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The Out and Back Podcast Releases Episode 3 with Backcountry Navigation Expert Andrew Skurka

by Mary Cochenour June 11, 2020

written by Mary Cochenour

Episode 3 of the Out and Back podcast releases today with a lesson on backcountry navigation from backpacking expert and guide Andrew Skurka. Known as an authority on traditional map and compass navigation, Skurka started his long-distance hiking career in 2002 when he completed the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail as a novice backpacker. From there, Skurka took his hiking status to the next level by laying down first tracks on three enormous, untouched routes in America.

Through those thousands of miles of solo hiking, Skurka has become a master at finding his way in the wilderness. Listen in on Episode 3 as Skurka takes us through his unusual progression of long-distance hiking, from the well-worn path of the AT to these high-risk, high-mileage adventures. In the process, Skurka also touches on the multiple high routes he’s created in recent years, what he carries in his backcountry navigation kit, and the one, simple concept that everyone can do to stay found in the backcountry.

Backpacker Andrew Skurka standing on a ridge above a wide valley in Alaska's Brooks Range. — Andrew Skurka in the Brooks Range, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

Episode 3: Adventurer Andrew Skurka Talks Backcountry Navigation

After hiking the Appalachian Trail as a beginner backpacker during his college years, Andrew Skurka wanted to expand his backcountry skill set. Rather than embarking on the next long-trail classic, like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Continental Divide Trail, Skurka discovered the never-been-done-before 7,700-mile Sea to Sea route and he quickly jumped on board. The Sea to Sea took him on a cultural journey from the Canadian eastern sea board, through America’s lonely plains of North Dakota and Montana, and across to the Pacific.

Two years later, in 2007, Skurka set out on the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop, connecting the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails with an amalgamation of side routes. This long trip through the West’s highest mountain ranges became an athletic feat for Skurka, who averaged 33 miles per day to finish the entire loop in just 208 days.

The next trip, though shorter in length than the other two at 4,679 miles, brought high-stakes adventure through the Alaskan wilderness and Canada’s Yukon territory. Over the course of six months, Skurka paddled alone down glacier-fed rivers, encountered grizzly bears, and skied over frozen swampland. At one point, Skurka traveled 615 miles without encountering another human.

The cover of Andrew Skurka's book The Ultimate Hikers Gear Guide.

“There was this constant uncertainty, where you wake up in the morning and you’re not actually convinced that you were going to have dinner that night.” Skurka said of his Alaska expedition. “That got old and it wore on me.“

Skurka recounts how he came out of that Alaska trip “still hustling and living on crumbs” but ready to try making a career out of his adventures. He started a robust blog on all things backpacking, wrote the Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide published by National Geographic, designed a handful of high routes, and started a guiding business.

Skurka reveals his super-simple method of teaching backcountry navigation to his clients, explaining how he uses both digital and paper maps and why he doesn’t teach triangulation in his courses. He also points out his favorite watch and compass and reveals what piece of gear that he’s been happy with for most of his hiking career. Skurka, though just shy of turning 40 years old, describes himself as firmly in the “old-timer camp,” reminding us that while he has been backpacking for almost 20 years it’s the miles that distill into experience and wisdom.

Tune in as he discusses the navigator’s story, what’s in his navigation kit, and the overall flavor of his guided trips.

Episode 3: Highlights with Andrew Skurka

3:25: Skurka’s first backpacking experience on the Appalachian Trail.
5:10: Why Skurka did not attack the normal Triple Crown progression but instead selected to embark on three never-before-hiked mega-adventures.
8:10: Skurka’s Alaska-Yukon adventure involved skiing, packrafting, and hiking.
9:10: The appeal of long-distance backpacking for Skurka is learning and expanding his skill set.
11:55: The Alaska trip made Skurka uncomfortable for 180 days, wondered if he would make it to dinner each day.
13:00: Skurka was living on crumbs, and that lifestyle reached an expiration date for him.
14:20: Skurka describes his guided trips, focusing on the education of backcountry skills.
16:00: Skurka says navigation is one of the most important backpacking skills, and definitely the most liberating.
17:25: The different grades of navigational competency.
18:20: Skurka describes the number one navigational mistake.
18:30: The navigational story is how Skurka teaches his clients to navigate in the backcountry.
21:40: Learn what’s inside Skurka’s backcountry navigation kit.
24:15: Reading the landscape in Alaska.
26:20: Paper maps versus digital maps, find out how Skurka uses both.
31:10: Skurka’s favorite compass and watch from Suunto, but not everyone needs an expensive one.
38:15: Skurka describes the high routes of the American west.
50:00 Skurka shines a light on that one piece of gear that’s been with him throughout almost his whole hiking career.

Next Episode: Long Distance Adventurer Daniel White, the Blackalachian

The next episode of the Out and Back podcast brings Blue Ridge Outdoors 2020 Hiker of the Year Daniel White. Known as the Blackalachian in the outdoor community, White tackled his first thru-hike in 2017 when he turned to the Appalachian Trail to get away from a bad break up and burn out at his job. Having never been hiking or camping before, White planned to walk for two months and return home to North Carolina. But when the time came to quit, White kept going and finished the 2,190-mile trail in six months.

After the AT, White has kept his roster full of unique adventures of more cultural import, including bike touring from Alabama to Canada on the Underground Railroad Trail, hiking across Scotland, and trekking the Camino Del Norte, a pilgrimage route along the Northern Coast of Spain.

Close -up of Daniel White known by his trail name the Blackalachian giving the peace sign with green rolling hills in the background. — Long-distance hiker and biker Daniel White, widely-known in the outdoor community as the Blackalachian.

