Backpacker.com has updated their GPS Trails Android app. The new version has higher resolution photos, more trails, and a streamlined interface. You can download GPS Trails Pro from the Android market. It's free if you downloaded the previous version, otherwise $4.99.
Jennifer Davis, an Asheville hiker and author broke the speed running record this weekend by completing the 2,181 mile long Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. She broke her previous record set in 2008 of 57 days, 8 hours and 35 minutes, and also broke the male record, set by Andrew Thompson in 2005 of 47 days 13 hours 31 minutes. So let's see, that's 1,115 hours total and just short of two miles per hour total. Or, that's ~46 miles per day average. That's just crazy. Congratulations. Be interesting to find out just what kind of gear she was carrying...
Backpacker.com recently released an app for finding and posting hikes. There are quite a few other backpacking apps available for Android now at the Android Market. You can download the US Army Survival Guide for free. It's arranged like a book with embedded videos on everything from making a fire to foraging for food. Another app called Backcountry Navigator costs $10 but it turns your phone into a full fledged GPS including downloading trips, creating tracks and waypoints, etc. My Tracks is another free app that shows where you've hiked, you're speed, and elevation changes. And, I can't help but point out Gram Weenie, a tool to track and calculate the weight for your backpacking gear. It's like Clever Backpacker, but a simpler version for your phone. The advantages and disadvantages of taking a phone backpacking is best left for another day, but these apps can make backpacking safer and easier.
Backpacker Magazine has released an app for viewing trails and recording your own. The GPS Trails Lite app lets you take advantage of the GPS features of your phone to navigate over 3500 trails downloaded from their site, and record and post your own. You can view maps, navigate with a digital compass, and take photos of your hike. Use it in remote places where you don't have a signal, and it will save your data to post later when you do. Their app will also calculate calories, speed, distance, and elevation for you. I'm not lucky enough to have a phone that will support this yet, but it seems like a cool use of the technology. They are currently offering a Lite version that is free and US oriented, or a $9.99 version with more features including trails from around the world.