How Experienced Are You as a Bushwalker?
In the age of GPS devices, smartphone apps, and satellite communicators, the question of what it means to be an “experienced” bushwalker is worth revisiting. Could you confidently navigate the wilderness without relying on electronic devices? Would you feel prepared—or vulnerable?
Recently, someone asked me this question: “Want to test how experienced you are as a bushwalker?” When I said yes, their response was simple yet challenging: “Leave all your electronic devices at home and see how you go.”
This idea sparked a reflection on how much we depend on technology in the outdoors—and what happens when it’s taken away.
The Role of Technology in Modern Hiking
Technology has revolutionised bushwalking, making it more accessible and, arguably, safer. Tools like GPS apps, satellite communicators, and personal locator beacons (PLBs), allow us to navigate complex trails, track our progress, and call for help in an emergency. They also provide peace of mind for loved ones back home, offering real-time updates or a lifeline when communication would otherwise be impossible.
However, this reliance on tech devices often comes at a cost. What happens if the battery dies, you lose signal, or your device malfunctions? Can you still read a map, navigate using a compass, understand topography and recognise natural landmarks to find your way?
Some people might argue that the increased use of satellite communicators stems from a lack of confidence in their bush skills or a need for reassurance from those at home. Others might simply value the convenience and peace of mind these devices provide. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that for some, technology can sometimes become a crutch, leading to overconfidence and leaving us less prepared for unexpected challenges.
The Challenge: Testing Your Bushwalking Skills Without Tech
The challenge is simple but humbling: leave behind all your electronic devices except for essential safety tools like a PLB. No GPS apps, no satellite communicators—just a map, a compass, and your knowledge of the bush. Test yourself to see how well you can function relying solely on traditional navigation and survival skills.
“Leave all your electronic devices at home and see how you go.”
This isn’t about rejecting technology entirely—it’s about setting a baseline for your level of experience and self-reliance while developing the foundational skills that bushwalking was built on. Map reading, compass navigation, recognising topographical features, and understanding weather patterns are all invaluable tools.
The benefits of mastering these skills go far beyond increased confidence and a deeper connection with nature. They can:
- Enhance problem-solving abilities: Navigating challenges in the wilderness fosters quick thinking, creativity, and adaptability.
- Improve mental well-being: Time spent engaging directly with the environment, without digital distractions, can reduce stress and improve focus.
- Increase self-reliance: Knowing you can rely on your own skills builds resilience and trust in your abilities—valuable not only in bushwalking but in everyday life.
By developing these skills, you equip yourself to handle the unexpected, which is a critical part of being a well-rounded, experienced bushwalker.
Addressing Concerns About Leaving Devices Behind
While embracing the challenge of bushwalking without tech can be empowering, it’s understandable that some may have concerns about safety, especially when venturing into remote or unfamiliar areas. The challenge isn’t about disregarding safety, but rather testing your skills in a controlled way while still being prepared for unexpected situations.
Here’s how you can mitigate risks and approach this challenge with caution:
- Start small: Choose familiar, well-marked trails to test your skills before attempting more challenging routes. This helps build confidence and allows you to gain a deeper understanding of traditional navigation methods in a less stressful environment.
- Plan thoroughly: Study your route in advance, inform someone of your plans, and set a clear expected return time. Knowing that someone is aware of your movements is essential for safety, even without electronic devices.
- Carry essential safety tools: While the challenge encourages leaving most electronic devices behind, always bring a PLB or another emergency device. These tools are crucial for safety in case of unforeseen events, such as getting lost or injured.
By approaching the challenge this way, you’re not only developing traditional bushwalking skills but also creating a safer environment for yourself, ensuring you’re equipped to deal with the unexpected without over-relying on technology.
How to Safely Test Yourself
If you’re ready to take on this challenge, start small:
- Choose a well-marked trail you’re familiar with.
- Bring a map and compass, and practice navigation as you go.
- Leave your devices at home—but make sure someone knows your plans and expected return time.
- Gradually test your skills on more challenging routes as your confidence grows.
This challenge isn’t just for regular bushwalkers—newcomers can benefit, too, with the right precautions. Starting with easier trails and building up gradually allows beginners to develop their confidence and skills without unnecessary risks. Remember, this isn’t about recklessness; it’s about building self-reliance in a controlled and safe way.
