Tuesday Tip: Hiking Smarter

By: Andrew Edwards

 

Ever dreamt of backpacking through one of the many iconic hiking trails this world has to offer? Whether that dream takes you on the trail for a weekend, a couple of weeks, or even several months, Guthook by Atlas Guides is here to help prepare you for your travels. Simply put, this revolutionary mobile-app of a hiking guide has changed the game forever by allowing hikers of all skill levels across the world to be more informed and prepared before and during their adventures.

Guthook provides fully fleshed out, comprehensive maps for world-class trails such as the Appalachian Trail, Camino de Santiago, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and many more. The trails are all mapped in detail from beginning to end; water sources, shelters, summits, tent sites, resupply points, elevation profiles and more are all diagramed inside the guide. Using your iPhone (or any smartphone) you can follow the trail using internalized GPS to make sure you aren’t accidentally going off-path. This means that you can put your phone into airplane mode and not waste away any data, save your phone battery, and continue to traverse the trail as the app precisely follows your movements.

Guthook is a trustworthy hiking guide option because it is constantly being updated. For example, hikers using the app can select a water source on the map they’ve arrived at and comment within the app whether that water source is flowing or not (in this case you’ll have to briefly turn airplane mode back off in order to submit your comment).

This is key information for the next hikers that will be passing thru this area over the next few days or weeks. The same rule applies for shelters: hikers can comment within the app on the condition of shelters (hopefully the shelter is not infested with rats!). General trail conditions will be updated as well within the app, with recent hikers sharing their experiences. Aside from communicating with one another on the condition of certain key waypoints along the trail, hikers can also give directions to help others find some of the more hidden water sources, shelters, and various other locations those explorers may intend on seeking.

The elevation profiles within the app allow you to plan your days accordingly. You are able to stay ahead of the game by getting a clear idea of what lies ahead on the trail. Is the elevation profile for the next several miles relatively flat? Hey, maybe you can knock out 20 miles that day. Alternatively, maybe the elevation profile shows a lot of climbing for the foreseeable future. In that case, maybe you plan on a shorter, 10-12 mile day. At the end of the day, you are going to hike your own hike, but this app will assist in realistically planning out a day’s work on the trail.

In conclusion, Guthook is the most popular mobile hiking guide on the market right now through and through and is highly recommended for hikers of all skill levels to use. Personally, it is the primary guide I will be using as I embark on the Appalachian Trail this May 2019. Note: Make sure to bring a mobile battery charger with you (Anker makes great products) so that your phone will stay charged on the trail!

With that being said, feel free to leave the compass and paper maps at home and enjoy the journey that lies ahead of you!

 

Happy Trails.

 


 

Andrew Edwards

aedwards@network1consulting.com or 770.655.4061

A recent graduate of the University of Georgia, Andrew joins the Network 1 team in 2019 as a key member of the Sales and Marketing Team. Andrew earned a Certificate in New Media during his time at UGA where he was able to hone in on his creative abilities, which he now deploys within Network 1’s marketing efforts.

Network 1 Consulting is a 21-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA. We become – or augment – the IT department for law firms and medical practices. Our IT experts can fix computers – but what our clients value most are the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firms. This is especially important with technology, along with regulations and cyber threats, changing so rapidly. We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.

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Tony Rushin: In his role as VP of sales & marketing, he is responsible for hiring, managing and coaching the sales team and always staying on top of (and meeting) the needs of clients. Under his leadership, the company has steadily grown each year.

Network 1 designs, builds and supports the IT you need to run your business more securely, productively and successfully. Whether you want to outsource all of your IT needs to a reliable, responsive, service-oriented company, or need to supplement the work of your internal IT staff, we will carefully evaluate where you are now, discuss where you want to go and implement and support a plan to get you there with as little interruption as possible.

1 Comment

  1. Leigh Cosby on April 26, 2019 at 7:07 am

    Great information!! Sounds like a very useful app!

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