"Not all those who wander are lost." - JRR Tolkien
Ah, spring, when a young man's thoughts turn to . . . outdoor adventure? OK, what did you think I was going to say? Anyway, if you are into the outdoors (or want to be) perhaps you should think about getting a GPS. A GPS is a great way to:
1. Keep yourself from getting lost.
2. Find that special spot and figure out how to get there.
3. Find out how far or fast you've gone.
4. Estimate how long it will take you to get somewhere while driving.
5. Know all sort of mostly useless information about your trip that will annoy your friends.
For me a GPS is kind of like insurance. You can explore a totally unfamiliar territory and not worry that you won't find your way back. Once my friends Jay, Mike, and I decided to canoe out to a little isle off off Grindstone Point called Goose Island. The "trail" to the lake was very poorly marked and when we found it we barely made it down to the waters edge. The island wasn't that far away (less then an hours canoe) but since I had my GPS I thought I might as well mark where we had left from. I was glad that I did! When we finally got to the island (that is a whole other story for another time) and looked back at the mainland we had no idea where we had left from - the coastline all looked the same. You would have to be right on top of the small opening in the trees to actually know it was there. This meant that we would have had to spend lots of time combing the shore looking for a small opening in the woods and the car that was hidden out of sight of it. With the GPS it was no problem though, when it was time to leave we just followed the digital trail back to the marked point - no extra paddling/searching required. It was a beautiful moment.
I sold my old deluxe GPS about a year ago. Lately though, I've thought that I'd like to buy a new one for exploring the jungle in Belize, so I've been sniffing around for some deals. I'm ending up buying one in a private sale but I found two good deals that I thought I'd tell you about. First of all, London drugs has a good deal on the entry level Explorist 100 - $80 (usually over a hundred) this week. Also, Alcom electronics is selling the eTrex H (again, entry level) for $85 ($125 at Canadian Tire). It's a toss up, but I would actually go for the eTrex H, I think it has a better interface, better customer service, and better battery life.
May Light increase!
Testing
2 weeks ago
4 comments:
the second point you made "find that special spot and figure out how to get there" will apply to me in the next month or sooner.
Man, now I want to get a GPS! $85 sounds like a pretty good price. Must...resist...buying...stuff!
Jay
I'm personally fond of #5...Know all sort of mostly useless information about your trip that will annoy your friends.
I used to get so bored when you'd talk about your GPS and what it could do until I picked it up for myself one trip and had a hard time putting it down! Those things are awesome!
It's like insurance for wives who fear for their husbands when they go on an adventure!
Oh, I remember that canoe trip you took - that story for another time is worth sharing one day! Maybe you and Jobina should do a "he said, she said" post about what each of you was thinking.
Anyways... we love our GPS and if I remember correctly it got you back to our house from your sister's in one piece in January. So, not just useful for the outdoors, but everywhere. Everyone should have one! And that classic ETrex - just like ours. Love that thing!
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