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TurboPants
02-19-2014, 15:14
I have a Verizon iPhone 4 and I was just curious for you other smart phone folks who have thru hiked, or are planning to, what apps are must haves out on the AT? I've had my phone for a couple years and really don't use it to its full potential so I don't have any kinds of hiker apps.

The only ones I have are the weather channel and google earth. I'd love to hear other suggestions. Share em if ya got em! :cool:

4eyedbuzzard
02-19-2014, 15:48
There are a lot of mapping options that some will hopefully post here. One thing that I have is the Companion as a .pdf document (Adobe Acrobat) on my phone. Beats carrying the weight of the book as I'm carrying my phone anyway.

lonehiker
02-19-2014, 16:42
I wouldn't think that there are any "must haves", as smart phones are a fairly recent invention and people have been hiking successfully for decades and decades. I'm sure there are several nice to have apps to get though :)

TurboPants
02-19-2014, 16:59
Well HAA HAA. :) I didn't mean it like that, just since I will be taking the phone I wasn't sure if there were any AT specific kinds of apps. I keep going back and forth on the companion PDF, but I already own the AWOL guide book and I think it's just as good. It seems silly to carry a book when you could have it in your phone, but for some reason I just like the paper book. Once I get my base weight tallied up we'll see how I feel about shedding 8 more ounces.

lonehiker
02-19-2014, 17:25
Ya, I knew you were. I'm just older school and think technology will fail. Are battery life in those things that good that they can be used extensively? Without having to lug chargers, solar panels etc.....

Chair-man
02-19-2014, 17:49
what apps are must haves out on the AT?

I would say this> Trail Map Magic (http://www.trailmapmagic.com/Trail_Map_Magic_-_Appalachian_Trail_iPhone_App/Home.html)
It's a GPS map. It will show you where you are on the trail and how far you are from shelters and other landmarks. It cost $1.99 a section.

I don't think Guthook AT maps are available anymore.

The Googe Earth with ATC maps are free but will lose their cache and you have to keep reloading it. Pain in the a$$.

Nick P
02-19-2014, 18:09
http://guthooks.com seems to be still in business.

Valley Girl
02-19-2014, 19:50
I have GPS Essentials on my smarter than me phone:)

ocourse
02-19-2014, 20:10
I use Maprika on my Android phone. I am pretty sure it's available for iPhone too. You can get the A.T. map and you can send your current location. I hike alone almost always and I can send my location to my wife. I just send it occasionally during my hikes. So my wife knows where I was, and can predict where I should be. Very useful app.

GoldenBear
02-19-2014, 21:29
To this question (almost), when asked just over a month ago

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?100924-iPhone-App-used-on-trail&p=1835213#post1835213

Please note that, unless you've been a baseball nut for 55 years, a sports-score app is NOT a "must have."

TurboPants
02-19-2014, 23:11
Thanks golden bear, I actually looked briefly over the last couple pages to make sure I wasn't asking the same old questions but I didn't see that thread. Oh well! I will check out the answers there as well.

Just did a search on my iFail and it found the free guthook AT map but it only shows the approach trail to springer. I'll have to play with that a little more. Valley Girl, I checked out the GPS Essentials but I found a ton of different ones, mostly for specific european cities. Did you find one specifically for the AT?

BigBlue
02-19-2014, 23:37
I know that it is tempting to use your smart phone to it's fullest potential, but seriously.. no!! The AT is a rare opportunity to get away from what we 'know' and reconnect with nature. Use a guide book, figure it out for yourself and meet people... sure blog and journal when you set up camp, but otherwise turn it off... OK rant over, please continue.

TurboPants
02-20-2014, 00:15
I'm with you BigBlue. I am doing it for myself but will also be trying to raise a little money for a charity. Once a week I want to post a short update video, likely at a town stop so I can upload it. Mostly just to keep friends and family in the loop. But other than that I'm there for the escapism... if that's a word. Plus, the people who use their phones all day will have a dead battery often. It's only there for emergencies. There is a white blaze at least once a mile so it's not like you HAVE to have a phone. As long as I know where the water sources are and I can find a flat place to pitch a tent I'll be groovy!

ChinMusic
02-20-2014, 00:25
TransBus USA is sadly needed by many

Valley Girl
02-20-2014, 01:18
Valley Girl, I checked out the GPS Essentials but I found a ton of different ones, mostly for specific european cities. Did you find one specifically for the AT?

I have this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mictale.gpsessentials&hl=en This was a suggestion made by a friend and by looking at all the features it seems pretty cool, the waypoint feature and sunrise and sunset are the ones I have played around with so far. I haven't looked for an AT map.

Awol2003
02-20-2014, 10:07
Just recently released: Trail-guides.com

TurboPants
02-20-2014, 10:37
ChinMusic, you crack me up. I hope I never need that app. :) Considering I work in IT doing tech support, I can't imagine anything on the trail being more mentally excruciating that would make me need a bus ride home.

Thanks for the direct link chica!

And Awol, I did see that in my app store but the mountain logo threw me off and I wasn't sure if it was the same. So thanks for confirming that!

ChinMusic
02-20-2014, 11:45
There have been so many threads on this topic. Do a quick search and you will find lots of info.

