----------------------------Original message---------------------------- From today's Boston Globe: Remember the "Bert and I" Down East tale about the lost balloonist who descends low enough over the cow pasture to ask the farmer, "Where am I?" To which the farmer answers, "You're in a balloon, you damn fool!" That's the way ---- (names withheld to avoid embarassment) two individuals must have felt last Saturday when lost in the White Mountain National Forest, they turned for help to a faithful piece of equipment. A compass? How ancient. Map? Never. Instead, they turned to the latest gimmick in the woods: a highly sophisticated, portable receiver designed to take readings from overhead satellites to establish a position on earth exact to within 2 meters. The navigational aid is called GPS, used for years by mariners but only lately making itself known among recreational hikers. The problem our "two individuals" ran into, however, was not knowing exactly where they wanted to go to be found. "Without a map or knowing the exact location which you want to travel to," New Hampshire Fish and Game Officer David Hewitt told an Associated Press reporter at the time, "there is now way to plot a course to lead you to your destination." The "two individuals" did not have a map, figuring the GPS unit would answer all their navigational questions. When that failed, they turned to the next piece of high-tech gear in their pack: a cellular phone. They did manage to contact authorities, who were able to use their own GPS units - along with maps of the area near Waterville Valley - to track down the lost hikers. It looks as though maps have fallen one more niche lower as yuppies identify more "valuable" hiking equipment?? ****************************************************************************** David A. Cobb Tel (617) 495-2417 Harvard Map Collection FAX (617) 496-0440 Harvard University E-Mail: [log in to unmask] Cambridge, MA 02138 VE * RI * TAS *****************************************************************************