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Backcountry Navigation with Incomplete or Out-of-Date Maps

Maps can be outdated and contain many errors. This USGS map shows a the hastings hiking trail which was closed in the mid-1950's. The town of Hastings no longer exists.

It's important to understand the limitations of incomplete or out-of-date maps for backcountry navigation since so many mapping applications, GPS units, and GPS-enabled smartphone apps are built around them.

Many people like to eat freeze-dried backpacking meals on overnight trips or dehydrate their own food and make freezer-bag dinners because you just add hot water to them and they don’t require any cleanup. But I don’t mind cooking a hot dinner …

The Ursack is a bear-proof bear bag made out of bulletproof Spectra fabric that is lighter weight than hard-sided bear canisters and requires no training to use, making it a convenient and more reliable alternative to hanging a bear bag from a high tree …

If you go into Avalanche terrain, you should always bring an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe with you, and know how to use them so that you can rescue your friends quickly if they’re caught in an avalanche. Learning and practicing companion …