Altimeter

　　Do you understand what the following picture shows? It's my altimeter, mainly used for climbing in the winter. It shows the altitude of where I am. It was one of the necessities of climbing, specifically in winter. With a detailed terrain map, I could know my whereabouts from its display. It was very useful also for security during climbing. It works by measuring the change in atmospheric pressure as I climb up or down. If you stay at a point, it simply shows the change of the atmospheric pressure at your whereabouts. So, in my house, it's always placed on my writing desk "for weather forecasting". When I wake up in the morning, I check the change of it from the previous night. If the altitude of my house ascends, it means a decrease of pressure, and at the same time, it tells me that the weather will worsen.
　　The GPS receivers and digital devices have been making remarkable progress in recent years. Thanks to them, I reached the point where I just don't need it. I decided to throw it away, saying in my mind, "Thank you for saving my life for years!"

(Vocabulary)
altimeter 高度計
sb's present/current whereabouts ＜人＞の現在の所在