In this episode, the Blackalachian recounts the ups and downs of his AT completion, touching on his experience as one of the few Black hikers he saw on the trail that year. Experiencing both friendship and instances of racism, the Blackalachian discusses how he emerged from the AT wilderness in search of a more culturally infused adventure. To accomplish this goal, the Blackalachian took up bicycle touring and peddled from Alabama to Canada on the Underground Railroad Trail, retracing the secret route that led slaves to freedom in the early-to-mid 19th century.

Since then, the Blackalachian has continued to seek out stories of history in the wild, hiking the Camino del Norte and a route across Scotland, recalling that one of his favorites parts of the trip involved meeting all the townspeople. A true adventurer, a history buff, and a dedicated solo traveler, the Blackalachian shows us that the journey forward is made by the people met along the way. Tune in on June 24 to hear the full story.

Tap into the Blackalachian’s YouTube channel to learn more about his trips. Get exclusive content from the Blackalachian on Patreon. Follow the Blackalachian on Instagram and Facebook.

Last Episode: The Real Hiking Viking

The Real Hiking Viking standing on top of the Forester Pass trail sign on the Pacific Crest Trail with blue skies in the background.

Drop in on our last episode with Thomas Gathman, known on trail as the Real Hiking Viking. Known for his gnarly beard and fun-seeking attitude, Viking served two combat tours in Iraq and one of those as a Marine Scout Sniper before stumbling into full-time hiking on America’s long trails.

Out and Back’s Episode 2 dives into Viking’s journey from sniper to pro hiker. Viking also recounts his recent efforts, including a trip to the Middle East to thru-hike Jordan and recovery from a knee injury. Viking also lets us in on which of the three classic thru-hike trails taught him to love wilderness adventure and why he’s dying to get back out there.

Best of all, Viking, in usual gregarious and free-spirited style, reminds us in this episode why hiking is so much fun, and why there can never be too much trail time for all of us. Follow the Real Hiking Viking on Instagram. View all Out and Back episodes here.

Meet the Host of the Out and Back Podcast: Andrew “Shanty” Baldwin

Out and Back podcast host Andrew Baldwin with a frosty beard on the Appalachian Trail.

In 2019, host Andrew Baldwin completed a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. After five months on the trail, Baldwin returned home to pursue a career in voice acting. A friend of the Gaia GPS company, Baldwin was a natural choice for hosting the Out and Back podcast.

In each Out and Back episode, Shanty strives to bring you conversations with people who spend an extraordinary amount of time outdoors. Listen in as Shanty taps into each backcountry expert’s superpower so that you can take their knowledge and experience with you on your next adventure.

June 11, 2020

Veteran hikers walking across a mountain meadow

Adventures Gaia GPS

Wilderness Therapy Programs for Veterans Remain on Hold

by Dain Pascocello May 14, 2020

written by Dain Pascocello

For many veterans, leaving the battlefield has led to blazing a new trail into wilderness therapy. Nonprofit organizations like Warrior Expeditions, Huts for Vets, and Veterans Expeditions offer wilderness adventures in thru-hiking, camping, and kayaking to service members who are hoping to heal and challenge themselves in the outdoors. Now, however, these veteran participants find themselves on uncertain terrain, facing canceled trips and summer schedules left in limbo by Covid-19.

“Next week we would have been kicking off the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in North Carolina. We are hopeful that by July we can resume operations and will then kick off our three-month [hikes],“ said Sean Gobin, executive director of Warrior Expeditions.

Gobin is a Marine Corps vet who hiked the Appalachian Trail end to end after being discharged in 2012, following two tours of duty in Iraq. The four-and-a-half-month journey inspired him to start the non-profit Warrior Expeditions, which offers thru-hikes and long-distance expeditions for veterans.

Walk off the War with Warrior Expeditions

A man holding a cattle dog and smiling. — *Admiring an Appalachian view with trail dog “Olive.” Photo credit: Warrior Expeditions Facebook*

Based near the Shenandoah National Forest and its 101-mile portion of the Appalachian Trail, Warrior Expeditions trains and outfits veterans for long trips on the trail. The program caters to men and women participants, from older hikers with service in the Vietnam War to more recent combat veterans like Gobin. Participants sign up for long-distance journeys through the rugged beauty of the Pacific Crest Trail’s Cascade Mountains, the Continental Divide Trail crossed by Captain Meriwether Lewis in 1805, and more.

Veteran hikers have reported benefits to their physical and mental health along the way in what Gobin sees as “walking off the war,” a phrase borrowed from World War II veteran Earl Shaffer, who backpacked the Appalachian Trail in 1948, becoming the first person to hike its 2,193-mile length from Georgia to Maine in a single season.

This year was off to a good start, with Warrior Expeditions leading a hike in January around the cypress-lined lakes of the Florida Trail. The organization then sent a group out on an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. A week into the trip, however, Warrior Expeditions had no choice but to send its trailblazers home. Warrior Expeditions’ trips have been on pause ever since.

Gobin said he remains hopeful that wilderness therapy trips will resume in July to October, and beyond.

“The future for Warrior Expeditions is to maintain steady-state operations with the 10 long-distance trails we currently support,” Gobin said.

Warrior Expeditions is just one of the more than 45,000 nonprofits dedicated to helping veterans, an estimated 83 percent of whom live with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other combat-related injuries. A small percentage of these nonprofits offer peer-to-peer outdoor therapies such as fishing, hunting, hiking, backpacking, and kayaking, which promote healthier outcomes through a sense of achievement, according to a study with Outward Bound veterans. In 2018, a three-month-long pilot program examined group hiking trips for combat veterans and found equally encouraging results. In recent years, wilderness therapy organizations for veterans have blossomed.

