Photos by Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Dave Knowlton's Global Positioning System is tied into the radar system on his racing boat, Koosah.

Sean Trew uses a hand-held GPS when sailing his boat, Tahe, in South Sound.

Knowlton's GPS unit is shown in his boat, Koosah. He has two GPS units hooked into the boat's radar unit. The GPS units tell the radar where the boat is located.

Finding your way

Global Positioning System no substitute for outdoors skills

N.S. NOKKENTVED, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published September 11, 2001

OLYMPIA -- It's the size and weight of a cellphone, and it will help you find your way in the outdoors -- in the wild or on the water.

But it isn't foolproof.

"It's no excuse not to learn to use a map and compass," said Rob Plankers of the Alpine Experience store in Olympia.

Developed for the military, the Global Positioning System -- GPS for short -- is a high-tech electronic navigation system that can show anyone with a receiver their exact position on or above the Earth -- anytime, in any weather, anywhere.

The latest hand-held receiver units are waterproof, rugged and lightweight. Prices start at around $100 and go up quickly from there.

Boater's World Discount Marine Center sells GPS units to hikers, hunters, "anybody that leaves town," but mostly to boaters, assistant manager Terry Wilson said.

A variety of GPS units also are available at West Marine.

The system relies on 24 satellites, orbiting more than 12,000 miles above Earth. The satellites transmit signals that allow a receiver to estimate the satellite location and distance between the satellite and the receiver. The receiver uses the measurements to calculate its position.

The unit also will show the direction to programmed points, and it can store so-called "way points" and lay out the way back.

It's like a compass with a memory.

On land

Plankers learned how to use the GPS in the military, and the civilian version is easier to use, he said. He uses his to check his own map and compass navigation.

But the real advantage is that he can use his home computer to figure out a series of way points and then load them into the hand-held unit. Out on the trail the unit shows the direction and distance to the next programmed point.

"I like having it around; it's a safety blanket for me," he said.

But you still have to be able to read a map, he said. The GPS unit will show you where camp is, but it won't show the obstacles between you and camp. And sometimes, reception is not so good deep in the woods.

He uses his unit most often when leading climbers back down from Mount Rainier. During a summit ascent he leaves it in camp with other gear. But it is handy on the route back down from Camp Muir to Paradise.

More people get lost on that part of the trail in whiteout conditions, he said. Even in the fog that obscures landmarks, the GPS unit gives him a track to follow, he said.

On the water

Sean Trew of Olympia uses a handheld model for racing his 23-foot sailboat, Tahe. He programs the race course and puts the unit in his pocket. Most of the time he is hanging off the side of the boat to keep it balanced.

But sailors still have to read charts.

"It can get you in trouble if you think it can think for you," said Steve Worcester of the South Sound Sailing Society.

Trew's unit is accurate down to 30 feet, and it leaves a cookie-crumb trail to follow, he said. It also shows speed. As he walked down a dock, the unit showed his speed of about 1.5 mph.

Trew also uses his home computer to plot a course and loads it into his handheld unit. He usually includes a mid-channel course for home -- in case it gets foggy. But that doesn't happen very often, he said.

"I've been in snow or pelting rain that's worse that any fog I've ever seen," he said.

But if the batteries run out or the unit quits for some other reason, it's back to a compass, stopwatch and chart -- too slow for racing, he said.

The unit also can plug in to a boat instrument panel such as an auto-pilot. Or the system Dave Knowlton has installed on his racing boat, Koosah.

He has two GPS units hooked into the boat's radar unit. The GPS units tell the radar where the boat is located. The radar screen shows the boat's position in longitude and latitude, speed and direction to set way points. Or he can select one of the radar blips, and the unit will show how far it is and in what direction.

It showed that his boat was tied up at Swantown Marina.

He can insert computer chips into the GPS that contain information about the area where he plans to be racing. He admits the best way would be to bring a laptop computer on board and hook it to the GPS, but he hasn't gotten that far yet.

The radar screen and GPS units are mounted on the chart table that holds the one absolutely essential item -- a nautical chart, Knowlton said.

N.S. Nokkentved covers the outdoors for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5445.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

back to main Outdoors: Hiking index