Check it Out!    
RideCamp@endurance.net
[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]
[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index] [Subject Index]

Marking an Endurance Ride with a GPS



K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net


While I have no complaints about the Duck having marked the trail for this
summer's XP with a GPS and was ecstatic to actually get riding directions
and maps that were actually useful in helping find the trail :), I must
confess that I dislike the idea of it becoming common practice for
endurance rides to be marked in this way (other than the part about being
given good directions and a good map).

And here are the reasons:

While I encountered absolutely no problems when the instructions required
that we ride 5 miles west down a section line, turn north at Avenue J,
ride 2 miles up the section line, turn west...etc, when the waypoints got
so that they were yards apart instead of miles apart the map became
unreadable AND (more importantly) it became necessary to focus your
attention on the GPS (and map and instructions?) in your hand rather than
the horse underneath you and the trail ahead of you.

It requires that the rider almost consistently do something that I spend
hours every day as a riding teacher telling my students NOT to do....look
down (a serious failing of many a rider, and almost all novices).

I found it to be almost the equivalent of driving while talking on a cell
phone...it takes your hands and your mind from much more important
business at hand (which is keeping your hands on the steering wheel/reins
and your eyes and attention on the road/trail).

As I said, I fully understand why the Duck marked 2000 miles of trail in
that way (and know that even that was a colossal effort) and have
absolutely no complaints, but I honestly would hate for it to become a
standard practice at all endurance rides, especially for any ride that did
not have the rather simple overriding instruction of "head west."

I mention this (rather out of the blue), because the question about GPS
Units reminded me that I do think that it is worthwhile to mention that
there are very good reasons for not marking an endurance ride in this way
(I will admit there are some very good reasons for doing so too, but don't
think that they are outweighed by the safety reasons for not doing so).

Additionally, another reason for not doing so it that there is no way for
a rider to know if or whether s/he has actually followed the marked trail.
Getting to the vet checks and the finish line is NOT the same thing as
following the specified trail.

There were certainly several times at the XP where I can honestly say I
have no idea whether I had followed the trail or not.  There were times
when I was sufficiently confused and maybe off course (and had no idea as
to exactly WHERE I might have gone off course, that I didn't bother to try
to figure it out, I just picked a way point that I knew was well ahead of
where I currently was and rode straight to it.  I have no idea what, if
anything, I may or may not have add or cut out by doing so).

This, of course, can be done by anybody who wants to intentionally cheat
(and the same can be said for any trail marked in any other way), but the
problem for me here was that unless you are looking at the GPS constantly
(and there are really good reasons for not doing that) there is no way to
know if you have actually followed the trail.

I would be interested in anybody else's views with regards to this matter.

kat
Orange County, Calif.



    Check it Out!    

Home    Events    Groups    Rider Directory    Market    RideCamp    Stuff

Back to TOC