Oddly enough, I drive a stick shift on our 2005 Honda Civic hybrid. The only year Honda made a civic hybrid with a standard transmission, apparently. Gets over 45+ MPG and makes a great “pavement car.” Still going strong 204k miles later. We save our Tacoma for weekends (and bike a lot in town currently) But, I suspect we are in the waning days of needing to know that skill set.

Well, it is your most used feature. 😉 Being serious, good point!

I think I was only partially correct, introduced in the 1920s. Looks like trucks then, as now, slower to adapt. And trucks fall into the “work vehicle” category more so then, I suspect.

I don’t see technology vs. Traditional tools as and/or FWIW. Often I’ll combine the two. Get an accurate position via GPS, but find it easier to use my compass to take bearings for the next step. And I prefer a larger print map for overviews, but love my phone for taking different map layers.

I think your dates are a little off on synchromesh, my 48 Ford truck does not have synchromesh.
My son actually got a job because he was the only candidate that could drive a stick so yeah, thats going away.
I grew up and was taught paper maps and compass but I embrace (love) the new phone app maps, however I could still find my way if my batteries all died.

In addition to keeping track visually of where I am on trail (relative distance from start point to end point or campsite), I find Gaia helpful if I venture off trail. One touch and I create a waypoint where I am, and can easily see how to get back to the trail. It’s helpful to have that visual, most recently in 2020 during thick fog in Grayson Highlands! Better than a compass, for me. Also great that Gaia is GPS based — no cell signal necessary.

(And . . . I haven’t needed to drive a stick since I was 17. Good riddance! Probably would not do well if I had to all these years later.)

re: Telling analog time
Not sure TBH.
As for not using a rotary phone, I don’t know how to drive using a double clutch as even standard transmission has had synchronous transmission since the 1920s. 🙂 (Commercial vehicles are another ball o’ wax) (And though I can drive stick, that may be another phased out skill in the years ahead, too)

Totally agree about Gaia. I like to use many tools in my kit. Sometimes a phone works better than a paper map, sometimes, a quick compass bearing does the trick quicker and easier.

I use an analog watch on trail. But not on my wrist. The half dollar size “clock” is in my pocket sans the wrist band, easy to pull out to look at. Better than logging into my phone! But GaiaGPS on my phone–won’t leave home without it!