Let's chat about why paper maps aren't obsolete yet

I know a lot of folks swear by hiking apps, but I think dropping paper maps is a bad move. Just this past season on a local ridge trail, I bumped into some hikers who were stuck because their app crashed. They had no way to find their path! I never hit the trail without my trusty map and compass, and they've pulled me out of jams before. It feels like we're giving up on basic skills for a flashy screen. Sure, apps are cool for checking routes, but batteries die and signals drop. A paper map doesn't let you down when things go wrong.

3 comments

3 Comments

felix1472mo ago

I see the same thing with kids who can't do basic math without a calculator app. We're outsourcing simple tasks to devices that can fail, just like those hikers found out. Losing those backup skills makes us all more fragile when the tech glitches.

robin5942mo ago

My phone dropped to 3% right as I got to the airport security line last month. The boarding pass was only on my screen. I had to sprint to a charging station while people grumbled behind me. It made me realize how often I don't even glance at the gate number printed on my paper ticket anymore. That total trust in the device will bite me again someday.

bennett.riley2mo ago

Yeah, @robin594, I had that EXACT panic at O'Hare last year. My phone died right as I was scanning my boarding pass. Now I ALWAYS take a screenshot of the pass and save it to my photos, AND I grab the paper ticket from the kiosk. That way even if the battery goes, I have the screenshot as a backup image. It saved me when my app crashed once and I could just pull up the pic. Total game changer for avoiding those stress sprints.