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Hiking Apps for I Phone

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    • Dmax wrote:

      My understanding is that it works like a guide. It tracks you on the AT, or other trails, and shows where water, shelters, roads, side trails, towns are located.


      i had downloaded a sample section when it first came out. i never used it but it does do the things you say,and tracks you along the trail. the downside is it uses a lot of memory, and will run your battery down rather quickly. i cant justify it being bettter than just carrying the at guide or the companion. not a big weight savings, and with a dead battery, it wouldnt be accessible.
      its all good
    • hikerboy wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      My understanding is that it works like a guide. It tracks you on the AT, or other trails, and shows where water, shelters, roads, side trails, towns are located.


      i had downloaded a sample section when it first came out. i never used it but it does do the things you say,and tracks you along the trail. the downside is it uses a lot of memory, and will run your battery down rather quickly. i cant justify it being bettter than just carrying the at guide or the companion. not a big weight savings, and with a dead battery, it wouldnt be accessible.


      sounds like the answer to a problem that doesn't exist.
      2,000 miler
    • I didn't get a chance to try it out on the section that we hiked. The gas station that was on the way to the trailhead didn't have iTunes cards. But the first night before falling asleep I loaded up the free approach trail and was able to check out the app. I really like it and plann on loading up different trails and sections. .. Since I'm already carrying a phone it makes sense to me to go this way and leave the paper guides at home. No sense in carrying the extra weight for the same information.
    • Rasty wrote:

      I make pdf versions of maps and guide book pages and use those.


      Absolutely, no point not doing that. But they're not "live" in the way that Guthook's app is, or MyTrails or Maprika. Also, by not being live, they don't eat much battery power, so that's good. But just like paper maps, it's up to you to figure out where you are...
    • rafe wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      I make pdf versions of maps and guide book pages and use those.




      Absolutely, no point not doing that. But they're not "live" in the way that Guthook's app is, or MyTrails or Maprika. Also, by not being live, they don't eat much battery power, so that's good. But just like paper maps, it's up to you to figure out where you are...


      When I'm not sure then I use this app

      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • Drybones wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      Does anyone have any input on the Guthook's AT app? I might try this one out for our hike.


      Gaia...shows you the trail, shelters, roads, etc...I have it on my phone but have never needed it.


      I got this last week. I haven't figured it all out yet but I'm getting there. I think it'll come in handy when hiking in the wilderness areas.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      Does anyone have any input on the Guthook's AT app? I might try this one out for our hike.


      Gaia...shows you the trail, shelters, roads, etc...I have it on my phone but have never needed it.


      I got this last week. I haven't figured it all out yet but I'm getting there. I think it'll come in handy when hiking in the wilderness areas.


      unless your battery dies
      its all good
    • hikerboy wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      Does anyone have any input on the Guthook's AT app? I might try this one out for our hike.


      Gaia...shows you the trail, shelters, roads, etc...I have it on my phone but have never needed it.


      I got this last week. I haven't figured it all out yet but I'm getting there. I think it'll come in handy when hiking in the wilderness areas.


      unless your battery dies


      yeah my battery is barely holding a charge. I carry the jackery charger as a back up.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      Does anyone have any input on the Guthook's AT app? I might try this one out for our hike.


      Gaia...shows you the trail, shelters, roads, etc...I have it on my phone but have never needed it.


      I got this last week. I haven't figured it all out yet but I'm getting there. I think it'll come in handy when hiking in the wilderness areas.


      unless your battery dies


      yeah my battery is barely holding a charge. I carry the jackery charger as a back up.


      just sayin.
      theres no way i would rely on the app alone to get me through a wilderness area.
      its all good
    • I finally got Guthook's app loaded in and got to try it out. Wednesday I got dropped off after dark at iron mountain gap. I only had about three miles to cherry gap shelter. I was walking in a cloud the whole way. Most I could see infront of me was usually ten feet or less. But I could see my phone good. It was nice to pull it out of my pocket and have it say 0.7 miles to the shelter. I found the shelter, pitched my tent and enjoyed a nice fire. No one was there, so I was able to enjoy the alone time.

      i used this app a few times the next day... If you've ever hiked SOBO over Unaka you know it seems to go on forever. I kept checking it to see if I was near the summit. It worked great. It just wouldn't help me get the rain or wind to stop. I couldn't believe it wasn't snow as cold as it was.

      I'll be uploading the damascus section north as I really enjoyed using this format.
    • I don't know if this is the right thread but I need help with my Gaia app.

      How do I type in coordinates to create a waypoint? The format is Latitude 0.000000, Longitude 0.000000. My coordinates are N 35* 11.676, and W 84* 26.990. How do I get those coordinates into the right format?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I don't know if this is the right thread but I need help with my Gaia app.

