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My first time in the Q I did the Hunters Island route. Well over 100 miles traveling the historical trappers route. I had no GPS. I broke the compass out once on crooked lake. I had a real feeling of satisfaction when I finished. I can't help but wonder if I will have that same feeling of satisfaction while using the GPS.

My first trip were done with the only map being the park map which was the entire park on one map, showing portages but no campsites.  During one trip we crossed paths with someone who had a McKenzie map and were amazed.  Like you, even the compass was seldom used but we wee constantly looking at our maps, keeping track of where we were.  On later trips using better maps, it was just more fun having better info.  yes it perhaps was easier to navigate to campsite, but for me, just successfully getting from point A to point B was not something from which I derived "satisfaction" (I can understand how it would be a plus for others, just not my thing).

My GPS is mounted on the canoe and always on.  Not so much to get me where I want to go but because like with the earlier paper maps, I enjoy "placing" myself.  But then again, because of computers and digital mapping, before I even get to the trip, I have already been on the adventure in cyber world.  The planning is all part of the enjoyment of an outing.  Using the GPS during the trip is just an extension of that effort.  To me it is no different than instead of carrying just one kind of map, immersing yourself with copies of different kinds of maps.

So there are a number of ways to use a GPS.   Just a different perspective, your mileage may vary.

(Then there was the one rough day in the wind, rain, fog, and waves on basswood lake
that the GPS became a safety item.  Being able to instantly know exactly where we were without ever having to stop paddling to pull out a compass or map, that made that day a safer one.)