The Guthook trick that saved my ass on the JMT last summer

I was sick of guessing water sources and hauling extra weight. Then I figured out you can download the offline maps AND mark your own waypoints on the phone app before you lose signal. Has anyone else used this to plan dry camps better?

3 comments

3 Comments

colesanchez2mo ago

Did you also find the offline map download saved your phone battery way more than expected lol?

jenkins.wade2mo ago

Oh man, I dunno if I'd call it a "trick" that saved my ass lol. Pretty sure marking waypoints on an app before you leave service is just basic planning, not some secret hack. But hey, if it helps you sleep better at night knowing exactly where every creek is, knock yourself out I guess.

sageburns26d ago

Wait, does anyone else notice that marking waypoints like that actually messes with your sense of direction long term? I used to do the same thing and then realized I stopped paying attention to landmarks or the sun. @colesanchez you brought up battery life but I think the bigger hidden cost is how it changes your brain out there. Some of my best trips got better when I forced myself to just wander without my phone on at all.