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For inexperienced hikers, smartphones are a versatile tool: a flashlight, an emergency signal, and a GPS, all-in-one. But experts say it could be bad advice and possibly life-threatening for hikers to rely solely on their phones when entering the wilderness.
Apps and online maps have strayed hikers on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Scotland, mountaineers warn visitors that Google Maps can direct them to “potentially deadly” trails that will force them to walk over cliffs and rocky, steep terrain.
According to a collaborative study, a large number of visitors recently relied on Google Maps to reach the summit of Ben Nevis, a 4,500-foot mountain. Declaration On Thursday, from Mountaineering Scotland, a climbing organization, and the John Muir Trust, a charity that preserves natural areas in Britain.
A popular but dangerous climbing spot in the Scottish Highlands, about 70 miles northwest of Glasgow, Ben Nevis is Britain’s highest peak.
If hikers follow Google’s directions to the parking lot closest to the summit, the map will direct them to a route that leads straight up the mountain. Even experienced mountaineers will struggle on this path, Heather Morning, a mountain safety consultant for Mountaineering Scotland, said in a statement.
“It would be difficult with good visibility,” said Ms. Morning. “Add low cloud and rain and the proposed Google line is potentially deadly.”
The problem is, while smartphones have facilitated many activities, from calling a car to ordering takeout, the devices are complicated for some hikers who don’t realize they’ll need much more than their phones.
Mountaineering Scotland reported several injuries in the country recently following hiking trails they found online. Ben Nevis has been the site of a string of deaths in recent years. 24-year-old woman last month and three men in 2019.
The mountaineer’s warning comes as hikers flock to the outdoors and trails during the coronavirus pandemic. While the walk itself is a safe, social distancing effort, Injuries have become an issue as more people hit the trails.
Ben Nevis isn’t the only mountain where hikers get into trouble. In New Hampshire, mountain rescuers said they rescued many people who were inadequately equipped for their trips.
Hikers who lost their way in the White Mountains said they call the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department at least once a week during the summer months. Alex Lopashanski is a bodyguard for the department.
“They try to follow a trail on their phone that takes them into the woods and they just lose themselves,” he said.
Sergeant Lopashanski said these hikers were unable to tell where they were because their screens were much smaller than paper maps. If officers can’t direct them to a trail over the phone, it can take several hours for rescuers to find them.
Other complicating factors include wandering into remote areas with no cell service or running out of power, rendering them useless to call for help.
If the marchers are in danger, the rescue teams join the operation. Rick Wilcox, a member of the Mountain Rescue Service in New Hampshire, said most of the people he rescued didn’t have a map or a compass.
“People think all they need is a magic cell phone and they say, ‘Let me Google it,'” said Mr. Wilcox, “that’s where they’re wrong.”
Wesley Trimble, spokesman for the American Hiking Society, said he was concerned about people using apps to follow routes that were not approved by experts.
“A lot of information on the Internet is crowdsourced, so there doesn’t need to be any input from land managers, parks or trail organizations,” he said.
in Scotland, authorities recommend that visitors bring a paper map and compass to Ben Nevis, even on novice trails.
For those willing to brave the mountain icy terrain, steep climbs and poor visibility, it’s an eight-hour round trip from the visitor center to the summit. But if hikers follow Google Maps to the suggested starting point, their journey will be much more dangerous.
The John Muir Trust has posted signs to direct inexperienced climbers in the area to the visitor centre, but a spokesperson for the charity said people often ignore these postings.
A Google spokesperson said in a statement that the dotted line of the map from the parking lot to the summit should show the distance to the top, not a walkable trail.
“Our car directions are currently directing people to the Nevis Gorge trail – the closest parking lot to the summit – which has clear signs that indicate the trail is extremely dangerous.
Regardless, the company said users will now be directed to the mountain visitor center instead of the parking lot. A spokesperson for Google said the company is reviewing other routes near Ben Nevis.
Organizations, Google Geographic Data Upload vehicle, the company said. Users report problems directly to Google.
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