Navigation and Electronics on the PCT
Many people have asked me how I have navigated on the PCT, and when I tell them that I mainly use my phone, they wonder how I’m able to keep it charged. So this blog post is intended to educate people on how I’ve used my electronics to help me navigate this journey.
While certainly not what my Boy Scout leadership taught me as a boy, I purposely chose not to bring any “paper” maps with me on the trail. I decided to go solely with maps loaded on my iPhone 11 Pro which I purchased just in time to do this adventure. I decided that I was willing to accept the risk and utilize my iPhone as my sole navigation, communication and photography/videography device on the trail.
I also brought with me a 20,000 milliamp-hour Anker rechargeable battery pack to charge my electronics while out on the trail. So every time I’m in a trail town or at some location with power outlets, I make sure to recharge the battery pack so that I’m assured of having at least a week’s worth of power while out on trail. I’ve been asked several times why I didn’t go with a solar recharger. After researching this before the hike, I learned that most people go with the battery back because it tends to be a lighter and simpler setup than the solar system.
The only other electronics with me include a Garmin inReach mini and a small MP3 player which I use to store and play audiobooks. The Garmin is quite handy on trail because it pairs to my phone via Bluetooth. In that way, I can send friends and family unlimited text messages that go through the Iridium satellite network. I also use the Garmin to track my progress. I have a personal Garmin webpage where people can see little blue “breadcrumbs” in five minute intervals of where I was on the trail. In this way, people can see exactly where I traveled along the entire distance of my journey. My mom has commented that when she has seen my breadcrumbs stopped near a river or lake on the map for an extended period, she assumes I’m probably fishing:)…which is often the case!
A couple other benefits of having the Garmin are that it has an SOS button for a rescue if I ever get into a life-threatening situation, and I can also request weather forecasts while out in the wilderness.
Getting back to navigation, like most other thru-hikers, I use the Guthook App on my phone. This App is both a map and a hiker social media tool. I have downloaded a variety of map types on my phone and then can use them while out in the middle of nowhere. Paired with the GPS on the phone, it is quite simple to stay on the trail. The GPS is so accurate that at times when I lost the trail due to snow fields or other obstacles, I was able to pull out the phone and quickly navigate myself right back onto the trail.
Guthook allows us to see what the trail looks like up ahead and provides various icons describing upcoming tentsites, water sources and other points of interest. The beauty of the App is that hikers can leave comments for various waypoints on the trail to help out subsequent hikers behind them. For example, I always look at the comments for water sources ahead of me. This gives me a good idea of the reliability of the water sources. If for example, someone left a comment within the last few days saying a water source was good to go, then I have strong confidence that I will be able to get water at that source too.
So it’s really not too difficult to navigate on the trail assuming you have the right tools. The biggest concern is really to make sure that you don’t run out of power between town stops. There was one time where I did a poor job of managing my power use and barely made it to town with a dead battery pack and one percent battery power remaining on both my phone and my Garmin. Whew, that was a close one!
Trail Facts:
- Trail miles walked – 1047
- Current PCT mileage marker – 1501
- Current Audiobook – The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry
- Additional PCT Thru-Hikers I’ve met – EZ, Tenacious, Scrubs, Mayhem, Blazer, YinYang, Engine
- Additional wildlife seen – Western gray squirrel, momma black bear and cub
