Marking a ride with GPS

[Jim F Mitchell <navion2@pacbell.net>]

    I will have to disagree with Kat regarding if I would like to see
endurance rides marked with GPS and not standard ribbon markings.  I
feel the advantages of GPS outweigh the disadvantages. I was at XP 2001
for the entire 8 weeks, including when we got to narrow trails with
numerous turns and forks. The advantages of a GPS course are:
    No vandalized trail marking, unless the US government turns off the
satelites you all know where the trail goes.
    Less obtrusive to other users and owners. The less noticable we are
the better we are tolerated..
    Less work for the ride managers, both in set up and take down..
    No chance of trail markings being left up causing loss of use in the
future.
    No doubt that you are generally on the trail and proceeding like you
need to.
    A track on your GPS that proves you didn't shortcut the trail.
(Unlike what Kat says), most units record where you went, so you can
prove you followed the course, or it can be proved you didn't.

   Kat states she had problems following the trail when the waypoints
got close together. Kat had a Magellan unit I believe. Those of us with
modern Garmin units did not seem to have this problem.

    Disadvantages:
  Kat is correct that the GPS requires you to look down at it sometimes,
or a lot of the time, and on a fresh, wild horse this may not be
feasible. In this case I follow a veteran horse with a GPS person on
board until my fresh horse calms down.
    Cost, it does add another expense to each rider while reducing the
ride managers expenses.

Overall I suppose a few rides might start being GPS only rides, then the
riders can vote with their entries whether they like this or not.  I
know my wife is not a computer person and is very navigationally
challenged. (Read "is afraid she will get lost and never return at a
normal endurance ride")  She used a garmin etrex summit after a brief
lesson by me on her first day at XP which was in week 3. She had just
arrived after school was out for her. After she finished the 50 I asked
how she liked the GPS. She said for the first time ever she felt she
knew where she was going, knew how to get there, and wouldn't die out in
the wilderness. (At least until the batteries die)
    My 16 yr old daughter, who is computer savy, took to it quite
easily. She likes the fact that you know where you are, how many miles
you have to go to lunch or the finish, and the fact that you know you
are on trail.  She said she prefers a ribboned ride because it is one
less thing to carry or have to deal with. But she understands the ease
on the RM and she hates pulling ribbons like I made her do a couple
years ago. So she is split depending on if she is a rider or ride
helper.
   And of course I like it, the spatial awareness, your location etc.

Jim Mitchell