Here was I thinking this thread was a very desperate cry for help. I'm a paper map and compass guy myself. I actually have nothing against GPS systems, it's just that I'm too cheap to buy one. Heck, I even borrow a lot of maps from the library when I need them. I've yet to properly lost, though I might have been a little vague as to my exact location once or twice.
Something like the Garmin Etrex 10, while still relatively expensive (£100 list in the UK) will do just that - give you an exact grid ref or lat/long position. Combined with a paper map it's pretty powerful, and will record where you've been. There are ways to get it to navigate preplanned route too, but I don't think you can store alternative maps on the device. You'll get 3 or 4 full days walking out of a set of AAs, and mine has been faultless for the last 7 years (apart from losing the pin that holds the battery door shut - fixed with a paperclip ).Or just get a smartphone.
Smartphone is good for short trips - using it for navigation eats the battery so you'll need some way of topping it up over longer periods. Same goes for any GPS with an inbuilt battery though. Waterproofing on most smartphones is poor, so an external case is needed. Touchscreen and pan/zoom is great - though can be found on some GPS devices too. Data charges might get you if you're using online mapping, though if you're out of signal range you might be stuck unless you can download the maps to your phone.
I believe GPS still works on flight mode.... so I wonder if the battery would also last for a long time if using downloaded maps, depending on the app.
ThundahBeagle, 10 years personal experience with different Garmin GPS units has shown me that they're robust, easy to use, completely waterproof - have been used in constant rain for 12 hours or more at at a time - and reliable. I've had two failures: one where the memory card came loose and another where the pin holding the battery door shut dropped out. Both were fixed relatively easily.The GPS relies on satellite communications not cell phone data and rarely, if ever, loses position - even in mountainous country or dense woodland.With a bit of care (use the supplied lanyard to tether the device, don't put it on the floor ) and some prior planning (take spare batteries, work out where you might be able to buy more) they rarely cause any problems.For something like the Appalachian Trail I would expect not to use the GPS or a map often - follow the way markers, and use the GPS to double check position against a map if you happen to get lost.