Huts for Vets Program Focuses on Easing Transition to Civilian Life

a man mountain biking on a trail. — *A Veterans Expeditions mountain biker on a weekend trip with the group in Salida, Colorado. Photo credit: Veterans Expeditions Instagram*

Since 2013, Huts for Vets has provided a selected group of active-duty and veteran service members with about seven expenses-paid hiking and camping trips a year, from June to September. Designed for those experiencing PTSD symptoms, Huts for Vets’ multi-day trips lead 10 to 12 participants on hikes. Each day ends at a 10th Mountain Division hut deep in Colorado’s high country. After spending all day in the wilderness, participants share a communal meal and bed down in bunks among the mountain’s Engelmann spruce and bristlecone. This communal, unconventional approach in a tranquil setting encourages psychological healing among participants and eases the transition back into civilian life.

Huts for Vets’ summer programming remains on hold while stay-at-home orders and quarantines persist. Erik Villasenor, an Army infantry veteran and Huts for Vets guide, has turned to mountain biking and hiking on trails close to his Rifle, Colorado home as a way to maintain his connection to the outdoors. Those daily trips keep him satisfied for now but fall short of the benefits he’s received in Huts for Vets.

“I’m really missing that view from Margy’s [Hut] right now,” said Villasenor, recalling his visit to the mountaintop cabin named for former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s wife. “I’m looking forward to seeing those faces and helping my fellow veterans, male and female. That has been something that has been therapeutic in itself.”

Veterans Expeditions Focuses on Building Community

a three-picture collage of ice climbers — *VetEx has run ice-climbing trips in New Hampshire, Montana, Colorado, and Michigan for veterans looking to reach new heights. Photo credit: Veterans Expeditions Facebook*.

Camaraderie and community are key components of veteran wilderness therapy treatments.

Veteran Scott Partan sits on the board of Veterans Expeditions, a nationwide organization that offers outdoor therapy trips to more than 700 yearly participants from its hub in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley. After Veterans Expeditions put its trips on hold this spring, Partan took to snowboarding in the mountains near his Colorado home. These outings keep him connected to the outdoors during quarantine but leave Partan missing a crucial aspect of the outdoor therapy curriculum — community.

“This is therapy for me. It helps to keep me centered and dealing with stuff,” Partan said. “Yes, I can still get out and snowboard, but it’s missing the community … that comes with VetEx.”

With no whitewater rafting and biking trips to lead for Veterans Expeditions, Partan said he’s re-learning how to “hurry up and wait” — just like his days in uniform.

Wilderness Therapy Programs Remain Ready

All three organizations, Warrior Expeditions, Huts for Vets, and Veterans Expeditions, continue to plan trips and remain at the ready for when parks and travel open up again.

In the meantime, these organizations are encouraging veterans to find fresh air to hold them steady through the isolation of quarantine.

“We want veterans to get out. The outdoors can be … a coping mechanism,” Warrior Expeditions’ Gobin said. “Being in the outdoors is free and accessible — the only side effect is wanting to go out more.”

For a list of VA-approved veteran programs and services, search the National Resource Directory. Veterans hoping to visit federal parks and recreational sites around the country will have to wait to obtain their America the Beautiful Pass entitling them to free access to over 2,000 locations nationwide. To search the status of a national park in your state, visit the National Park Service’s website. Visitors to all other recreation areas should plan ahead by reviewing updated reopening announcements for their state here.

May 14, 2020

Company News Featured Gaia GPS Out and Back Podcast

The Out and Back Podcast Kicks Off with Record-Setting Thru-Hiker Heather Anderson

by Mary Cochenour May 5, 2020

written by Mary Cochenour

The Out and Back podcast debuts today, bringing you conversations with people who spend an extraordinary amount of time outdoors. Listen in as host and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Andrew “Shanty” Baldwin dives in deep with long-distance hikers, record-breaking athletes, and a family of offroad travelers who sold everything to live full-time on the dusty backroads.

The Out and Back podcast drops every other week, featuring guests who have mastered their craft, like backcountry navigation expert Andrew Skurka and pro hiker Thomas Gathman, known on the trail as the Real Hiking Viking. In every show, Shanty goes one-on-one, tapping into each backcountry expert’s superpower so you can take their experience and knowledge with you on your next adventure.

The series launches with Heather “Anish” Anderson who spells out the complex set of factors that drove her to accomplish speed records on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Arizona Trail, as well as become one of a handful of athletes to nab all three of America’s long trails, some 7,500+ miles of hiking, in a single calendar year. In this episode, learn how Anderson faced her fear head-on to finally convince herself that she is indeed an athlete.

Episode 1: Heather “Anish” Anderson on Confronting Fear to Break the PCT and AT Speed Records

Growing up, Heather Anderson harbored a pipe dream to break an athletic record or compete in the Olympics. But as a self-described overweight and un-athletic kid who didn’t do sports, those dreams seemed completely out of reach.

“It was so audaciously outside of my capacity,” Anderson told Shanty in the Out and Back podcast. “It’s the perfect daydream — something I’ll never be able to achieve.”

Yet fueled by a powerful mix of self-doubt and something to prove, Anderson submitted herself to unimaginable sufferfests, handily smashing speed records on two of America’s iconic long trails. In 2013, Anderson completed the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail in an impressive 60 days — outpacing the previous record-holder by four days. Two years later she set a new record on the Appalachian Trail, walking 2,189 miles in 54 days. Anderson’s success championed ordinary people everywhere by daring to transform herself from an academically inclined bookworm into an elite athlete, seemingly overnight.

Heather Anderson hiking in through a leaf covered forest.

