I enjoyed my experience with the Garmin etrex vista hcx. One of my favorite features is the altimeter. My wife and I visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. With my eTrex in hand, I wanted to keep track of the elevation loss so as not to underestimate the difficulty of returning to the top. At the Visitor Center we found a “Guide” showing the various hiking opportunities around the area. The most popular trail was the one descending into the canyon (and eventually rising back up on the other side.) The first stopping point was the Coconino Overlook. According to the guide, the trail head was at about 8250 feet above sea level and the overlook at about 7450- an 800 foot drop. I wasn’t sure I was up for an 800 foot ascent so I was going to use the handheld GPS device‘s altimeter to track the elevation change on the way down. I was actually more concerned with the thinner air than I was the ascent. We had descended a little over 400 feet when we found ourselves at the overlook. Apparently the Coconino Overlook is actually at about 7800 feet and not 7450 as the guide said. Thank You, altimeter!!
As it turns out, the ascent back to the trail head wasn’t so bad, either!