Is GPS recommended on Minong

[jemerick]

Howdy,

First time poster, first visit to IR in a few months. I've been going over a gear list and am trying to shave weight for a 9-day trip on the Minong/Feldtmann and was wondering if previous visitors would recommend bringing a GPS along. I'd love to leave it at home and not worry about batteries or anything, but everything I've read says that the Minong Trail is crazy rough. Would a first-time visitor to the island have a hard time tracing these trails? I do plan on bringing a map along and have done dozens of hikes along the NCT and Keweenaw. Thanks!

[philranger]

My daughter and I were on the Minong in 2013. Most of the trail is easy to follow assuming the cairns are still in place. We did get lost once, between Desor and Windigo. I was leading and following the trail when it suddenly disappeared into a bog. I pulled out the GPS and it confirmed we were about 200 yards too far west. We scrambled up a hill and landed in the burn zone from a previous fire and I knew we were back on the trail. I never go anywhere without my GPS. I don't have it on all the time, but when I need it . . . it's invaluable.

[head2north]

My hiking group got disorientated only once on the entire length of Minong as Phil. The trail is less traveled, but is usually very visible. Sometimes the trail is not as noticeable on the rocky ledges, but your intuition should guide you as well as the cairns. If you do lose trail, just backtrack. You will find it and wonder why you went the wrong direction in the first place (probably distracted by the scenery).

[Lucky Chicken]

map and compas... know how to use them. GPS is a nice luxury but is not necessary anywhere.

[drobarge]

I also just replaced many carins in tricky areas last week.

[jemerick]

Thanks all. I'll probably end up going with map & compass and save the few oz for an extra Snickers

[drobarge]

Aside from carins there are also several faded orange blazes on bare rock offering reassurance you are on the right track.

[fonixmunkee]

We always bring a GPS, but mostly to just keep track of our distances. We also tend to use it to find really cool off-trail spots, like abandoned structures or waterfalls. The trail does get tricky up on the ridge, but it's easy to find your way without out a GPS.

[Tom]

I also tend to carry a GPS, and since it uses the same batteries as my headlamp, those are my spares. Like Fonix, it's handy when heading off the trail, monitoring distance if the first time on a segment, or otherwise going off looking for the survey markers. However, provided it's not early season (before the vegetation has started to grow, making the trail harder to sometimes to pick out) then you should be fine hiking the Minong without a GPS. There will be one part where you climb up this hill and will wonder if you go left or right. The trail really looks like it wants to go right. Go left. Trust me. It will make more sense once you're there. That's all I'm sayin'.

[WindChill]

On battery weight - use lithium batteries; they weigh less and last longer. A pair of Energizer lithium AA weighs 1oz on my scale compared to 1.7oz for a pair of Duracell. A new pair of lithiums ran my GPSMap 60Cx for around 28 hours - I swapped them out at 26 hours when it said there was one bar remaining because I didnt want it to die and miss capturing part of the hike. Note that is 26 hours of hiking time - I turned it on as we were shouldering packs in the morning and turned it off when we got to camp in the afternoon.