Background
Project 1: Tour Planning: Discussion
Group Size: Workgroup size is best between 3 and 6 participants per facilitator. Small groups enable participants and facilitators to share insights with each other. Back and forth communication makes this workshop fun. Exchanging questions and opinions between everyone on a tour adds fun and safety to snowshoeing.
Equipment: Facilitators will need a laptop or tablet computer to view web pages. At least one copy of Dan Nelson’s Snowshoe Routes Washington should be on hand. The facilitator will want to know how to obtain USGS topographic maps from the USGS online store. Bring at least one to the workshop to show how USGS maps are used. Navigation practice will require each participant and facilitator to possess a compass. GPS navigation is becoming prevalent in winter route finding. GPS devices that can be useful on snowshoe tours include dedicated outdoor GPS units, smartphones with GPS capability, or automobile GPS units. Some small marine units can be useful. Participants need to bring
the GPS they have to see how it can perform on a tour. Facilitators need to bring at least one USGS 1:24000 quad map of a snowshoe route from the Mountaineers trip list. Several guidebooks are noted on the trip list. Facilitators and participants need to bring the books they have. The Mountaineers Books publishes Washington Snowshoe Routes as both a paperback and an ebook (for use on a smartphone or ipod touch.)
Group Communication: The facilitator starts the workshop with the difficult task of getting all the new people to learn each others names. Drawing personal details from each new participant will help to remember their name. Repeating the names in group discussions will also build name recognition. Knowing names is another way to make tours more fun while providing another safety benefit. Participants have to know that they need to work hard to remember names. Mountaineer groups can be as large as 12 members. Any tour participant can always say: “Tell me your name, again.” and then use it. If everyone on the tour does this, everyone will soon know the name of everyone. A possible benefit of a Mountaineers tour is meeting people who may want to meet up for trips. Knowing names is just the start. The facilitator needs to make a participant list available to all the participants.
Tour Destinations: The workshop begins by locating great snowshoe tours. The facilitator comes with a favorite list. Additional destinations can be located in guidebooks not only for snowshoeing, but for skiing and snowmobiling. The Mountaineers snowshoe program tour list is one of the resources available here.
Tour planning is always more interesting with a destination in mind. Facilitators can start by describing their own favorite tours. They can use their experience to show how to identify good tours, provide advice on how to find free parking, or on how to use the SnoPark system.
Handheld GPSr vs Smartphone GPS
Can a smartphone be used for its GPS? Yes, if all you want to do with it is check locations and bearings occasionally, and carry it in a protective case. Short battery life is the major problem with phones. In addition they need to be kept horizontal for GPS reception in the woods. Recording tracks is an important GPS use, and phones won’t do it for long. Maps on phones take at least ten times longer to download and store in memory. Phones work well in cell phone and WiFI range, but performance suffers in the field. That said, if all you want in a GPS is to locate yourself on a map, a phone GPS will work fine and you won’t have to buy additional gear. If you want a rugged GPS with a iPhone-like touch display, consider the Garmin Oregon 600, or a newer unit like it. A Garmin etrex 20 costs half as much and has everything needed along with a 50 hour battery life–ten times the battery life in a phone, and it comes in a water resistant case.Beyond finding their location, GPS units have additional features.
The advantages of handheld GPSr are::
- rugged construction
- button operation for use with gloves
- display readable in sunlight and darkness
- long battery life–25hr alkaline to 50hr lithium
- substantial water and sweat resistance
- operable in very cold conditions
- small and light
- wide selection of free maps
- small display size
- price for another piece of equipment
- single purpose device
- larger display size
- included in a device you already have
- excellent touch screen
- shows and shares tracks in social media
- delicate construction. expensive
- huge topographic map files download slowly and use significant memory space
- large size and weight, particularly for tablets and phablets
- short battery life
- poor visibility in bright sunlight
- susceptible to moisture damage
- poor operability under cold temperatures
- touch screen ability poor with gloves and mittens
- cannot use widely available, free, Garmin maps and trail overlays