Last week we held a livestream video Q&A for members on the topic of route planning.

The more specific focus: route planning tools, technologies, and processes.

(If you missed it, watch the recorded version here.)

In reviewing the questions that came in, a common theme started to emerge:

Using smartphone GPS apps to their full potential is something almost nobody does.

Lots of hikers use them to record tracks.

Lots of hikers use them to find their location on a digital map.

Lots of hikers use them to scroll on a map to find interesting things.

And those are all good uses of a GPS app. Relative to a map and compass, a GPS app can save an enormous amount of time and cognitive energy to accomplish these basic tasks.

But some of these apps are extraordinarily powerful, and provide a portal that leads to features that can have a profound impact on how you plan trips and use map data in the field to stay safe.

For example, a slope-angle layer can be used to assess avalanche danger or find interesting scenery (steep terrain is often more scenic).

Combine a slope-angle layer with hi-res aerial imagery and you have a very powerful recipe for finding efficient off-trail routes:

GPS apps aren't really that difficult to use - most users can easily access these powerful features.

But what's really missing is an understanding of how the GPS app fits into a hiker's overall process of discovering, planning, and executing a route - and how the route ties into the rest of the plan -

food • gear • weather • camping • water • wildfires • wildlife...

The hiker that doesn't just use a GPS app but understands how it integrates into their entire backpacking process will get the most out of these apps.

That's why we focused the route planning Q&A on tools, technology, and processes.

But if you really want to master the art and process of planning your own treks, check out our Trek Planning Masterclass - 9+ hours of instructional video content that will provide you with the confidence to plan your own trips rather than rely on what someone else has told you to hike.

The skill of planning your own route will become increasingly important in response to more restrictive permit requirements, more backcountry users, and more wildfires shutting down public lands periodically.

Add to all of this: "the internet" and its plethora of users sharing their routes PLUS GPS apps that allow their users to access pre-defined routes via social sharing models.

We are entering an era where backcountry solitude is seemingly scarce.

Well, that's not actually true.

It seems scarce to many because they are witnessing the internet-fueled phenomenon of more hikers visiting locations that weren't popular yesterday, but are popular today.

So how do we find solitude in the backcountry?

Solitude will still be enjoyed by those who are willing to learn how to plan their own routes, get off the beaten path, and rediscover the art of being an explorer.

This is where the GPS app market is broken - because of their trend towards social networking that consolidates crowdsourced information about places.

This tends to exacerbate crowding.

People tend to go where others have gone. There's some comfort and security in doing this. But there are real costs - loss of solitude, environmental damage to locations that can't handle the increase in use, and frustrating permit processes.

But the power of GPS apps also provides us access to incredible troves of information (maps and overlays) that can unlock plenty of uncrowded secrets for those of us willing to put in the effort to master the art of route planning.

In the Trek Planning Masterclass, we spend a bit of time using Gaia GPS - our pick for route planning / mapping / mobile GPS software - and we dive deep into a few of its features for route planning.

But those of you who have enrolled and completed the Trek Planning Masterclass sent me an overwhelming amount of feedback asking for methodical and comprehensive instruction on how to use Gaia GPS...
 
And so our next online course will be launched this month - a 3-hour masterclass on How to Use Gaia GPS and how to integrate it into your overall trip planning process.

Stay tuned!

Ryan Jordan
owner/founder

PS: Enjoy some of our route planning resources:
 

• Trek Planning Masterclass (Online Course)
• Route Planning Tools, Technologies, and Processes (Video Q&A)
• Gaia GPS: our pick for route planning software, mapping, and mobile GPS (app)
• Be responsible in how you share your routes and trips online (podcast)