GPS Navigation: Using CalTopo and Gaia GPS - 2024

Join our beginner-friendly online learning and Zoom workshop to unlock the potential for exciting and safe outdoor adventures using two empowering tools: CalTopo to create home-printable maps annotated with waypoints and routes, and Gaia GPS to guide you in the field along with your compass and altimeter. Curious about the experience? Hear from the Blissful Hiker on how our class prepared her for a through-hike of the CDT: https://pca.st/aainqld1

Description

Welcome to our beginner-friendly GPS class! This course is designed to introduce you to the modern techniques of wilderness navigation using both physical and GPS-enabled maps. The class is divided into two parts:

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Course Overview

Self-Paced Online Presentation: This segment includes exercises to be completed at home, requiring a time commitment of approximately 4-10 hours. We encourage you to start early to manage your time effectively.

Zoom Workshop: Scheduled from 6:00 to 9:15 PM, with an optional social half-hour from 6:00 to 6:30 PM. In this interactive session, you'll learn how to create a customized, home-printable physical map and upload this data to the Gaia GPS app on your cell phone. We'll also cover the integration of physical maps with digital maps, a compass, and an altimeter.

Upon completing both parts, you'll earn a Basic GPS Course badge.

Learning Goals

Maps: Understand that physical and digital maps are the foundation of wilderness navigation, representing two of the five essential tools.
Create Custom Maps: Learn to create physical maps specific to your planned trip and how to upload these customizations in a GPX file for use in Gaia GPS.
Understand Digital Maps: Gain knowledge on how GPS works, the types of digital maps, and how to download the appropriate maps to Gaia GPS.
Emergency Communications: Explore the available options for emergency communications.
Critical Navigation Skills: Receive an introduction to essential topics such as Trip Planning, Navigation Workflow, Situational Awareness, and the Ethic of Self-Reliance.

Join us to enhance your navigation skills and confidently explore the wilderness with modern tools!

Branch The sponsoring branch

Start Date

4/5/24

End Date

6/26/24

Registration Start Date

3/27/24 7:00 PM

Registration End Date

6/23/24 6:30 PM

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Required Equipment

Cell phone with the latest Gaia GPS app installed. You will need a premium (not free) Gaia GPS membership ($59.90/year). A one-year free Premium membership is available to all Mountaineers members (https://www.mountaineers.org/membership/benefits).
An Apple- or Windows-based laptop or desktop computer. A tablet might work, but they are troublesome.
A magnetic compass, preferably with declination adjustment and a baseplate.
The following computer skills are required: The ability to download and upload files to your iOS/Android device and your computer via the internet, send and receive email, and install applications on your iOS/Android device.

Required Books Course leaders: If you would like to review a Mountaineers Books title for use in your course, please email mbooks@mountaineersbooks.org with the title of the book, your name, course title, and course date.

Recommended Books Course leaders: If you would like to review a Mountaineers Books title for use in your course, please email mbooks@mountaineersbooks.org with the title of the book, your name, course title, and course date.

Leader Rating Choose the rating that best describes how hard you anticipate this course will be and the course's audience. Introductory courses should generally be Casual or Easy. Courses with prerequisites should be moderate or challenging. Feel free to elaborate on the leader rating in the course description, but keep in mind that prospective students can search for courses by leader rating, and you may only select one leader rating for your course.

Student Capacity Enter the number of students who may register for this course. If this course has rolling enrollment with ongoing seminars, this should be the total capacity for the entire year (the sum of individual seminars).

Application Required?

Application Form Enter the URL where your application lives online. If your course simply requires the leader's permission, but not a completed application, leave this blank. Visit the Course Materials folder to find or add a file or web form and get its URL if needed.

Youth Program Form Choose the Program Form that parents must complete for their children to participate in this program. This form is in addition to to the Youth Information Form that must be completed for any child to participate in any of our programs or activities.

Participant Minimum Age This field is designed for our youth programs. Please leave blank if you are scheduling a non-youth related trip.

Participant Maximum Age This field is designed for our youth programs. Please leave blank if you are scheduling a non-youth related trip.

Age Cutoff Date This field is designed to be used with the Participant Maximum Age and Participant Minimum Age fields above. The date on which a registrant's age much fall within the above range. If blank, we'll use their age on the course's start date.

Leader The primary point of contact responsible for this course.

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Member Fee

Guest Fee Set the Guest Fee to be greater than the Member Fee per Mountaineers Board Policy.

Notify Leader of Registration Changes

Notify Co-Leaders/Mentors of Registration Changes

Link to Feedback Survey The feedback survey to be filled out by students after the course has ended. If you are editing this course and find this field is blank, we are either collecting feedback using another tool like SurveyGizmo or not collecting feedback. Please contact us at info@mountaineers.org for more info.

Link to Instructor Feedback Survey The feedback survey to be filled out by instructors after the course has ended. If you are editing this course and find this field is blank, we are either collecting feedback using another tool like SurveyGizmo or not collecting feedback. Please contact us at info@mountaineers.org for more info.

Badges

Badges Required to Graduate Badges in addition to other course requirements that must be sucessfully earned to graduate from this course (e.g. Winderness First Aid).

Prerequisite Badges Badges required to register for this course.

Prerequisite Skill Badges Skill badges required to register for this course.

Instructor Prerequisite Badges Badges required to register for this course as an instructor.

Basic Navigation Course

Instructor Prerequisite Skill Badges Skill badges required to register for this course as an instructor.

Earned Badges Badges that will be awarded once the course requirements are successfully completed.

Basic GPS Course

Enrolled Badge The badge added to each registrant's record.

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GPS Navigation: Using CalTopo and Gaia GPS - 2024

Course Overview

Learning Goals

The Mountaineers

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