordinates). GPS units are certainly great devises and their strength is locating where you are at any moment and then showing you how to navigate to your destination.
What GPS units are not good at is choosing a route since they assume that you want to travel in a straight line. So use your GPS unit with a topographic map. The map is still the best way to plan your trip and you can even put in co-ordinates from your map into the GPS. Then in the field use the GPS to help navigate, especially in poor weather. We still carry a compass since a battery powered GPS unit doesn’t last as long as the manufacturer says it does.
These days we often see people head out with only a GPS, which should be just part of your navigational package. The tried and true map and compass is still useful and in all of the Greencheck GPS courses I now teach I use all three together.
For anyone interested in learning the basics of how to safely navigate through Newfoundland’s wilderness contact me at knicol@swgc.mun.ca to find out about the next course.
Contributors Keith and Heather Nicol
live in Corner Brook and are avid explorers of Newfoundland. Keith can be reached at knicol@swgc.mun.ca
