Chuck,
Get a good orienteering compass, they are worth gold in my opinion. Thanks for sharing the shoe string trick. I like that. I like Googe Earth Too. I under if use it too much and we all end up hunting the same type of areas that we can identify on google earth?
Here is the compass I use and recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Silva-2801149-Guide-426-Compass/dp/B000EQ81SS/ref=pd_bbs_8/103-6505031-1671864?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1190739545&sr=8-8
I also like the compasses that glow like this one too:
http://www.amazon.com/Suunto-A-30L-Compass-Northern-Hemisphere/dp/B000L0F68U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6/103-6505031-1671864?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1190739545&sr=8-6
Midsouth,
GPS are great and I love them and use them. But I use and trust my compass the most. A compass never fails. I like to cross check my GPS to the compass. Getting lost in the swamp is no place I want to be. Keep thinking what you will do if you GPS breaks.
Cheers,
CB