Unpopular opinion: My dad's paper map in the glove box beat my phone GPS in the mountains

We got turned around on a forest road near Asheville last month, and my cell signal dropped out completely. I was staring at a spinning circle on my screen for 15 minutes while he just pulled out his old, folded map. He had us back on the main road in five. It felt like a total clash between trusting tech and knowing how to use a physical tool. Has anyone else had a parent's 'outdated' method save the day when modern stuff failed?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jesse21d ago

Old school maps never run out of battery!

noahc1420d ago

But what about when the paper gets soaked in the rain? I had a map turn to mush in a downpour once. My phone in a zip-lock bag showed the trail just fine. Old maps don't run out of battery, but tech doesn't rip or blow away in the wind. Each one can fail in its own way.

oscar_ellis21d ago

Ever get that weird feeling when the old way just works better? My grandpa's compass and a paper topo map got me unstuck in a state park when my phone died. Felt like magic!