Kelly Harbeson (@xxxxxccccc)

I have done enough bushwhacking in my time that the idea of an unreliable magnetic compass is a bit intimidating. I grew up stomping the riverswamp by myself and learned to navigate by the sun so unconsciously that I did not know that I was doing it until I got lost on an overcast and rainy day and had to spend the night in the buggy woods without a tent or sleeping bag. I don't use a compass that much but when I do, it needs to be trustworthy. And I have been led astray by GPS receivers that pointed me across uncrossable geographic features. The many advanced devices we have today allow people who never could have access to the wilderness before to do so now. But, please, for everyone's sake, have backup plans and devices before you step off the beaten paths.