A Humbling Experience
Many hikers who consider themselves experienced may be surprised by how reliant they’ve become on digital tools. Even simple tasks, like identifying your position on a map or following an unmarked route, can feel daunting without the reassurance of GPS.
There are countless examples I could offer where supposed ‘experienced hikers’ have come unstuck, calling for assistance, due to over-reliance on tech. The reality was, they were simply not prepared and didn’t have the skills needed to complete the walk when their tech no longer worked.
But this challenge isn’t about shaming those who depend on technology—it’s about recognising the gaps in our knowledge and learning from them. As with any skill, bushwalking expertise comes from practice, preparation, and humility.
Finding Balance: Tradition and Technology
To be clear, technology isn’t the enemy. Devices like PLBs and satellite communicators have undoubtedly saved lives and should always be considered as part of your safety kit for any hikes. The key is balance: relying on technology as a backup, not a primary tool.
We all have a responsibility to be as prepared as possible before heading into the outdoors. Over-reliance on technology, without proper planning and the necessary skills, can compromise your safety and place lives at risk—not only your own, but also those who might be called upon to assist you.
By developing your traditional bushwalking skills, especially navigation techniques, you not only increase your self-reliance and resilience, but also gain the confidence to handle unexpected challenges. And when combined with the right technology, you’re equipped for almost anything.
Learning Through a Bushwalking Club
For those looking to build their skills in a supportive environment, joining a bushwalking club is an excellent option. These clubs often run workshops or guided hikes where experienced members teach navigation, map reading, and other essential bushwalking skills.
Walking with a group not only helps you develop these fundamentals but also provides the opportunity to learn from others’ experiences. It’s a chance to gain confidence, make connections, and safely push your boundaries under the guidance of knowledgeable mentors.
Many bushwalking clubs also promote a strong culture of preparation and environmental stewardship, ensuring you develop not only technical skills but also respect for the natural world.
Final Thoughts
Testing yourself without electronic devices is a humbling and eye-opening experience. It challenges your skills, keeps your confidence levels in check, highlights areas for growth, and fosters a deeper respect for the wilderness.
So, are you ready to leave your devices behind and discover what it truly means to be an experienced and self-reliant bushwalker? And if you’re not quite there yet, consider joining a bushwalking club to develop the skills and confidence to get started.
A well-rounded, experienced bushwalker is one who can seamlessly integrate both traditional and modern tools. It’s not about saying “don’t use technology”—it’s about ensuring you’re equipped to handle the unexpected when it counts. True experience isn’t just about using technology; it’s about being adaptable and self-reliant in all situations.
I tried this a while ago. It’s pretty humbling but great for identifying where your can improve your bushwalking skills.
I’m leaving nothing at home…
Peter Jolly fair call. Always good to have multiple sources of navigation tools and comms.
There are some great old school books on map and compass navigation, and can find them second-hand. Bushwalking and Mountain Craft Leadership was my gold standard recommendation. Topo paper maps are still the best for exploring route options and understanding the types of landscape. I’m so glad 1:25K maps are easy to get. Exploring off route with 1:100K involved knowing the major features but having to fill in lots of blanks as you go. Even driving to a site we needed paper maps of roads, towns etc.
Great tips, thanks for sharing Darren. I often remember travelling to a destination with the street directory on my lap. Love my 1:25k maps too.
Over the years I have found this to be one of the best resources to show new rescuers about map reading.
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Russel Wells thanks heaps for sharing. I’ll have to grab myself a copy.
Most of my walks are map and compass, I love me some navigation! I do love the ability to ‘check with the tech’ though and always ALWAYS take a PLB and solar charger in case I can check my phone for weather updates etc.
I’m less useful in urban navigation! Absolutely trying to practice feature recognition in that zone 😂
Bushwalking Mama I use map and compass too and have tech as a backup to quickly check my location when needed. I enjoy relying on my own abilities and also find it helps me slow down and really appreciate what’s around me, as I pay more attention to it. What I enjoy most is navigating by topography rather than relying on anything else. Studding the map before hand and really understanding the route and its challenges is equally enjoyable to me as the bushwalk itself.
I’m doing a navigation course next month. Can’t wait
Karen Jane Hawkins nice one. hope it goes well.