And she didn’t stop there. After claiming the PCT and AT records, Anderson went on to set the speed record for the 800-mile Arizona Trail and continued to lay down a series of “firsts” in the thru-hiking arena. In 2018, Anderson became the first woman to complete the Triple Triple Crown, meaning she hiked the AT, PCT, and the Continental Divide Trail three times each. She also grabbed the title of the first woman to hike those trails in a single calendar year, earning the coveted Calendar Year Triple Crown, a feat previously accomplished by a handful of male athletes.

In Out and Back’s premiere episode, Anderson explains what inspired her in her journey from her first overnight backpack trip in 2001 to thru-hiking some 30,000 miles over the last 19 years. Anderson talks about the very real post-hike depression that she and other thru-hikers experience after re-entering society following months on the trail. She describes how journaling helped her process the grief that overcame her after claiming the fastest known time on the PCT, and how those journals formed the basis of her book Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, (Mountaineers Books).

Anderson also spills the beans on the one luxury item she added to her backpack in recent years, the “sappy” thing that colored her Calendar Year Triple Crown hike, and her new book Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail (Mountaineers Books) about her fastest known time hike on the AT in 2015. Her new book is scheduled to print in 2021.

Check out Anderson’s website for an autographed copy of her book Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, which chronicles her record-setting accomplishment on the PCT. Inspiring and authentic, the book highlights Anderson’s background as an un-coordinated kid with big athletic dreams, and how she immersed herself in nature to fill a void of self-doubt within her.

Find and follow Heather “Anish” Anderson on Instagram.
Get her gear lists for all of her famous trips here.

Episode 1 Highlights

2:25: Anderson’s list of accomplishments
7:35: Different categories of fastest known times
9:35: Anderson discusses the writing process for her book Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home
12:09: Anderson talks about post-hike depression and the COVID-19 lockdown
18:10: Anderson reveals her offseason training routine and taking up a new sport
24:40: Anderson talks about her route plan on the Calendar Year Triple Crown
27:20: How Flyin’ Brian Robinson inspired her to do the Calendar Year Triple Crown
29:00: Anderson’s super sappy yet sweet story on the very first day of the Calendar Year Triple Crown trip
32:20: The unique Barkley Marathons, and Anderson’s four attempts
42:57: Don’t let fear stand in the way of following your dreams
51:47: Anderson’s all-time favorite trail food
52:46: The one luxury item that Anderson recently added to her pack

Next on Episode 2: From Sniper to Professional Hiker, the Real Hiking Viking, Thomas Gathman

Thomas Gathman, known on the trail as the Real Hiking Viking, is so much more than his iconic, long-flowing beard. Viking served two combat tours in Iraq, one as a Marine Scout Sniper, before inadvertently stumbling into full-time hiking on America’s long trails.

*The Real Hiking Viking on top of the Forester Pass trail sign on the Pacific Crest Trail.*

You won’t want to miss Out and Back’s Episode 2 as Viking talks about his transition from sniper to pro hiker. Viking also recounts his recent hiking efforts, including a trip to the Middle East to thru-hike Jordan, a bailout on Andrew Skurka’s burly Wind River High Route, and recovery from a recent knee injury.

Viking, in usual gregarious and fun-loving style, reminds us why hiking is so much fun, and why there can never be too much trail time for all of us.

Follow the Real Hiking Viking on Instagram.

May 5, 2020

Andrew Baldwin stands on a rocky outcropping on the AT trail and is overlooking a valley

Adventures Featured Gaia GPS

Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Leads to New Direction in Life

by Joe Pasteris May 5, 2020

written by Joe Pasteris

Warning: This story may inspire you to blaze your own trail on the AT, but before you make any plans be sure to check in with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for current trail closures and policy related to COVID-19.

Last July, Andrew Baldwin set out southbound on the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail with the goal of gaining clarity and focus after a year of living in constant motion on the road.

Many would call it the dream life, with Baldwin quitting his nine-to-five job in the insurance industry, selling the house, and traveling the country with his wife, Ashli, in their self-sufficient Toyota 4Runner and R-Pod 180 trailer. The seasons passed and they put on thousands of miles, vagabonding to beautiful places like Colorado, the desert southwest, and the Cascade Mountains in Oregon.

Andrew Baldwin and his large dog sit in front of the R-Pod Trailer that he and his wife lived in for a year. — Baldwin and his wife spent a year living on the road in their R-Pod trailer.

But the longer they traveled, the more unsettled Baldwin felt. A struggle with self-doubt and depression slowly crept in as Baldwin and his wife wandered from one place to the next.

“I didn’t feel like I was doing much of value,” Baldwin said. “I wasn’t enjoying anything, even though we were doing something really cool. I wasn’t appreciating it.”

On a solo hike to Weaver’s Needle in Arizona’s Superstition Wilderness Area, the answer to Baldwin’s situation came to him — a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

“Just being out in nature, I realized that an AT thru-hike was something I really needed,” Baldwin said. “I knew I needed to have some sort of personal growth experience.”

Appalachian Trail route pictured on Gaia GPS map

The Appalachian Trail

And just like that, Baldwin committed himself to the AT, hiking through 14 states with an elevation gain and loss equivalent to climbing Mount Everest from sea level and back again, 16 times over. And, although hundreds of miles shorter than the Pacific Crest Trail, the AT is often deemed more difficult because of the ruggedness and steepness of the path.

Andrew Baldwin sitting on a ledge overlooking a forest.

Adding to the challenge, Baldwin looked at the maps and decided on a southbound hike, which is the more isolating, less popular direction to take on the AT. Last year, in an annual survey of AT thru-hikers, only three percent of survey respondents hiked southbound on the AT, while 86 percent hiked northbound and 14 percent flipped in different sections.

