Spreading maps out used to be our version of a planning session
Back in the day, planning a multi-day hike meant gathering around a big paper map with a few close friends. We'd point out potential campsites with dirty fingers, debating the merits of each spot based on old stories. The process was slow, full of tangents about past trips and bad weather. Now, I download a GPX file from some forum and follow the line on my phone without a second thought. It reminds me of how work shifted from group meetings to solo tasks on a screen. I once spent a whole afternoon with a buddy tracing a route, and we still talk about that trip. These digital routes are precise, but they lack the shared memory of those map sessions. It's just another way things have gotten simpler but less personal.