Am I relying on the crutch of technology too much?

On a wonderfully clear and very brisk day I found myself lost, well, not actually really lost, but lost enough to not know which direction to go to get out of the woods that I was in and back to my car in parking area 16 of Ridley Creek State Park.

My original plans of kayaking down at the New Jersey coast did not work out and I was not content to sit out a beautiful winter day in the house, so I headed over to Ridley Creek State Park for a half day hike and to “lose” myself in the serenity of the woods. What I was not expecting was to actually, really get lost for a short while in a recreation area not all that big in respect to most wooded areas outside the suburbia that I live in.

From the web:

Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,606 acres of Delaware County woodlands and meadows. The gently rolling terrain of the park, bisected by Ridley Creek, is only 16 miles from center city Philadelphia.

I set out about 11:30 am from parking area 16 and headed down the blue blaze trail into the park. I had what I thought to be a fully charged iPhone 4s with my “go to” tracking app, MotionX GPS started and tracking my hike. Nothing else was running on the phone and over the first 30 minutes of the hike or so I only took a few shots with the camera. I continued on, deeper into the woods switching trails as I went, blue to white, white to yellow, yellow to red, back to blue not really paying attention to where I was going. The trails here loop around, switch back and twist and turn on themselves following the undulations of the landscape heading in what seems to be no particular direction. I stopped for a relaxing break and lunch by a gurgling creek just enjoying the sound of the water and the scratching and creaking of the trees as they swayed in the light breeze of the day. My breathe rising in the air like smoke signals dissipating in the crisp air. I continued on. I took a trail I had not been on before and ended up in a corner of the park that I was not familiar with. Every turn I took was new and inviting and called to me, explore. Hence two hours into the hike I decided it was time to start back to the car. I took my phone out to check the map and get my bearings. Pressing the button, sliding the unlock slider the phone came alive then abruptly shut down.

Dead.

I have been using the MotionX app for ages now both for hiking and kayaking to track my course as well as check on my location. Both on my previous iPhone 4 and this newer 4s. The phone with the app running has always lasted hours on a full charge, almost three quarters of day’s worth of hours. I was only hiking for 2 to 2.5 hours. I know the phone was completely charged, I took it off the charging dock where it sat overnight when I headed out of the house to the park. I checked the battery status every time I used the camera as well as when I checked the map. It had over half a charge left the last time I took it out to take a photo which was only about 30 minutes before I decided to head back.

So now I needed to head back without the aid of the phone and it’s maps. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what direction to head in. I knew I came in on a blue blazed trail and this park is really not all that big. I headed out figuring something familiar would pop up and I would pick up the blue trail sooner or later to finally end back at the car.

An hour later I still was looping about on yellow and white trails, crossing paths I had already been on and slowly making my way farther out than I had anticipated. I knew I was headed in the wrong direction when I entered into the Tyler Arboretum grounds which are on the very far side of the park. Oops!

From the web:

One of the oldest arboreta in the northeastern United States, Tyler Arboretum encompasses 650 acres of renowned plant collections, champion trees, historic buildings, and 20 miles of hiking trails through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows. The Arboretum offers workshops, classes, and tours for adults and children throughout the year.

So backtracking I went on guessing directions and taking trails hoping they would stay on their current course. 30 more minutes on the trail I finally came to a blue blaze. I took that, but I went in the wrong direction. Again following it for a while it put me out onto a meadowed area I had past earlier on the white and yellow trails. Still lost. I truly did not know what direction to go.

Backtracking again I took the blue in the opposite direction. Now being a man, and not having some common sense, I did pass a few other hikers who were also out braving the cold of the day. Did I ask them for help? Nope. I figured I have time, the sun’s still up, I will eventually get out of here. It’s just not all that big of an area. This was a challenge. I continued on, and yes I did finally come to an intersection that I recognized and ended back at parking area 16 and my car.

Here on the East Coast and in my regular haunts the area is so overlly developed that ever getting dangerously lost is just not going to happen. You eventually will run into roads, homes and people. But you could certainly get into trouble if you were to get hurt or did not properly gauge the weather or put yourself into a position beyond your skills. Relying on one phone, especially one known in it’s current state as having some battery issues, to be your one outlet for safety on a trip is foolish. Even on my small hike I should have had my battery back up charger as well as real paper maps with me of the trail system. Again, I was in no real danger but scale this up to a much larger area in an unfamiliar place and I would have had a real problem.

It just brings home the notion to not put all your eggs in one basket. When I paddle I always have my VHF radio with me as well, but I do tend to rely on my cell phone way to much. GPS, cell phones and radios are all fine and good and should be carried, but paper maps and charts as well as a fundamental understanding of navigation with a compass or sun positions is of importance too. All electronics can and will fail. Have a backup plan.

UPDATE: I just came across this post on Go Kayak Now! Very much in keeping with the theme and point of my post. The post makes very good points about the importance of knowing how to navigate. The link.

UPDATE 2: Just came across this video that one of my favorites bands, The Weepies, did for PBS Kids. Teaching kids Navigation.

Audio: Lost in the Sounds of the Creek

Recorded why I enjoyed a lunch and break by the side of one of the small creeks that flow through the park.