Southbound on the AT begins with the most difficult climb of the whole trek — 5,267-foot Mount Katahdin. After that, hikers tackle two of the toughest states on the trail, Maine and New Hampshire, before getting their hiking legs in shape.

“I chose to go southbound because July was the soonest I could get back to the east to start the trip, and because I really wanted to challenge myself,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin knew the challenges of the AT because Ashli had thru-hiked the AT in 2014. Plus, growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the AT was not far from his back door.

“I remember in the backpacking chapter of my Boy Scout handbook there was a page that showed a picture of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail,” Andrew said. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, there’s a trail that goes all the way from Georgia to Maine?’”

As a kid, Baldwin never imagined he’d walk from Georgia to Maine, but yet, here he was at age 32 about to embark on the journey of his lifetime: Maine to Georgia.

Andrew Baldwin hiking on a single track trail high above treellne.

Maine to Georgia

Going southbound, Baldwin relied on Gaia GPS on his phone for most of his navigational needs on the thru-hike. He downloaded the NatGeo Appalachian Trail map as his main map source because it provided crucial thru-hiking details, including a clear picture of the exact location of the main trail, side trails, campsites, water sources, fire restrictions, highways, and shelter information for the whole distance of the hike.

Downloading the map allowed Baldwin to run his phone on airplane mode throughout his five-month trip, conserving the phone’s battery and getting several days of use before a recharge.

A National Geographic map of Mount Katahdin.

“It was really helpful to be able to see my exact location on the map, and not have to guess how far away the next shelter, water source, or resupply was,” Baldwin said.

In addition to Gaia GPS, Baldwin carried a paper copy of The A.T. Guide, commonly known as the “Awol guide” for its author David “Awol” Miller. Those two sources helped Baldwin stay on route the entire way.

The Journey: Lonely Miles, Trail Family, and Spam Singles

Like many AT thru-hikers, Baldwin started his trip alone. Baldwin made friends easily and quickly earned the trail name “Shanty” for singing old-time maritime tunes while he hiked.

Andrew Baldwin carrying a red backpack and looking away from the camera toward a mountain.

On the northern stretch, the different paces and personalities of those he met were never quite right for forming a group. Baldwin mostly made miles alone. During those solo miles, the self-doubt that nudged Baldwin toward the trail in the first place became impossible to ignore.

“The trail amplifies everything. The big moments are amazing moments, but the bad moments are hell,” Baldwin said. “I was in a dark place when I started the trail and I really had to battle that voice.”

Throughout Maine, Baldwin missed his family and questioned why he was even on the trail to begin with. But he knew he had to keep moving, and eventually, those negative thoughts faded with the miles.

“When I climbed Mt. Washington, when I reached the summit, that was when that dark voice went away,” Baldwin said. “And I haven’t heard it since.”

Along the way, Baldwin met fellow southbounders Oracle, Earthshaker, and Dropsey. Each one appeared separately at different points along the trail. Baldwin first hiked with Dropsey for a few days in New Hampshire, then split off by himself and caught up with Earthshaker in Delaware Water Gap on the NewJersey/Pennsylvania border. He met Oracle on his first day in Maryland.

Andrew Baldwin with his trail family. — Dropsey, Oracle, Shanty, and Earthshaker.

All four of them ran into each other in Shenandoah National Park and started hiking together as a group. Within two or three days, Baldwin knew that he finally met his trail family.

“I don’t think I would have gotten nearly as much out of this hike if I didn’t have my trail family,” Baldwin said. “You’re out there for your own reasons, but then to be out there with other people that you can share this incredible, but at the same time miserable, experience with, it’s amazing.”

Two hikers looking away from the camera, at a valley with trees. — Oracle and Dropsey take in the view.

Baldwin’s adventure lasted 148 days with 125 days hiking on trail and 23 zero-mile days spent in town either visiting family or healing an injury and resupplying his food. Baldwin fueled his adventure with a complete thru-hiker diet, which consisted mostly of candy bars, beginning with Snickers and then making the switch to Twix.

“I probably ate 500 candy bars on this trip,” Baldwin said, not exaggerating. “Sometimes I ate five candy bars a day.”

Baldwin ate things and in quantities that he wouldn’t normally eat at home: Pop-Tarts, protein bars, Spam singles, mac and cheese, and ramen.

“My wife bought a dehydrator and sent me resupply packages along the way with her homemade meals,” Baldwin said. “My favorite was this cheesy mac she made with dehydrated beef and onions and pepper. It was a real treat and I looked forward to those the most.”

Baldwin said he tried to keep his pack light but didn’t obsess about the weight. He modified Ashli’s gear list from her thru-hike to fit his needs. Fully loaded with gear, food, and water, Baldwin’s pack topped 30 pounds at the start of the trip. By New Jersey, he learned what ounces to shave and his pack weight dropped to the mid-20s. But, toward the end of the hike, the weather turned and warm clothes for winter travel made his pack heavier again.

Some 400 miles from the end of the trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia, the horse-to-barn feeling set in.

“I could feel the end was near and I really opened it up and cranked out the miles,” Baldwin said.

Andrew Baldwin standing at the end point of the AT trail, holding a fist up in victory. — After five months on the trail, Baldwin completed his AT thru-hike at Springer Mountain, Georgia.

Life After AT

On December 5, 2019, Baldwin reached the trail’s southern-most point in Georgia and emerged with courage and confidence to chase his dreams.

