This is rather speculative, but quite possibly the reason he was asking a local was because he did not have a map which would have provided him with all the relevant information. I am amazed at the number of people who travel long distances without a map or who cannot interpret a standard road map.
I think you are spot-on with this comment. Map and compass reading are becoming an arcane art in some circles. I carry an old regional atlas along with current state highway maps. I also have a high quality dashboard compass, a button compass in the glovebox, and detailed topo map books for the two states where I go into the back country a lot.
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