The Apps I used on my 2013 thru were:
ATTrail (series) (very good at pinpointing you on the trail with info of what is in front of you)(my fave app in 2013)(somewhat dated info) (no cell signal needed)
Topo Maps (download detailed maps ahead of me)(no cell signal needed)
Elevation (to get an accurate elevation to set my ABC watch daily)(no cell signal needed)
Aji Reader (a pdf file reader)(I had AWOL's guide on view in this)(no cell signal needed)
AT Hiker (series)(Guthooks app that is similar to ATTrail with GREAT potential. There is a major upgrade for 2014 that I have not played with. I may supplant ATTrail if it is as good as reported)(no cell signal needed)
Dark Sky (weather app with GPS location for info on where that storm is that you can hear in the distance. Take cover vs keep going) (required a cell signal)
Pro HDR (photo app for my iPhone)
Team Viewer (to access my computer at my office desk as needed)
Aurigma Up (app for uploading pics to Trail Journals)
Stars (map of constellations)
Compass (so I could orientate my tent so I could watch a sunrise from my sleeping bag)
Notes (typed in my daily journals here and used copy/paste that next time I had a cell signal)

Chair-man
02-20-2014, 11:53
Just recently released: Trail-guides.com

Hi David. So your AWOL guide is now an app? $19.99. I assume this covers the entire AT? I see the app shows all the water sources which none of the other apps do, which is very important. Just wondering why you didn't break it down into sections? I see the seller's name is Josh Saint. Is this something you worked with him on?

sfdoc
02-20-2014, 12:14
Go to ALDHA and examine the app featured in their winter newsletter.

ChinMusic
02-20-2014, 12:20
Just recently released: Trail-guides.com

That looks awesome. Wish you had been a year earlier. Look like the battle for AT app will be between you and Guthook. ATTrail will fade to a distant third.

LAF
02-20-2014, 15:07
I would say this> Trail Map Magic (http://www.trailmapmagic.com/Trail_Map_Magic_-_Appalachian_Trail_iPhone_App/Home.html)
...

I don't think Guthook AT maps are available anymore.

...

Guthook maps are still available. Apps are available in the apple app store (or iTunes); just search for guthook at. There's also a link from his website for both iPhone and Android apps : http://www.guthookhikes.com/apps

A bit pricey but has lots of info; waypoints, gps button, water sources, elevation profiles, topo map (hmmm, it's ok), viewpoints, unnamed tent sites: I'll be using guthook's app on my iPhone along with a pdf of AWOL's guide. If you want to carry the paper, just get AWOL's looseleaf version and mail sections to yourself along the way.

hermit1970
02-20-2014, 17:07
GutHook's AT apps look pretty sweet.

guthook
02-20-2014, 19:12
http://guthooks.com seems to be still in business.

The link is www.guthookhikes.com/apps and yes, we are still in business. I just updated the AT app for iPhone today for the 2014 season, and the Android apps are mostly finished with this year's updates, too. Looking pretty fine, if I do say so myself ;)

LAF
02-20-2014, 19:58
Why are the topo's in meters and the elevation profiles in feet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Damn Yankee
02-20-2014, 21:00
Any good apps for a iPod touch?

guthook
02-20-2014, 23:06
Why are the topo's in meters and the elevation profiles in feet?
The metric topos are the only ones that we have available at the moment, although we're working on a better set with imperial measurements. I think you'll find that the maps are easy enough to read, regardless of what units the contour lines are measured in.



Any good apps for a iPod touch?

Damn Yankee, my apps work on iPod Touch, but you might also look at the Bad Elf GPS unit, which is an external GPS that works very nicely with iPod Touch. A friend of mine hiked the PCT last year with my apps on his iPod Touch, and the Bad Elf providing GPS signal, and it worked wonderfully.

BrianLe
02-21-2014, 04:15
W.r.t. Maprika --- I suggest that something more like a real map would be useful. The AT map for Maprika is at a very high level, you can’t zoom in to significant detail.

For Android at least, Backcountry Navigator is a good choice. I bought Gaia GPS too, but for my particular phone at least, B.N. is more reliable and just works.
It takes more work, but you can download the trail ahead of time and B.N. at least allows me to put the extensive map data on my microSD card. Get a .gpx or .kml trail plot of the AT and/or the Shelters along the way and it’s a good approach, assuming you feel you really need or want map data on your smartphone.

Someone else mentioned TransBus USA, but that’s for iPhone only, doesn’t apply to me. Sounds like a good idea, though, as I’ll be sort of winging it to get home this year. But really, just general internet search should be enough?

Trail-guides.com that Awol referenced appears to also be iPhone only. For my part, I prefer a Samsung Android phone as these offer replaceable batteries.

I think ATTRail is also iPhone only. In general it would be helpful when mentioning apps to state which operating system(s) they’re available on, or at least which one you have experience using it on.
Ditto Dark Sky.

For my part, ‘essential’ apps include a voice recorder app.

On the CDT I found Facebook to be the best way to keep track/communicate along the way with the relatively few other thru-hikers, on the “class of” page for my year.