Since his completion of the trail, the Baldwins have moved across the country to Salt Lake City and settled into a house again. Instead of returning to his job in the insurance industry, Baldwin tapped into his creativity and talents to launch his own business as a voice-over artist for audiobooks. He also created his own podcast, the History 10s.

Baldwin’s wife, Ashli, works as Operations Manager for Gaia GPS. When she mentioned to Gaia GPS CEO Andrew Johnson that Baldwin had returned from his thru-hike and was working as a voice-over artist, Johnson proposed that Baldwin host an outdoor podcast for Gaia GPS.

Thus, the Out and Back podcast was born, and Baldwin went to work interviewing interesting people who spend an extraordinary amount of time outside. In each episode, Baldwin draws from his experience on the trail to mine each conversation for that nugget of expert knowledge and experience that listeners can take with them and use on their own backcountry adventures.

Baldwin credits his experience on AT for emboldening him to take this new path in life.

“Looking back on it now, I realize there were times out there that I was soaking wet, freezing cold, really hungry, sore, and covered in bug bites, and I was more miserable than I had ever been in my entire life,” Baldwin recounted. “But without a doubt, the good moments outweighed the bad moments, one hundred to one, especially as my confidence and clarity began to grow.

“The trail helped me in so many ways to become the person I truly wanted to be, and if you think the AT might be a good thing for you to try, I highly recommend it. It might help you in more ways than you know.”

Oracle, Dropsey, and Earthshaker also completed their AT thru-hikes. Although they live in different parts of the country now, Baldwin considers them the closest friends that he has ever had. They keep in touch, almost daily.

Tune into the Out and Back Podcast, hosted by Andrew Baldwin and presented by Gaia GPS.
Follow Andrew Baldwin on Instagram.
Listen to Andrew Baldwin’s The History 10s podcast.

Mary Cochenour contributed to this story.

Have you used Gaia GPS in a unique way or on a wild adventure and want a chance to be featured? Reach out to stories@gaiagps.com with your story.

May 5, 2020

Adventures Company News Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS Welcomes Five New Team Members

by Julien Friedland April 19, 2020

written by Julien Friedland

We’re excited to welcome five new team members to Gaia GPS. Arriving with expertise in marketing, software engineering, and operations, this crew rounds out a team of 27 fully remote employees, spread across 16 states.

With this new round of hires, comes another dose of inspiring stories including both professional accomplishments and outdoor feats. Read on to hear about their experiences thru-hiking thousands of miles, rafting unfamiliar waters, hiking rim-to-rim-to-rim, and solo adventuring.

If you’re interested in future positions at Gaia GPS, we encourage you to sign up for our job alerts.

Jonathan Cohn

Digital Marketing Specialist

Wildest Outdoor Adventure: Rafting through the Grand Canyon with friends was a special adventure. When the trip began at the beginning of December, I had minimal whitewater experience. Three and a half weeks and 280 miles later, I felt at home behind the oars and off-balanced without sand in my hair.

Proudest professional accomplishment: In my first marketing role, I went from being just hired to leading and mentoring a team of seven other marketers in just over two years. Getting to pass down the systems and tricks I had learned was definitely a highlight.

Favorite trail snack: Sweet Cajun Fire Trail Mix has been with me on so many great days. However, I’ve been struggling to find it recently, so I’ll go with my number two – Sour Gummy Worms.

Sasha Heinen

Software Engineer

Sasha sitting on the rim overlooking a canyon

Wildest Outdoor Adventure: Most recently I completed a rim-to-rim-to-rim on the Bass trail system in the Grand Canyon, which doesn’t have a bridge to cross the Colorado River. In the course of the three-day trip, I was paddling across the Colorado, bushwhacking while being sleeted on, and post-holing in two feet of snow on the north rim.

Proudest professional accomplishment: Leading a team to build and ship native iOS and Android mobile applications using cross-platform components written in Rust.

Favorite trail snack: Avocado with key lime and hot sauce, crackers with cheese and jam, or Fritos.

Mary Cochenour

Content Manager

Wildest Outdoor Adventure: My wildest outdoor adventure happened on a three-day wilderness kayak trip on California’s Deer Creek. The water was fast with nonstop class IV and V action. The biggest scare came when an old cowboy appeared out of the shadows at our first night’s camp and pointed a rifle at our faces. We weren’t trespassing, but we put our hands up and begged for mercy. Eventually, the cowboy let us stay and I’ll never forget how happy I was to see our cars at the take-out.

Proudest professional accomplishment: Some of my proudest professional accomplishments have come from my experience as a backpacking guide, helping my clients realize their backcountry goals. Sometimes, it’s teaching more advanced backpackers how to navigate off-trail and other times it’s helping a brand new backpacker learn to shave their pack weight.

Favorite trail snack: Instant miso soup as an appetizer to dinner. So salty good.

Tom Kletzker

Office Manager

Wildest Outdoor Adventure: I solo hiked across southern Utah from Zion National Park to Arches National Park, including the Maze in Canyonlands National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I had never experienced that length of solitude to that degree before. My favorite memories were the petroglyphs on the canyon walls that dated anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 years old.

Proudest professional accomplishment: I created an impact investment fund that helped stabilize economies in developing countries. We designed the fund to reinvest a majority of the profits back into a developing country’s need for water sanitation plants, green energy, hospitals, and other smaller investments.

Favorite trail snack: My wife bakes amazing bread so I’ll pack some of that along with some homemade jelly (jalapeño jelly is the boom) and some cheese.

Courtney Fiala

Software Engineer

Courtney grabbing a tube of apple sauce while hiking.

