GPS is no different then a Bic lighter. They both are great tools and have a lot of nice features. No one should forgo a map and compass or waterproof matches when venturing out. But most of us will get by fine with the GPS and the Bic. While never pulling the map, compass and the matches out of the pack.
This is the most intelligent response I've heard so far. A GPS is what it is, it's a tool with limitations. The main function of the GPS is to tell you where you are, not where to go.
This situation could have easily have happened with our without the GPS. If the families had gotten lost while using map and compass, almost everyone here would be admonishing them for NOT having the GPS, a la James Kim. With the GPS, they're being criticized for having too much dependence on it. It seems you can't win either way, there is always going to be the monday morning quarterbacks who will tell you it's wrong.
Who can say for sure that a map would have been any more accurate than their GPS was? I've been to plenty of places that looked fine on a map, only to find out the route is a dead end. At least the GPS maps should be updated more frequently than paper maps, but that still doesn't mean they're 100% accurate. Sure the GPS doesn't work in the forest, canyons, or snowstorm, but a map and compass don't work any better in those conditions either.
No matter what equipment you use, there's alwasy the possibility of getting lost.
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