Finding your way has never been easier than now. With a modern global positioning system (GPS) receiver and built in mapping software, all you need to do to find your way is press the on button. There is no doubt that this is handy and may well have saved thousands of people from getting lost in the woods, but it has sadly led to a decline in the number of people who know how to navigate in the wild using just a compass and map. And many of those who once learned how may find that their skills are steadily and surely atrophying from lack of use.

More than nostalgia is at stake, however. Learning to navigate was once seen as an essential step on the route to becoming self-sufficient in the outdoors. Until you felt confident that you could find your way out and home again, you were unlikely to stray far from camp. The proliferation of technologies that make it easier to navigate should led to fewer people needing help. Ye the opposite has occurred in recent years with mountain rescue services in Britain and America reporting a sharp increase in call-outs over the past few years. The newer technologies seem partly to blame as inexperienced outdoors enthusiasts head off with only a vague idea of what is in store for them yet feel safe because they think that they can simply call for help if they run into trouble. Many rescue teams blame cellular phones for this new found risk taking whereas in previous years people may have been more careful because they knew they had to rely on themselves.

It is probably true to say that the widespread adoption of portable GPS navigation devices has also contributed to the overconfidence of inexperienced outdoors enthusiasts. A focus on teaching hikers and climbers the essential skills of compass work, map reading and navigation ultimately means they will learn not just how to find their way but also how to rely on themselves and their wits to stay safe in the outdoors.

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