Wildest outdoor adventure: Towards the end of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, we hiked one day like a marathon: 26.2 miles while only eating food from apple sauce squeeze tubes. At the “finish line,” I scarfed down a bag of spicy Bugles and a soda then immediately realized it didn’t agree with my nearly empty stomach. We spent most of the evening sitting on a highway bridge waving to cars and letting my stomach settle before heading to camp.

Proudest professional accomplishment: I wrote a prototype software system from the ground up that uses neural nets and an RF receiver to determine if anyone is flying a drone in the area. The finished version will be used to protect people in urban areas.

Favorite trail snack: Knorr Spanish rice with two packets of hot sauce and a squeeze of tomato paste split into a couple tortillas.

April 19, 2020

Gaia GPS New Features

Avoid Bug Bites with All-New Bloodsucker Security

by Abby Levene March 30, 2020

written by Abby Levene

Buds, blossoms, baby animals—spring means rebirth. But rebirth also means the rebirth of the most physically and psychologically tormenting time of the year: bug season.

Whether it’s black flies swarming around your head, mosquitoes stabbing your elbows, or horse flies chasing you down the trail, biting flies come in all forms, they are vicious, and they can ruin your adventure.

If you’ve been itching for a solution, we’ve got you covered.

Introducing our brand new, proprietary Bloodsucker Security™. Complete with a Mosquito Forecast map layer, live bug conditions tracking, auto-escape route technology, and a bite prevention alert system, Bloodsucker Security™ is your one-stop shop for making bug season suck a lot less.

Stay Out of Bug Bite Territory with the Mosquito Forecast Map

The easiest way to avoid getting bitten is simply to avoid regions with biting insects. That’s why we created the Mosquito Forecast map overlay. This map taps into data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to provide projected mosquito densities across the world.

Just add the Mosquito Forecast overlay to your favorite basemap such as Gaia Topo or Gaia Overland to get a sense of where mosquitos lie in wait of your juicy flesh. Darker pink shows where mosquito density is highest, while purple shows where mosquitoes are less prevalent. No color on the map means you’re quite literally in the clear.

Whether you’re planning a backpacking trip, an overlanding expedition, or a family trip to a national park, refer to the Mosquito Forecast map to save you, your family, and your friends from the psychological and physical trauma associated with sitting at your campsite getting eaten alive through your sweatpants.

Outrun Blood Suckers with Live Conditions Tracking

Sometimes entering bloodsucker territory is unavoidable. But don’t despair. Use our live conditions tracking to see real-time mosquito density. Based on your speed, wind, time of day, and bug density, our smart algorithm will tell you exactly how fast you have to move to avoid getting eaten alive.

Hiking with a heavy pack and/or small children and can’t move fast enough? Don’t ditch them on the trail. Just hit “Find an Escape Route” and we will re-route you to safer ground.

Flee Flies with Auto-Escape Route Technology

If that swarm of mosquitos proves too dense and too hungry to outrun, find an escape route with our patented Auto-Escape Route Technology (AERT). Our live conditions tracking system automatically senses when you’re moving too slowly to avoid getting bitten. Then our smart planning tools systematically scour nearby trails to reroute you to safer ground, as fast as possible.

Adventure Smarter and Safer with the Bite Prevention System

Sick of climbing out of your tent in the morning for breakfast only to realize that you are the breakfast? We’ve got a solution that lets you say goodbye to sacrificing one for the team.

If you’re camping in bug territory or overlanding through a particularly bug-infested swap, never fear. Our Bite Prevention System will send you alerts telling you when to pull out the bug nets and bug spray and when it’s safe to come outside.

It’s BS!

Say goodbye to itchy nights with our brand-new BS technology, available with your Gaia GPS Premium membership. Premium also gives you access to the perfect map for every adventure. And stay found with offline access around the globe.

March 30, 2020

Adventures Gaia GPS How-To Newsletter

Tips for Planning your Solo Backpacking Trip

by Mary Cochenour March 19, 2020

written by Mary Cochenour

Solo backpacking can be the ultimate meditation experience. You can travel at your own pace, view beautiful scenery in solitude, and really get the chance to tune into your environment with minimal distractions. But, for some, venturing out to the backcountry alone conjures up visions of long, wide-eyed nights in the sleeping bag, wondering what is making that noise outside the tent?

Whether you’re committed to conquering solo backpacking by choice or forced to go alone because your trail partners can’t get time away from work, this article offers some tips to help you make the transition from backpacking with others to backpacking alone with confidence and ease. If you’re already backpacking solo, review these tips for additional ideas for safety and comfort.

Master Backpacking with Others First

If you’re just starting out with backpacking, spend a whole season, or longer, backpacking with others before trying a solo trip. Get your kit dialed and become familiar with how everything works. Get comfortable with camping in the backcountry and develop basic navigation skills with other people around before trying a trip alone.

Three backpackers hiking on a trail along side a bubbling creek with a rocky mountain in background.

Tap into your backpacking friends and family to mentor you through the beginning stages. If that’s not possible, look to outdoor clubs, groups, and guided trips to introduce you to backpacking. After you’re comfortable with group backpacking, you’ll be more prepared, both physically and mentally, to try solo.

Plan and Prepare at Home

With all of its benefits, backpacking solo has become wildly popular. In fact, more than 60 percent of hikers surveyed last year started their thru-hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail alone. That’s thousands of people that hit the trail solo last year, and if they can do it, so can you.

The first steps to joining the solo ranks start at home. Use these tips to thoroughly research and plan your first solo backpack trip from the comfort of your couch. Knowing all you can about the area prepares you for your trip and eases any anxiety you might have about heading into the wild alone.

A woman backpacker holding and looking at a phone with a topographical map on the screen.

