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By Greg Bartlett

Pressure is mounting at work, school is becoming burdensome, your house is filled with activity, and you never feel like you have a chance to relax. You know that the weather outside is beautiful, just the kind you like when you’re hiking, and so you decide to go on a hike to unwind a little.

While you’re preparing for your hike, you include water, a cell phone, maybe some snacks and a camera, and your GPS device.

As you enjoy the beauty and peace of the woods as you tramp along mossy trails, you can use your GPS tracking device to find out exactly where you’ve been. You may want to look later to see what stops you made, how fast you were going, what your elevation was, and make sure you can find especially beautiful or enjoyable stops again.

You might have enjoyed a small waterfall you discovered and want to bring your other camera back so you can take pictures, but if you didn’t take a GPS tracking device with you, it might be hard to find, especially if it wasn’t along the main trail. Maybe you took one trail and wanted to explore another one at a later date, but you can’t remember just by looking at the trail junction which path you already took.

A GPS device will let you know which trail you’ve been on and you can come back later to explore the other path.

Furthermore, a GPS tracking device provides you with an added layer of safety. Say you get lost or you slip on a muddy area, fall, and break your leg. You can call for help on your cell phone if you’re in cell phone range, but with the mountains around you, it might not go through. Besides, you’re not entirely sure about your location, although you have a pretty good idea.

Your GPS device, however, knows your precise location to within a few feet, and many GPS devices also have panic alert buttons which you can use to alert family or friends if you need help even if your cell phone is out of range.

The next time you want to unwind a little and choose to go hiking, be sure to take your GPS device with you. You’ll be able to find out exactly where you’ve been and save any special locations you found for later visits, plus you’ll be safer.