Electronic devices should include PLB! Self rescue or die….! Too many rely on the fact they can press a button and help will come.
Nick Wright I completely agree that over-dependence on devices like PLBs has become a significant issue. Increasingly, activations and calls for assistance seem to result from situations of ‘I didn’t prepare adequately’ rather than genuine instances of ‘my life is in grave and imminent danger.’ I’ve also noticed a troubling mindset among some people who believe the SOS button and search-and-rescue services exist so they don’t need to plan or can push beyond their limits. The sentiment seems to be, ‘That’s their job.’ This highlights the need for greater education on preparation and responsible use of these tools.
Nick Wright self rescue with a snake bite, broken leg, etc??? Take the PLB. Its just as essential as your first aid kit, being able to navigate without electronic navigation aids, and is part of proper planning and preparation. And in my opinion, so is having more than one option for navigation.
Amanda Warriner totally agree with having more than one option for navigation. I always recommend people carry at least two. The purpose of this challenge, is to encourage people to test themselves in a controlled environment by leaving tech at home for a few walks. I’m not suggesting abandoning it, just seeing how well you can manage without it so you can see where you might want to develop your skills. For me, a PLB is a must, especially for the medical incidents you mentioned.
Trail Hiking Australia yes I agree it’s a brilliant exercise for testing your knowledge with the aim of improving your skill. I think most of us will find it challenging to not have that electronic backup handy, but its something that could happen (and has happened to someone I know, losing a phone in the scrub). Important to know that we would cope without that backup. I might do it in our group and see how we go!!
My comment was more in response to the suggestion of leaving behind the potentially lifesaving emergency tech!
Amanda Warriner love that you want to give it a go. Interested to know how it goes. Agree about the PLB but it’s not always black and white. I think Nicks comment stems from the knowledge that a lot of people don’t plan or prepare and think that grabbing a PLB is their safety net and a replacement for self-reliance. While PLBs do saves lives, they don’t prevent people getting themselves into trouble in the first place. This over dependence is resulting in a lot more search and rescue incidents so I’m trying to encourage people to be better prepared so you don’t have to activate a PLB. I wrote a post about that here https://www.trailhiking.com.au/blog/plbs-safety-nets-not-shortcuts-why-self-reliance-matters/
PLB is a must, but i do love the idea of putting the rest away until needed in an emergency. It truly is a humbling experience
Wilderness First Aid Consultants it is humbling. Really makes you realise what you don’t know.
oh, this is an interesting challenge. I’ll let you know how I go.
Grant Hollingworth it is. For me, it really set a more accurate baseline for how experienced I am, compared to how experienced I possibly thought I was. There’s always room for improvement
I must say, I’m a totally electronic hiker.
Anne Griffin That’s totally fair! Technology can be a valuable tool for navigation and safety in the outdoors. I think it’s about finding the right balance—using tech to enhance our hiking experience while also keeping those traditional skills sharp, just in case we find ourselves in a situation where tech isn’t available or reliable. This challenge is also about understanding our own limitations, especially when it comes to navigation, and being honest with ourselves about how experienced we are. Proper planning ensures we’re not placing an unnecessary burden on emergency services. It’s all about being prepared for any scenario.
Gosh, I’m all in favour of not burdening emergency services and totally agree with map & paper compass. Rogaining is a great trainer.
Anne Griffin for me, the benefit of learning the basics of map and compass navigation (and rogaining is excellent for that) is that it teaches you to at least understand what you are looking at on a map, even if you choose to then use tech for navigation. I’ve spoken with a lot of people following rescue incidents who didn’t realise the route would be so steep and challenging and expected it to be relatively flat. When I pointed to the contours on their app, they admitted they didn’t understand what they meant. In many cases, they weren’t even aware what the tracks, roads and features were beyond the blue line they were following.
take your GPS tracker . Get one off National parks. take a paper map if you must but take the tracker
Clare McHugh Von Stieglitz great suggestion. Kind of defeats the purpose of the challenge though.
Trail Hiking Australia sorry mixing it up with a PLB. Go nuts with your paper map and compass, just have the back up.
Clare McHugh Von Stieglitz haha. I always encourage people to have at least one backup form of navigation. Not sure if you read the post. The challenge is about checking in with yourself to see how well you can navigate without tech for a few walks. Helps to put things in perspective in terms of preparation and planning needed.