Oh where or where am I

My friend talked me into getting this devise. I really thought it was silly to need a devise that tracked your exact location at all times, you altitude, and speed. I was really not expecting to use this very much, but boy was I wrong.

I cannot live without this devise anymore. I bought it at the beginning of last summer when I planned to do a lot of hiking. I took it on every hiking trip and was amazed at how well it worked to help guide me through the woods, and up mountains. I could make rest goals by determining how much elevation was gained. The only problem I have found is that it sometimes has trouble finding a signal from the satellites through thick redwood trees. This is overcome by stopping for a short time when you come to a clearing. I will usually keep a signal once it has locked on.

I recently began biking. I bought the accessory to mount this on the handlebars, and well I'd never go biking without it again. It determines how fast you are going, your average speed, high speed, distance traveled, and if set to navigation mode, it will tell you how far you are away from home (as the crow flies). I use it to determine how far I should go before I head home. It tells me how high I've climbed (giving me an idea at how easy it will be to coast home) and adjust the times accordingly. With the maps, I can just go and go, and not worry about getting lost. I can go 20 miles out on one route and return on quite a different.

I also bought the Topo! software that imports the tracks recorded by my GPS. Once the tracks are imported, I can print a map of my route (biking or hiking) and it will build an elevation profile.

I am entirely too thrilled with my GPS. I had to send it in once to repair the cover on the wand that acts like a mouse button, and I thought I would die. I mailed it in to the factory, and they returned it speedily (one week turn around). I was very glad that they did that or I'd have to buy another one to have as a spare.

I highly recommend this one due to its versatility. The Summit is ok, but it doesn't have the map feature. The map feature allows you more opportunities to use your GPS. I took it on vacation to New England, and used it as my maps. I got lost in Albany, and from the paper maps I had, I couldn't really determine where I was, but I just turned on my GPS, and it showed me exactly where I was. That helped me to find the right route to the highway.

I think it is a MUST have for any outdoor enthusiast.