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Rant: My buddy's 'shortcut' on the Wonderland Trail almost got us a helicopter ride
He insisted his GPS app showed a direct ridge line that would cut 8 miles off our loop around Mount Rainier. I stuck with the marked park trail. His 'route' turned into a 4 hour bushwhack through slide alder so thick we had to crawl, while I was already setting up camp at Golden Lakes. The difference? Trusting a green line on a screen versus an actual trail built by people who know the mountain. Who else has a friend with a dangerous shortcut habit?
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the_jesse1mo ago
But what about old school paper maps?
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the_cora1mo ago
What's your backup plan when the GPS fails? I always carry a paper map and compass as a check, and I make sure my hiking partner knows how to use them too. That green line doesn't show the brush or the loose rock.
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