Must have apps for thru hike

[TurboPants]

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!

[4eyedbuzzard]

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]

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]

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]

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]

what apps are must haves out on the AT?

I would say this> Trail Map Magic
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]

http://guthooks.com seems to be still in business.

[Valley Girl]

I have GPS Essentials on my smarter than me phone

[ocourse]

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]

To this question (almost), when asked just over a month ago

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...13#post1835213

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

[TurboPants]

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]

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]

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]

TransBus USA is sadly needed by many

[Valley Girl]

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/d...sentials&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]

Just recently released: Trail-guides.com

[TurboPants]

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]

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]

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]

Go to ALDHA and examine the app featured in their winter newsletter.