View Full Version : Ways to track your mileage
I would like to be able to track how far we hike each day. Maps alone are not accurate enough for anything better then a estamate. GPS would be great but may be more then I am looking for, maybe not. What about pedometers. I have never used one. Will they work for hiking? Any one use one? how accurate has it been?
Pedaling Fool
12-06-2009, 18:41
Probably not. Pedometers are calibrated by inputting your normal stepping length, which would probably differ in the various terrains, especially going up/down steep inclines. I used a pedometer for a while and I would have to recalibrate it for when I jogged.
I think the answer depends on context. If on the AT, or other well mapped out trail like the PCT, the current NOBO or SOBO decimal mileage from start or end of trail isn't hard to find for all sorts of places based on landmarks given in data or related books.
For other trails, you could consider some sort of topo mapping software, after the hike you could trace the route that you believe you walked and get pretty good mileage.
Another approach is to get a Green Trails map, or even better just look one over if there's a library or related institution that allows you to look at these --- decimal distances between points on these make it easy to count up the miles.
It all depends on what kind of trips you're looking for.
The Solemates
12-06-2009, 19:23
in 2007, i wore a pedometer for a year and tracked how much i walked each day. granted, this was around town, around the office, etc. i put it on in the morning and took it off when i went to bed. i did it more of a fitness goal than anything else. mine was fairly accurate.
Kerosene
12-06-2009, 21:33
Map, with guidebook, will be a lot more accurate than a pedometer on the AT.
Maybe I am missing the question but what most hikers do is get a feel for their pace between known landmarks by timing them.
Example: cross major road at 1:00 at mile xx40.
come across shelter access trail at 2:00 at mile xx42.
Therefore a pace of 2 mph.
or each 15 minutes would be a half mile.
or thee minutes for a tenth of a mile.
After a thousand miles you start to notice the discrepancies in the guidebooks due to reroutes and errors.
Maybe its the maps I am using. I had a Nat Geo Trails Illustrated and I was unimpressed. I might as well carried a globe. I felt It was in too small a scale to be useful.
Must have guide book unless you can just take it as it comes with no worry, schedule, or goals. Here is a sample pages of the companion.
http://www.aldha.org/companyn/va09.pdf
http://www.aldha.org/comp_pdf.htm
I prefer the AT Guide. It has the profiles(graph showing steep the terrain is) on the page with the data. Can not find a link to the sample page.
http://www.awolonthetrail.com/order_books.html
JokerJersey
12-06-2009, 23:36
I tried using a pedometer one the trail just walking around on a local trail that was already measured. After the 4 mile loop, the pedometer said I had gone 4.7 miles. I tested it a second time on a different local trail and wound up with a reading of 9.6 miles for a 8 mile trail. Then again, this was one of those cheap-o ones you get for free at the health fairs and whatnot, so I'm not sure if it was "calibrated" to make you feel like you went farther then you did to give you a better sense of "accomplishment" as opposed to actual mileage.
Jack Tarlin
12-07-2009, 20:34
The most consistently accurate resource if one is interested in this information, for many years, has been the A.T. Data Book, available from the A.T.C. at www.appalachiantrail.org
mweinstone
12-07-2009, 21:05
or just ask jack.he can navagate wonder.
Here's what was used in the past and still for some trails:
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=7Cp&q=measuring+wheel&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=RakdS8uINYv6MarcjaEK&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CC4QrQQwAw
Kinda awkward to drag around, though. :)
Yeah, maps, guidebooks, trail signs, on-line software all seem to have different mileage.
Here is a method that works for some of my friends and I to get a ball-park figure for the hikes we do: Use a map OR topo software, trace the route and add ten percent. Works well enough and feels about right at the end of the day.
If you are looking for exact measurement..you may as well try work on the Grand Unification Theory as well. ;)
Pedaling Fool
12-08-2009, 10:25
I would like to be able to track how far we hike each day. Maps alone are not accurate enough for anything better then a estamate. GPS would be great but may be more then I am looking for, maybe not...
This question does make me wonder; how does the ATC get it's mileage information for the entire trail vs. how the maps obtain the information? Then there's the issue of all the signs, where does that mileage come from?
We all know there can be major differences between all those sources on any given section, so how does that affect the overall mileage.
For the ATC/Clubs I have a mental image of someone walking around with a measuring wheel for the data book and signs, that would be OK for limited sections, but I can see a break down in continuity over larger and larger distances without some aggressive management.
So how's it done on a grand scale? I'm sure the measuring wheel is not used any more, but even with GPS you need to strictly control the measurement process.
BobTheBuilder
12-08-2009, 10:49
I section hike a couple of times a year for a week at a time, and after the first or second day I can usually tell where I am based on the pace I have for the hike. I wear a watch when I hike and can tell where I am within a quarter mile or so by looking at my watch and looking at the guidebook. It really does become pretty easy pretty quickly.
Is there a reason you need to know your location more accurately than that?
LIhikers
12-11-2009, 20:04
This question does make me wonder; how does the ATC get it's mileage information for the entire trail ................ but even with GPS you need to strictly control the measurement process.
A number of years back there was a hiker named Del Doc, who thru hiked the AT a couple of times. He carried a pretty large backpack that housed not camping gear, but a pretty sophisticated GPS system. He walked the middle of the trail, as it appeared to him, and the system took location readings every few seconds and recorded them.
Ever considered learning to use Army Ranger (pace) beads?
http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm#pacecounting
If you're ok with determining your mileage after the fact, try MapMyHike.com. You can create your own route and it calculates your mileage. I have no idea how accurate it is.
homer_at
12-12-2009, 09:25
I like fiddling with my GPS, so I take it on my hikes and backpacking, even though it weighs 5 oz. you let it acquire the satellites in the morning, then turn on "save track" to log your track. Also zero out the odometer at that time.
Also, if you are taking pictures, make sure the clock on your camera is set to the exact same time as your GPS, then later you can geocode your pictures, so that you will know where every picture was taken and plot your path and pictures on a website like Everytrail.com.
A year and a half ago, when the South had a drought, I would read the posts from others on where they found water and save that location in my GPS so that I would not walk past one of the few water sources. It is hard to tell one gap from another.
The GPS is also handy if you backpack with small children since a wrong turn that adds 4 miles to a day can be beyond their capabilities.
All of this is not necessary, and as others have said, you can do pretty good with maps, but if you have a hobby interest in GPS, you might give it a try.
homer_at
Pedaling Fool
12-12-2009, 10:27
Ever considered learning to use Army Ranger (pace) beads?
http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm#pacecounting
This method is basically the same as using a pedometer, except it requires more work (counting/tracking), a pedometer does this automatically.
Regardless, the principle is the same and that is you need to know your stepping length and that length varies on the AT, because of the up/downs, rocks, roots... http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/land_navigation_map_reading/how-to-use-pace-count-to-.shtml
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