I love my GPS but I'm not sold on the value of digital maps for these little screens. It's fun and cool, I get that, but so is looking at a contour map of the entire area to get the big picture. I don't usually even bring a GPS unless I'm on miles of snow or going off trail. All I need from it is to confirm where I am on my map (not always where I thought I was) and confirm which way I need to go from there. Anything more is gravy and it should not take away from what I'm really trying to do - experiencing the wilderness.
Sorry to be a buzzkill for all these cool apps, here's a classic joke to make it up.
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering
approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist. "I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."
The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
