AllTrails is Ruining Your Navigation Skills
+ good links
I’ve spent more nights in the islands than on mainland lately and I love it. Sleeping in a tent in the sand, sea caves like cathedrals, clear blue water and those perfect, empty northern beaches.
July and August, no matter what I do kayaking sort of consumes my life. I’ve got a sunglasses tan and bruises on my legs from demoing rescues. There’s not a lot of time for thinking, or writing, but here are some thoughts I’ve had and things I’ve been up to:
Read: A detailed guide to visiting the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where I work as a guide!
Food for thought (my thoughts from lately):
a brief list of thoughts I’ve had and things i’ve done lately that may or may not be worth sharing!! also, I am once again writing this from a laundromat.
freshwater paddler’s symposium
Last weekend Cornucopia, WI was visited by the Freshwater Paddler’s Symposium! I was only able to be around Friday, and got to demo a Current Designs Karla LV (which I liked more than I expected or wanted to, but my next boat needs to be an expedition boat not another surfy boat).
It was SO so fun to see everyone in their pretty boats all lined up to work on skills in one place! If you’re a sea kayaker looking to meet more folks who paddler or an aspiring sea kayaker looking for a fun way to break into the community put this one on your calendar for next year.
west coast nostalgia
Paddling between Raspberry and York Island yesterday with a light northeast wind churning up the water and green islands and blue all around I couldn’t help but think of just how much the Apostle Islands are like the San Juan Islands, the archipelago I guided in last summer.
The Apostle Islands (Wisconsin, sea caves and kayak camping) and the San Juan Islands (Washington, whales and kayak camping) are sort of sister archipelagos for kayakers. A lot of people who guide for a long time in one place seem to eventually find their way to another.
read: visitor’s guide to the San Juan Islands!
while I was out on the west coast I didn’t really love it (as you might already know)— I struggled with the cultural differences from the midwest and the crowds, and it was expensive and the traffic was hard and it was very pretty but it wasn’t… Lake Superior. It wasn’t pretty in the way the Northwoods, the Arrowhead, Northern Michigan are pretty and it didn’t feel like home.
In hindsight though I’m able to appreciate a little more of that west coast beauty. I’d like to go back someday I think, to experience the west coast in a more temporary way, knowing it doesn’t need to feel like home.
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navigation, and how alltrails is killing it
One thing I really love about being out in the islands with a chart and compass, marine radio and no cell service is how sharp your navigation senses have to be. I’m not really an AllTrails (the GPS download map) girl for a couple reasons—
Firstly, it often lists trails that are… not trails, or not legal to hike, especially up north here. It can be a good resource, sure, but I think it’s had more of a hand in publicizing trails that can’t take the foot traffic capacity (or just… aren’t legal, safe, or recommended trails to hike) than any other app.
Second, I just think that AllTrails is killing our inherent sense of navigation on hiking trails. On any given trail, you’ll pass scores of people with their phones out, watching their progress on AllTrails, spending so much time on the digital map that they aren’t noticing how the scenes around them correspond to the topographical map, or even the map at the trailhead.
If you practice paying attention on trail, on always being aware of where you are by looking and listening and using a paper map and compass, you’ll never find yourself lost. I think AllTrails is squashing that very human innate navigation sense.
Recommended Read: Staying Found, June Flemming
+ a podcast recommendation
Lately I’ve been on an Ologies by Alie Ward, and listened to the Genocideology episode, and it’s probably the most meaningful piece of media I’ve consumed maybe in my entire life.
On this episode, Alie interviews Dr. Dirk Moses on what exactly genocide is, it’s history, cycles of trauma and atrocity, and humanitarian law. Overall, it’s a great listen that can add some context to today’s current events.