      How do I type in coordinates to create a waypoint? The format is Latitude 0.000000, Longitude 0.000000. My coordinates are N 35* 11.676, and W 84* 26.990. How do I get those coordinate into the right format?


      maybe try this

      help.gaiagps.com/knowledgebase/articles/312029-change-datums

      choose imperial under units.
    • socks wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I don't know if this is the right thread but I need help with my Gaia app.

      How do I type in coordinates to create a waypoint? The format is Latitude 0.000000, Longitude 0.000000. My coordinates are N 35* 11.676, and W 84* 26.990. How do I get those coordinate into the right format?


      maybe try this

      help.gaiagps.com/knowledgebase/articles/312029-change-datums

      choose imperial under units.


      Thank you! It worked. :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      socks wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I don't know if this is the right thread but I need help with my Gaia app.

      How do I type in coordinates to create a waypoint? The format is Latitude 0.000000, Longitude 0.000000. My coordinates are N 35* 11.676, and W 84* 26.990. How do I get those coordinate into the right format?


      maybe try this

      help.gaiagps.com/knowledgebase/articles/312029-change-datums

      choose imperial under units.


      Thank you! It worked. :)
      your welcome :) not familiar with that app, just got lucky lookin' around.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I don't know if this is the right thread but I need help with my Gaia app.

      How do I type in coordinates to create a waypoint? The format is Latitude 0.000000, Longitude 0.000000. My coordinates are N 35* 11.676, and W 84* 26.990. How do I get those coordinates into the right format?


      Most of my software allows you to tap the screen and go there. Now that you have the right Datum, move the map around ( and try this outside ) - Tap a waypoint, tap a place to go and see if it automatically creates a waypoint.

      help.gaiagps.com/knowledgebase…/257576-create-a-waypoint
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • hikerboy wrote:

      Dmax wrote:

      My understanding is that it works like a guide. It tracks you on the AT, or other trails, and shows where water, shelters, roads, side trails, towns are located.


      i had downloaded a sample section when it first came out. i never used it but it does do the things you say,and tracks you along the trail. the downside is it uses a lot of memory, and will run your battery down rather quickly. i cant justify it being bettter than just carrying the at guide or the companion. not a big weight savings, and with a dead battery, it wouldnt be accessible.


      Hey I agree with you, in my tests a app on a resonable new battery and occationally checking the progress will last 10-15 miles or one day, Phone with Anker - now nothing to worry about and - it appears the screen is the biggest killer so use it sparingly.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • The good news is the guthook app didn't wear my battery down too fast. On our three day hike I used the app non stop and took lots of pictures. On the second night I did have to give the phone a full charge, but that was it. And we used the app non stop.

      It was good and bad to look and see how much farther to the top. But it got irritating too. By the end of the day my wife was always reading for camp. She'd say check and see how much farther. 0.8 dear. Hike ALITTLE more. How much farther? 0.6. How far? 0.4 How far? 0.2 how far? 0.1
    • Dmax wrote:

      The good news is the guthook app didn't wear my battery down too fast. On our three day hike I used the app non stop and took lots of pictures. On the second night I did have to give the phone a full charge, but that was it. And we used the app non stop.

      It was good and bad to look and see how much farther to the top. But it got irritating too. By the end of the day my wife was always reading for camp. She'd say check and see how much farther. 0.8 dear. Hike ALITTLE more. How much farther? 0.6. How far? 0.4 How far? 0.2 how far? 0.1
      Yea same experience, I have noticed the Iphone battery may be superior to the Android. Apple protects the privacy better than Google, there for may have less processing going on. Googles sucking off too much information in background and other apps can be to blame.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • I will post here even though I have an android phone rather than an iphone. I'm looking for an app that will allow me to download topo maps of my hike and then use my phones gps to locate me on the map. I downloaded a few different apps and I couldn't get them to do what I want which isn't much. I'm not looking to track my hike or upload way points or use it as a navigation system. If it could just show the map and where I am I would be happy to figure out the rest for myself. It would be nice if it were a free app or at least low cost with no subscription. Also some I looked at had a boatload of maps to choose from. The one I downloaded didn't even have my street on it so it was at least 25 years out of date. Which map should I use.
    • odd man out: I use Backcountry Navigator. It's not free, but it's cheap ($10 or so if memory serves). ArcGIS USA Topo is a free map source for it, although, as you point out, all US topos are 25 years or more out of date.

      What happened? A certain political wing decided that the Geologic Survey was a waste of the taxpayers' money and defunded it. (I won't say whose idea it was to tear it down, but George H.W. Bush was in the White House at the time.) USGS has neither the budget nor the mission to do surveying any more, and produces maps for which they have to buy the information from outfits like TomTom.

