"Don't get lost, and let me know where you are". Have you heard that before when you headed out the door?

Northerners spend a lot of recreation time in the backcountry, far from town, hiking, or driving an ATV or snowmobile. It's no fun to lose your sense of direction and spend a cold miserable night lost, huddled under a spruce tree, waiting for dawn.

If you or a partner are injured or ill on a remote trail, you want to be rescued as soon as possible. If your vehicle is stuck or broken, you need assistance and you do not want to walk 60 km to town to get help.

Technology to the rescue.

You can keep from getting lost with a handheld GPS, and you can keep in touch with civilization with a handheld VHF radio. GPS and VHF radios have been around for many years but the latest models are small and light enough to carry with you anywhere. A handheld GPS and a handheld VHF radio will now fit in a corner of your backpack and together weigh less than 1-1/2 pounds.

First let's find out what a GPS will do. A GPS will tell you your location on the earth's surface, within 15 feet. The newest models will display your position on a topographic map so that you will know what roads and streams are nearby, how far away and in which direction.

You can also plan a trip in the backcountry with a GPS. With an optional mapping program, you can plot a "Route" on a map on your computer at home, and upload it to your GPS.

In the bush, you follow the "Route" directions on the GPS. If you get off course, the GPS will tell you which direction to go to get back to your "Route".