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From: Backpacking Light Sep-15-2024 11:22:am

June 24, 2022 | Unsubscribe

⬆ From last-week's off-trail adventure - waterfall-hunting in Rocky Mountain National Park.

After crashing through blowdowns and thick brush as I attempted to stay on a compass bearing I shot 15 minutes earlier, I was suprised to see another human sitting aside a little patch of heather in a small clearing amongst a copse of spruce trees.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"Tired, hot, thirsty and a little bit mad."

Me: "What are you mad about?"

Him: "Alltrails recommended this route, it's terrible."

Me: "Ahh...ummm...can I see the route?"

He removed his phone from his pocket, tapped and swiped a few times, and handed it to me.

Sure enough, an Alltrails user had uploaded this obscure, difficult cross-country route to the platform. The user provided glorious descriptions of the trails to and from the route, with scant little information about the off-trail section in between, other than "...minimal elevation gain or loss - just follow the 9,800-foot contour the entire way, with shortcuts as needed."

When I read the last part, I laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"Have you actually been following the 9,800-foot contour this whole time?" I asked.

"Pretty close, yes, check out my track on the app."

Sure enough, he was right.

"This route is over four miles long," I noted.

"I know, I was expecting that. How long is the route you're doing?"

"1.3 miles."

Fisrt, he cursed.

⬆ His route's in blue. My route's in red.

Second, he saw my compass around my neck and asked if I was using Alltrails or the compass.

"Map and compass," I answered.

Him: "Why would you still do that when we have access to all of this fantastic technology?"

Me: I smiled.

Him: "Touché."

We spent the next hour sharing water and snacks and experiences. He was a good guy, but led to believe that digital navigation apps like Alltrails were all you needed to enjoy the backcountry. Alltrails' tagline is "Explore with confidence." I told him this.

That made him laugh out loud.

We agreed to agree that confidence doesn't come from knowledge or information, but from skills - knowing how to apply that knowledge or info to the real world, with an understanding of context - i.e., being able to recognize when that knowledge reaches its limits.

You can tell somebody what to do ("follow a 9,800 foot contour line for 4.5 miles") or you can show somebody how to do something as efficiently as possible ("shoot a series of bearings between the lakes in the chain that parallels the ridge toe, and use our best practices for off-country travel through forest terrain to follow a route to the N of the bearing lines, using the ridge as a handrail").

We like to show, not tell - you'll feel more empowered, you'll forge more unique adventures, and you're more likely to pass the skills on to someone else.

And you'll enjoy the backcountry with way more confidence - because you'll know that you're in control - not some social media app that outsources its knowledge to unvetted practitioners with varying levels of communication ability.

I'm spending a lot of time studying the craft of orienteering champions right now (yes, I count the Kjellström brothers among my heroes). It's a fascinating subject that's made me a better navigator, and given me a new appreciation for topographic maps and modern orienteering compasses.

That's why map-and-compass will be the topic of this week's Member Q&A Webinar.

Join me this coming Saturday, July 2 at 9 AM US Mountain Time. Look for the live-streamed link - I'll send it out on Wednesday morning to this email list.

Do you have a question about map-and-compass use? Gear, techniques, philosophies, analog-vs-digital, anything? Reply to this email and ask it, and I'll be happy to answer it in the live-streamed webinar.

Happy (off)-trails,
Ryan J
owner/founder

PS: Become a member today so you can attend this week's Member Q&A webinar. All members (Basic, Premium, and Unlimited) get access to the live-streamed webinar, and Unlimited Members can enjoy access to the recorded version of the webinar forever!