On Android, anyway, “Appalachian Trail Weather” looks nice, I expect to use that starting next month.

I suggest getting some sort of alarm clock app, and preferably one that wakes you gradually --- I love the alarm app on my smartphone that gradually increases the volume rather than startling me awake.
Some sort of app or apps to read news; perhaps the local newspaper at home and/or other national and/or international news apps can be nice.

I think that more important than any one app is really getting to know your phone ahead of time. It’s no fun fiddling around trying to figure something out, or to work around some inevitable software/hardware bugs that surface when you start depending on it out on the trail. In the cold, dark, rain, bugs, etc. So take it on one or more shakedown trips and use it as much as possible in whatever ways you anticipate ahead of time, try to force out any problems you can, and figure out how to deal with it. On a thru-hike, it seems likely that problems WILL occur.

Damn Yankee
02-21-2014, 09:26
The metric topos are the only ones that we have available at the moment, although we're working on a better set with imperial measurements. I think you'll find that the maps are easy enough to read, regardless of what units the contour lines are measured in.




Damn Yankee, my apps work on iPod Touch, but you might also look at the Bad Elf GPS unit, which is an external GPS that works very nicely with iPod Touch. A friend of mine hiked the PCT last year with my apps on his iPod Touch, and the Bad Elf providing GPS signal, and it worked wonderfully.

I have this GPS iPod cradle already. Do you think it will work? http://www.amazon.com/XGPS251-Portable-Battery-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B003YLS7AC

Damn Yankee
02-21-2014, 09:30
Guthook, I went and posted on your facebook page and shared the status on my page so, maybe I'll win your maps. Keeping my fingers crossed.

guthook
02-21-2014, 13:19
I have this GPS iPod cradle already. Do you think it will work? http://www.amazon.com/XGPS251-Portable-Battery-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B003YLS7AC

That looks like it should work. There are so many accessories out there, I can barely keep track of them all! :-)

StubbleJumper
02-22-2014, 12:42
W.r.t. Maprika --- I suggest that something more like a real map would be useful. The AT map for Maprika is at a very high level, you can’t zoom in to significant detail.

For Android at least, Backcountry Navigator is a good choice. I bought Gaia GPS too, but for my particular phone at least, B.N. is more reliable and just works.
It takes more work, but you can download the trail ahead of time and B.N. at least allows me to put the extensive map data on my microSD card. Get a .gpx or .kml trail plot of the AT and/or the Shelters along the way and it’s a good approach, assuming you feel you really need or want map data on your smartphone.

+1. On the AT, it's perhaps less important to have real maps because the trail is so well marked. However, for readers who hike elsewhere, your advice is excellent. Rather than Backcountry Navigator, I use an app called AlpineQuest, which seems to do roughly the same thing. As you've noted, it's a bit of work, but it's possible to download Google Terrain map tiles for the entire trail corridor which provides a nice, zoomable topo-map that can be stored on your micro-SD card, which means you do not need network connectivity. For poorly marked trails, you can avoid a great deal of frustration by taking a 10 minute break and referring to your phone app to determine exactly where you are, with all of the zoomable terrain information that you can find on Google.


Trail-guides.com that Awol referenced appears to also be iPhone only. For my part, I prefer a Samsung Android phone as these offer replaceable batteries.


This is also a tremendously important point. Without wanting to initiate a mobile phone holy-war, some of the Androids have a very important advantage of a removable battery. This enables you to buy a second or third battery from E*Bay at a very low cost, which can extend the usage life of your phone so that you do not run out of power between re-supply stops. There's no fussing with recharging devices on the trail as you just swap out the battery.



I think that more important than any one app is really getting to know your phone ahead of time. It’s no fun fiddling around trying to figure something out, or to work around some inevitable software/hardware bugs that surface when you start depending on it out on the trail. In the cold, dark, rain, bugs, etc. So take it on one or more shakedown trips and use it as much as possible in whatever ways you anticipate ahead of time, try to force out any problems you can, and figure out how to deal with it. On a thru-hike, it seems likely that problems WILL occur.

Again, you are spot-on. Your phone's navigation capabilities can be very useful in the fog, but only if you're familiar with how the mapping app works. In 2012, I spent a couple of days in Basque country along the Spain/France border going cross-country, navigating solely by my phone's mapping app because the fog was so thick that landmarks were not visible. If I hadn't had my phone with me, I would have had to make camp and await clear weather before continuing.

TrailBehind
02-22-2014, 16:18
I'll happily give away some copies of Gaia GPS to Whiteblaze members who email [email protected]. Please specify Android or iOS.

We rewrote the Android app, starting in May 2013. I think anyone who used the old version will be blown away by the new app. Also, the website (cloud.gaiagps.com) now connects the app on both platforms.

imscotty
07-06-2016, 06:01
Cool Apps...

http://readynutrition.com/resources/identify-nature-with-these-cool-apps_05072016/

TOW
07-06-2016, 08:44
No apps needed to do the AT as long as you follow the white blaze.....

jjozgrunt
07-12-2016, 06:02
I'm coming over and I'm using the following so far on my samsung.
Guthooks AT App.
Appalachian Trail Weather (by Shutter)