My latest issue of Field and Stream arrived the other day. On page 14 there is a short article about a fellow who is bitten by a timber rattle snake in Mississippi. His self aid procedures sounded good which were primarily keep calm and get to the local emergency room. Glad to see there was none of folklore techniques for medical care.
12 vials of anti-venom later he probably thought he was bitten again when the hospital bill rolled in with a charge of $420,000.00. Though not mentioned, this fellow must have had a pretty lengthy stay in the hospital.
Check out my earlier post on Snakes . Lots of good info on what to do when hiking in snake country.
If you hike with your pup take special precautions. For example, I live in the high desert region of Oregon. Right now I won't let my labs romp through the green foliage near the river and I keep them on a leash.
Map, Compass & GPS
Wild flowers along Fall Creek on the way to the Green Lakes - Oregon
Monday, July 25, 2016
Thursday, July 14, 2016
GPS Waypoints - Dump the Junk
Managing
Your GPS Waypoints
Robin is one happy GPS user.
He has owned his Garmin GPS 60 for two years. The Waypoint file is full
of entries. He had recorded hunting trips, camping expeditions with the
kids, a few geocaches, and of course the favorite fishing spot. His GPS
receiver will hold 500 Waypoints and he has over 350 saved. What a
collection of data. But is Robin really managing his Waypoints
effectively?
Nope.
Lots of things can happen to
a GPS Waypoint or data file. You can put data in. You can take data
out. You can lose it (the GPS breaks or the wrong button entry is
selected.) But be careful, far worse, too much data can make your
navigation difficult.
In my land navigation class
I stress keeping your navigation simple. Frequent and simple
Waypoint management is essential to GPS use. When it’s time to return
to the truck, it should be obvious what GPS Waypoint to select.
Dump the junk before the
start of a trip. As you leave the trail head your GPS should have only
necessary data saved on your GPS. That Waypoint for the fishing hole is
important but needs to be saved elsewhere.
Start by deleting Waypoints
that really are not needed. Free those data bites to the atmosphere.
To save your “got to have,
must save Waypoints:”
1. Use
Garmin’s “Trip and Waypoint Manager.” It probably came with your GPS.
It can also be purchased from Garmin for about $30.00; www.garmin.com. Down load those Waypoints to your PC.
2.
If you don’t have the Garmin program, consider “Easy GPS.” It is free
and available at www.easygps.com.
3.
Log the important data in a notebook.
Electronic storage allows
you to save Waypoints and track data (that bread crumb trail on your map
screen.) Further, you can upload old Waypoints another day for a trip
to that special fishing spot. This data can also be down loaded into
your friends GPS too. It can also be uploaded to your new GPS in the
future.
Remember though; when you
receive or transfer GPS Waypoint data always verify that you have the compatible
map datum and coordinate system set on your receiver.
Finally, give important
Waypoints a name. It’s easier to remember a GPS Waypoint named “CAMP”
instead of 21 (or was it 25.)
Now, when Robin is ready to
return to the trail head he’ll see 30 GPS
Waypoints are saved instead of 350. His navigation is a bit simpler and should he have to navigate under stress due to weather or injury it will make more sense and eliminate mistakes. |
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