The benefits of tracking hikes

Andy from the http://www.mountainsafety.co.uk/ website asked me to jot down a few words for the site about the benefits of tracking your hikes, so here goes (This post can also be seen at http://www.mountainsafety.co.uk/Nav-GPS-Tracking.aspx)...

GPS Tracking

With easily available, non-costly, current technology it is possible to use GPS data to track your hikes and share your track with others, both live and after you have finished. There are a variety of methods but here, I will outline those that I use. 

Using Viewranger mapping software (an excellent way of using digital Ordnance Survey maps whilst out in the hills) on a smartphone, you can set it to record a track of where you have walked. Once in record mode, a line is recorded on your digital map showing fairly accurately where you have been, including time, speed and height data. When you finish, you are left with a detailed 'track' of where you have been. This can by uploaded to the Viewranger website and shared with people that way, but my preference is to export the track in .gpx format and save it separately on my phone. 

Using file manager software (I use ES File Explorer on my Android handset) it is then possible to upload the .gpx file to track sharing services. Popular sports tracker websites like Endomondo can handle this, but my favourite for sharing your adventure is Social Hiking (+Social Hiking - Share Your Adventure on Google+). An uploaded track adds fine detail to a tracked hike and more accurately locates any linked media on the underlying map.

Once uploaded to your preferred sharing site, the .gpx file can be deleted. Or if you're like me, you can archive it for potential use. I currently save them in Dropbox but you can use any of the cloud servers or just leave it on the drive of your device.

What I have mentioned above relates to tracking and sharing your hike after your have finished. You can also share your location and live track whilst you're out and about. Again, there are a number of ways of doing this. I shall tell you how I do it.

Sharing your track live

Software like Viewranger has the facility to send live location updates. Viewranger 'beacons' can be set to upload to their server at various intervals. These can be viewed live by other people through their 'buddybeacon' feature, but I prefer to use Social Hiking to share my location and track. You can set up your account on Social Hiking to obtain your live location from Viewranger.  The beauty of doing this is that people can see where you are at the time (there is a small delay so your reported location may not be exact) and interact with you via social media as you progress.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to live track using Viewranger when you're out of mobile phone coverage (although beacons that couldn't be sent can be saved and sent later when you are in coverage). If you're off in the wilds then a satellite device such as a SPOT is required to send your location. I have a SPOT Connect which sends a location beacon every 10 minutes via the satellite network. Social Hiking can then pick those beacons up from the SPOT Adventures website and share my location and track wherever I am. SPOT also has an 'SOS' emergency button that can be used to summon assistance should the worst happen. 

Crinkle Crags from Langdale

It's half term and we're in the Lakes for a week. This is my first blogged hike :-)

Tuesday's hike was the Crinkle Crags from Langdale - a route we were weathered off in October, turning back at Great Knott due to strong winds and heavy snow. 

Starting from the National Trust car park (free for NT members) next to the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel (NY286060) we took the road up to the farm at Stool End (NY276056) and continued west up the track into Oxendale. We disregarded the path to the right leading up to The Band (our planned return route) and when the path forked again (NY271052) we crossed the stream using the footbridge and started a diagonal ascent south towards Browney Gill. 

The path up Browney Gill is well made, albeit steep with a few challenging bits. We crossed the snowline somewhere near the 300m contour, giving us hard packed snow and ice to contend with. Four season boots for me and micro spikes for Kirsty saw us safely up to Red Tarn for lunch part 1 at the path junction (NY266039). 

Turning west, our path continued to ascend towards Great Knott. As we climbed, a number of superb views presented themselves. A picture speaks a thousand words so I will let the photographs speak for themselves.

Red Tarn and Wetherlam from the path towards Great Knott

Pike o Blisco and Red Tarn from near Great Knott

Wetherlam and The Old Man of Coniston from near Great Knott

Langdale from the first Crinkle

Approaching the Crinkles, the path swings northwards. We were soon into the sequence of climbs and descents that takes you over the five tops that make up the Crinkle Crags. To quote Alf Wainwright: 

"This ridge is a fell-walker's delight. A constantly changing scene, beautiful and dramatic views, fine situations and an interesting course throughout make this a walk to remember" 

Ascending the second Crinkle heading northwards involves climbing the "Bad Step" (NY249047) - a scramble with a few challenging moves to gain good hand and footholds. Again, to quote Alf: 

"The Bad Step is the most difficult obstacle met on any of the regular walkers' paths in Lakeland" 

Thankfully for us in winter conditions, the Bad Step was free of ice and snow for my scramble up and the cut away route to the west easy to take by following the footsteps of others by Kirsty.

We had lunch part 2 on Long Top, just to the west of the main route, where we could soak up the fine views of Sca Fell and Scafell Pike whilst enjoying sandwiches, jelly babies and coffee.

The Scafells and Bow Fell panorama

Moving northwards over the remaining Crinkles and descending towards Three Tarns (NY248060) saw the path covered by deep, hard packed snow. Crampons on, this posed no problems but care would have been needed with naked boots. Our arrival at Three Tarns was marked by the crisscrossing footprints of others as the tarns must have been iced up and covered over by snow - a wet surprise for someone off route?! 

Bow Fell and the Three Tarns saddle panorama

Turning east at Three Tarns, we descended The Band, an uneventful descent all the way back to the farm at Stool End. From there, it was a saunter along the road back to the Old Dungeon Ghyll, where a pint of something pleasant awaited us ;-) 

Distance: 12.5 km or 8.5 miles
Ascent: 860 m or 2,900 ft
Time taken: 6:45 (we stopped lots!)

My first blog on my own blog!

Hello!

I have never been a blogger. In fact, I have previously looked on blogging as something a little sad - like sitting at home writing a diary instead of going out and doing stuff?! So what changed? I wrote a guest post for the Social Hiking blog about how I got into hiking and how I use social media and digital mapping to enhance my experiences in the outdoors. A friend who works for OS picked up on that post and asked if they could feature it on the Ordnance Survey Blog. Suddenly it wasn't so sad anymore! ;-)

So: what is the purpose of this blog? I spend a reasonable amount of time in the outdoors and have lots of routes and experiences that I could share. My friend at OS has been encouraging (nagging?) me to write up some of the walks I have done to feature on the Ordnance Survey website. This blog is where I intend to initially publish these routes. Of course, I intend to use Social Hiking maps as part of doing that ;-)