Still, my disdain for technology (and my overall stubborn nature) kept me from purchasing one. I reasoned that it was a slippery slope, and questioned spending the money on an item I could ultimately do without when my hunting closet was clearly in need of more essential, big-ticket items. Luckily for me, I have an amazing wife, who must actually listen to all that hunting drivel I spout, for when my mom inquired what I might want for Christmas, my wife recommended a GPS unit. And luckily for me, my mom and step-father obliged.
It was the perfect gift: something I wouldn't purchase myself but would clearly use. However, my excitement quickly faded to disappointment when I realized the unit didn't display aerial Google Earth views or topography. Without one of those two features, it was impossible for me to determine where I was on the ground based on what I was viewing on the screen, which was simply a blue triangle surrounded by a featureless sea of gray (see stock photo below for what this resembles). I could mark way points to get me back to specific locations, but I still would have no way of determining where those waypoints were on my paper map. This meant I had no way of determining larger patterns as they related to topography and vegetation. Essentially, it was useless. After that first trial run, I placed it back in the box with the intention of never opening it again. There it sat for the better part of eight months. Then I went scouting in the Catskills, and got so freakin lost that the trip was nearly useless.
I was expecting a Catskill Wilderness Area to resemble a Washington Wilderness Area: big trees and very little underbrush. Much to my surprise, nothing could be further from the truth. The understory in the Catskills is quite dense, making visibility difficult, especially with the leaves still on the trees.This made navigation difficult. Everything blurred together. I couldn't see the ridgeline I was aiming for, or, for that matter, anything distinguishable. I had planned on jumping off the hiking trail at the two mile mark and walking a ridgeline that somewhat connected to the trail through a saddle. However, the saddle was indistinguishable and I never found the ridgeline. Because my entire scouting plan was contingent on finding the ridgeline, the trip quickly deteriorated.
To make matters worst, I had my new hunting partner in tow. With my ineptness on full display, we wandered aimlessly for nearly seven hours, up and and down hillsides until I finally gave up and called it a day. I had assured my new hunting partner, who seems to have very little backcountry experience, that we would be fine with map and compass. With each passing moment of futility, I felt his confidence start to slip and I began to wonder if he would ever return to the woods with me again. I'm still not quite sure, and it's been three weeks.
He had brought his GPS unit along. It was the exact same model as mine, and it suffered from the same deficiencies. However, he used it to mark a number of waypoints along the way, including the location of the camera we set. Later that week, I plugged those coordinates into Google Earth to reveal the path we took. It was a disappointment to say the least. I had wanted to scout an area roughly 3 miles by 3 miles. Instead, we walked about a 0.5 mile off trail before circling back to the trail. After seven hours, we had seen only a small sliver of the area. It was clear to both of us that we needed to upgrade to a better GPS unit, one that is capable of displaying topo maps.
Two weeks later, I needed to pull the camera. Still lacking a better GPS unit, I plugged some predetermined coordinates that I had pulled from Google Earth into my GPS, as well as the coordinates to the camera. I also decided to jump off the trail at a much earlier spot and follow a river for about two miles before climbing the mountain and then, hopefully, taking the ridgeline to the camera. It was a strategy that worked. The new approach and the aid of the GPS coordinates gave me a better sense of where I was at on the map. For the most part, I left the GPS off, turning it on only to check my location in relation to my predetermined coordinates. Mostly, I realized that my sense of distance was severely distorted. At one point I thought I had walked the two miles along the river to the point I was supposed to start heading up the mountain. When I checked the GPS unit, it revealed I had only gone 0.5 miles. So on I hiked.
The system worked so well that I was beginning to think I wouldn't need to upgrade to a unit that displays topo. Then I tried to find the camera using the GPS, and I quickly realized why the topo is important. Although it led me to the camera, it did so without regards to topography. At one point, it showed I was just 200ft from the camera. When I looked in the direction the unit was pointing me, there was nothing but a near vertical rock ledge. Without the topo I was unable to plan an efficient route to the camera. And I paid dearly for it, dropping down and then having to climb back up multiple times. I did find the camera though, and the trip was enough of a success to convince me of the need to use a GPS unit. It will play a supplementary role to my map and compass, but I think the addition is necessary.
As it turns out, the Garmin Etrex 20 does handle topo (see the pic). You just have to purchase the maps from Garmin for about $100 bucks. Or download the free ones which don't seem to have the quality of the Garmin maps. I will likely do one or the other here soon. In the meantime, I'll be poring over my paper maps, searching for that next great area to scout. And when I do find it, I'll have the added confidence that I'll be able to locate it on foot with the aid of my GPS unit. I might even manage to restore some of my hunting partner's faith in me. 
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