NH Fish and Game Cautioning Hikers Not to Rely on Phone Maps

It might be wiser to just stay on the trail.  When I go hiking with my wife, I stick to marked trails and pay close attention to make sure I don’t wander far from a marked tree.  I am not adventuresome enough to go wild hiking.

According to reporting by WMUR.com, New Hampshire Fish and Game are warning hikers not to rely on cellphone maps for their hiking adventures.  A mother and daughter that were relying on their cellphone maps became lost while hiking in the mountains near Tamworth on Saturday.

Fortunately, they called officials who were able to assist them in finding the trail to help them find their way out, the news station stated.

The Fish and Game Department recommends you use a map, compass, and/or a handheld GPS unit if you go hiking, according to WMUR, as it is easy to become disoriented and those cellphone maps have numerous errors and are unreliable.

I must admit if you put a compass in my hand and a map, I would be useless in the woods.  I grew up in a city and did not have the advantage of scout training with compass instruction like my wife has.

I am also super reliant on having a cellphone signal everywhere I go.  I was glad to see this warning from Fish and Game because I am too reliant on my cellphone.  I am hoping to take a class in orienteering this year and get one of those handheld GPS devices, but I suspect I am going to need the class to learn how to read maps.

Until then, since Fish and Game has seen an increase in the number of hikers getting lost following directions on their phones, I am planning on sticking to well-marked trails that I know.