The next time you go on a hike, don’t forget the essentials: your water, snacks, a jacket for when it gets colder, and a smartphone loaded up with your favourite walking app.
A walking app like the one from Visorando is not just useful for tracking your jaunts around the neighborhood or how many steps you take on the way to work, it is also a very useful hiking companion. Here are a few reasons why you should be using a walking app the next time you get ready for a hike. If you’re taking your phone for photos anyway, why not cue up your favorite walking app?
Plan Your Hiking Routes Better
The days of difficult-to-read (and even more difficult-to-fold) hiking maps are long gone. You don’t have to pour over barely legible routes to figure out how to get up a mountain and back down again thanks to walking apps. Many apps come with information about established routes in the area as well as user-generated routes and tips for the best way to go.
With the walking app on your phone, you won’t have to worry about missing out on the best hiking route again.
Track the Distances You Traveled
Part of the joy of going on a hike is the feeling of satisfaction when you realize how far you hiked and how far you pushed your body. With a walking app, you can track all of that information in real time. Even the simplest walking apps will track the distance you hiked and how many steps you walked. More sophisticated applications will even calculate the elevation you gained and how many calories you burned.
If you are serious about keeping track of your fitness goals or want to see your progress as you become a more experienced hiker, the tracking function in a hiking app is very useful.
Save the Routes That You Did
In a walking app, you can save all the routes that you hiked while using the application, which is useful for a few reasons. One, you never have to worry about not being able to find the entrance to your favorite trail again if you have it saved into your application.
Looking back at your routes, even for trails that you don’t plan on revisiting, is also fun because you can revisit old memories and see how your routes got longer and more challenging as you became stronger.
Share Your Hiking Adventures with Friends
Part of the fun of going hiking is sharing that you went on a beautiful hike with those who were not so lucky via photos shared online. You can go even further, thanks to walking apps, by sharing your exact route with friends! Many walking apps have a social aspect so friends can look at your challenging, rewarding route with envy once you’re done.
On your next hike, your walking app will be an invaluable accessory and guide.