Stop trusting water sources on your GPS without double checking

Was hiking the Susquehannock Trail System in Pennsylvania last June and my GPS showed a creek at mile 12. Got there and it was completely dry, just a muddy ditch. Three other groups I passed on the way out had the same problem and were rationing their bottles. The issue is that these maps don't update seasonally, especially in drought years, so a spring that flowed last fall might be gone by July. Has anyone else gotten burned by a dry water source on a long stretch that should have had reliable flow?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony1272d ago

Yeah, isn't that just the worst feeling... GPS maps don't care about drought.

johnson.ryan2d ago

You kidding? GPS maps probably saved my bacon more times than I can count, especially when I'm miles from anything that looks like a road. You really trust paper maps more than satellite data?