The Imperfect Backpacker

Backpacking Tips and Stories

Archives for August 2019

Campsite Spotlight: Manistee River, MI

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Scale is 0 to 4.

  • Time of Year Visited: October
  • View: 2.5 – Lots of trees and the river.
  • Water: 4 – You’re on a river
  • Accessibility: 4 – This spot is near the suspension foot bridge at the north end, so you’re less than two miles from the Marilla Trailhead or less than a mile from the Seaton Creek Campground.
  • Solitude: 2 – Accessibility often means lots of nearby traffic, but this is a little insulated from the main trail and if you go at the right time you shouldn’t see many passers by.
  • Comfort: 3 – Soft and shaded if you decide to camp beneath the pines.
  • Coolness: 1.5 – There’s something about the sound of rolling water as you drift off to sleep.

Of Note: The Manistee River Trail begins near Mesick, MI and follows the river south, running along its eastern banks. Bring your fishing pole. At the south end you can use the Red Bridge to cross the river and join the North Country Trail. Turn north and hike above the river and back to where you started for a nice weekend loop. I camped here in October in a summer sleeping back and woke up at 3 am to rub some feeling back into my toes.

Gear Review: The Hiking Project App

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When I’m in the backcountry I have my phone in airplane mode. This is for a couple of reasons. 1) I use it to take photos, and in airplane mode my battery will last for at least a few days since it is not constantly trying to find a signal. 2) I don’t want to be disturbed with texts, emails, and calls. I’m out there to forget about that stuff. So when I read that the Hiking Project allowed you to follow your location while in airplane mode, I went out to give it a try.

I’ve used the app before for trip planning. It has a nice elevation map that is synced with the 3D view so as you scroll along your trail of interest in the satellite view, the location moves on the elevation map as well, showing you how the trail elevation changes at each point and how far you’ve traveled or have to go. You can download maps by state, allowing you to save memory for only those areas you are interested in. Also, you can search for a trail by name or by browsing the map.

The problem when using some hiking apps when you are out hiking is that you need a good signal, and even if you can get a good signal, your battery will likely drain quickly while keeping that signal. The Hiking Project app uses witchcraft, black magic or some other technology like built-in GPS so that a phone signal is not needed for tracking.

Before you hit the trail and while you still have a phone signal, open up the app and load the maps in the area you plan to hike. Then you are ready to go into airplane mode. I tried this on some local trails, turned my phone to airplane mode, and went for a hike. I was able to follow my progress and see when I was getting off the trail. I turned my phone off and then back on, still in airplane mode, and it continued to track accurately.

I then took it on a real test in the Sage Creek Wilderness Area of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. There was not an actual blazed trail to follow, but someone had tracked the loop they had done and loaded it into the app. Not being familiar with the area, I wanted to stay fairly close the this person’s “trail”. I hit the trailhead in airplane mode at 8am, and it worked well, but by the afternoon it was apparent that my battery was draining faster than if I was only taking pictures. Not as fast as if it were trying to find a phone signal, but it was clear it wouldn’t last for the 3 day hike. By the time we stopped for camp at around 6:30 my battery was down to around 25%.

On day two the navigation became much more challenging, but I used my phone sparingly, pulling it up only occasionally to verify our location. In early afternoon I decided to charge my phone using the small solar charger I had brought. But I realized I had left my phone charger in the car at the trailhead. Doh! Later in the afternoon my phone went dead for the remainder of the trip.

The blue dot shows your location even in airplane mode.

Summary:

Pros: Great free app for following a trail or going off trail, even without a phone signal. Allows you to trace your path, and then load upload it to the app along with photos. Allows you to scroll along the trail to see elevation changes, or how far you have come or have yet to go.

Cons: Even in airplane mode, it does drain your battery more quickly than if you were not using the app. So take a back up charger if you are going for more than a day. Or better yet, use a map and compass as your primary navigation, and the app as occasional verification.