      The current clusterfest of regulations for mapping data includes the language as one of the planks of its mission statement:
      Protection of proprietary interests related to licensed information and data.
      This translates to, "The Government has to go out and buy with the taxpayers' money (because it's no longer allowed to run the surveys itself). The taxpayers have to pay for all over again if they want to use it themselves." Apparently anything else would be unfair competition with the commercial mapping companies.

      The era of high-quality government-produced topo maps ended 25 years ago. It won't start again. We have decided as a society that we cannot afford to sponsor that with the taxpayers' money, and we have sunk so far that even if we were to change our mind, we couldn't rebuild the USGS, not even if we were given another 25 years to do it. Our nation simply has lost its spirit and is no longer capable of such a great project. I can't believe that it will ever recover.

      This is one reason that I encourage people to contribute data to OpenStreetMap. Hikers, in particular, can take GPS tracks of trails and turn them into map data. What the government cannot do, and will never do again, perhaps the citizenry can accomplish.

      Others can use that data to produce maps for specific purposes. In fact, I've been experimenting for some time with producing a hiking map. It works well with BackCountry Navigator, by the way. If you decide to get that app, I can walk you through using the map.

      Political rant:


      I know a lot of people - including many on this site, that think privatizing this, like privatizing all other government functions, is wonderful. I suspect that some of them believe that privatizing the legislatures and the courts would also be great - if you want laws that you can live with, or favorable court decisions, you should be willing to pay for them! There are others who would say that we're already there.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      odd man out: I use Backcountry Navigator. It's not free, but it's cheap ($10 or so if memory serves). ArcGIS USA Topo is a free map source for it, although, as you point out, all US topos are 25 years or more out of date.


      What happened? A certain political wing decided that the Geologic Survey was a waste of the taxpayers' money and defunded it. (I won't say whose idea it was to tear it down, but George H.W. Bush was in the White House at the time.) USGS has neither the budget nor the mission to do surveying any more, and produces maps for which they have to buy the information from outfits like TomTom.

      The current clusterfest of regulations for mapping data includes the language as one of the planks of its mission statement:
      Protection of proprietary interests related to licensed information and data.
      This translates to, "The Government has to go out and buy with the taxpayers' money (because it's no longer allowed to run the surveys itself). The taxpayers have to pay for all over again if they want to use it themselves." Apparently anything else would be unfair competition with the commercial mapping companies.

      The era of high-quality government-produced topo maps ended 25 years ago. It won't start again. We have decided as a society that we cannot afford to sponsor that with the taxpayers' money, and we have sunk so far that even if we were to change our mind, we couldn't rebuild the USGS, not even if we were given another 25 years to do it. Our nation simply has lost its spirit and is no longer capable of such a great project. I can't believe that it will ever recover.

      This is one reason that I encourage people to contribute data to OpenStreetMap. Hikers, in particular, can take GPS tracks of trails and turn them into map data. What the government cannot do, and will never do again, perhaps the citizenry can accomplish.

      Others can use that data to produce maps for specific purposes. In fact, I've been experimenting for some time with producing a hiking map. It works well with BackCountry Navigator, by the way. If you decide to get that app, I can walk you through using the map.

      Political rant:


      I know a lot of people - including many on this site, that think privatizing this, like privatizing all other government functions, is wonderful. I suspect that some of them believe that privatizing the legislatures and the courts would also be great - if you want laws that you can live with, or favorable court decisions, you should be willing to pay for them! There are others who would say that we're already there.
      I'm for eliminating 80% of what the gov't spends money on...you want something you should pay for it, not me...I know, you're entitled to it. All I want is to get back what they've already taken from me in taxes, SS and Medicare.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      I'm for eliminating 80% of what the gov't spends money on...you want something you should pay for it, not me...I know, you're entitled to it. All I want is to get back what they've already taken from me in taxes, SS and Medicare.
      Well, then, you'll be without updated topographic maps forever. The government went out of that business 25 years ago and nobody in the private sector has stepped forward.

      Sucks to be us, I guess.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • I guess I will try backcountry navigator. I tried their free version but could only download a few maps. I assume with the full version I would have more options. Also if it works with open source data that could be good for future potential. Since I mostly want topo maps up to date street data is less important. It might be nice to be able to overlay a trace of the trail. But for this summers hike it is pretty easy navigation. I am hiking the trail from Grand Marais to Munising through pictured rocks NL. just keep the world's largest lake on your right and you can't get lost. I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn how to use a smart phone on the trail.

      BTW...During the trip I will be sure to drive there on roads I didn't pay for and benefit from local police protection I didn't pay for because I am a leech on society. I'm sure those who abhor government spending would not do that.