Select a Familiar Area

Choosing an area that you know well will boost your confidence when you’re hiking and camping alone. Start with an area that you’ve hiked many times before. If you’ve only hiked it with company, try a solo day trip before backpacking there by yourself. On your solo day hike, take note of all the major points of interest, such as creek crossings, trail junctions, potential campsites, and major landmarks like peaks and lakes. Track your hike using Gaia GPS and drop waypoints along the way for those notable points of interest. You can pull them up later when you head out on your solo backpack trip.

A desktop computer screen showing a topographical map on Gaia GPS website and a menu of waypoint options.

Choose a Well-Traveled Trail

If you’re feeling timid about being out in the backcountry alone, pick a high-use trail for your first time out. Seeing other hikers on the trail, hanging out at a lake, or camping nearby gives the sense that, although you are by yourself, you are not truly alone. If something goes wrong and you need assistance, you can bet another hiker will arrive shortly to give you a hand.

Another benefit of a busy trail is that you can and should wait for other hikers to come along before tackling any serious backcountry hazard. Crossing a swollen creek and traversing a steep snowfield are safer when you are with a buddy — even if they’re someone you just met a few minutes ago on the trail.

A man with an Osprey backpack facing away from the camera and looking at a mountain

Start Small

Starting out with a low-mileage trip will help you decide if you like solo travel without making a huge commitment. Plus, a manageable itinerary will set you up for success by increasing your chances of cooking dinner, setting up camp, and getting comfortable with the surroundings before the sun goes down.

Plan a route with daily mileage and elevation gains that are well within your reach and close enough to the trailhead that you could bail out in just a few hours if you decide to pull the plug on the adventure. And make sure you test out a series of one-night jaunts before taking on a multi-day hike. Ease into solo backpacking until you can be sure that you enjoy being alone outside.

Research the Terrain Online

Once you’ve selected an area that you’re comfortable with, go to gaiagps.com and pore over your favorite topo maps. Check out the surrounding landscape using satellite imagery. Get a good sense of the lay of the land, noting major landmarks, your planned campsite, trail junctions, and any side routes that you could use to bail out in case of an emergency. Create a waypoint for these important features and add notes to revisit later. Check for public tracks and, if you find one that matches your exact route, add it to your account. Finally, create a route of your planned hike and share that route with your friends and family so that people back home know your exact plan.

Next, look on blogs, Reddit groups, YouTube, and Vimeo for trip reports. Trip reports often contain images or videos that can give you a clue as to trail conditions, camping locations, and hazards like creek crossings or snowfields. Check in with relevant social media groups for current conditions. It’s amazing what you can find with a hashtag. Visit land agency websites for updates on conditions and permit requirements, call if you have questions.

Camp in a Designated Backcountry Campsite

If you want to be around other campers on your first night out alone, plan a trip to a national park that has designated backcountry campsites. Many parks — Glacier, Zion, and Mount Rainier, just to name a few — require backpackers to camp in designated sites and often these sites are clustered. These designated campgrounds are a good way to test out your solo camping game, but with the security of having other people within earshot.

Scope Out the Animals

Curb your fears about bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes by scoping out what animals live in the area you’ll be visiting. Search national park and forest service websites and call the ranger station for information about what animals you’d expect to see. For animals that concern you, find out what they look like, their tracks, the animal population numbers, their specific habitat, and any reports of human encounters. Also, find out what noises animals make in the area you are visiting. Owls, grouse, and elk in rut make significant noise in the backcountry and you’ll save a lot of worry inside the tent if you are familiar with their sounds.

Answering these questions will help you assess the risk of experiencing an animal encounter when you’re out on the trail alone. For example, you might learn that you will be traveling through bear habitat, but that the bear population is diminutive, mostly confined to the area’s lower elevation valleys, and there exists no prior history of human interaction. Knowledge can help you make decisions about where to camp in bear country and control your worry and vivid imagination.

A solo backpacker walking along a beach with cliffs in the background,

Pick the Perfect Time

The perfect time for solo backpacking is when the conditions are the most comfortable. Don’t plan to go in the rainy season, during peak bug levels, or in the late fall when there are minimal hours of daylight and cold temperatures. All of these situations will have you cooped up in your tent for long hours.

Instead, research the area and call the ranger station to find out if the bugs are on the decline. Look up weather patterns and pick the month with the least amount of average rainfall. Go when the days are long and bright if conditions permit.

Share Your Itinerary

Tell someone at home exactly where you plan to go. Give them all the details. Write down or send an email letting them know which trailhead you will start and finish from, where you plan to camp, and when you will notify them upon return to town, and when they should start to worry. Give them an exact date and time when they should call for help if you fail to contact them. Share your Gaia GPS recorded track with them. Have a plan and stick to it.

Learn the Skills to Stay Safe

Get First Aid Training

Take a wilderness first aid class before venturing out on your first solo backpack trip. Studies show that the top three backcountry injuries include soft tissue injuries, lacerations, and sprains while the top three illnesses include chest pain, dizziness, and diarrhea. Take a wilderness first aid class to prepare you to deal with a variety of medical emergencies should one arise. Knowing some first aid is beneficial to you and anyone you might come across in the wild who is sick or injured.

Take a Backcountry Navigation Course

Andrew Skurka teaching backcountry navigation at 11,000+ feet in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Solo hikers are more likely to get lost than hikers who are part of a group, according to one study conducted in Yosemite. Knowing how to read a map, use a compass, and understand electronic navigation will help you stay found in the backcountry. As a solo hiker, you’ll be making all the decisions on where to go and having the skills to navigate around the backcountry will boost your confidence outside even if you stick to a well-defined path.

Gear Considerations for Solo Backpacking

Go Lightweight

Backpacking solo requires the same gear as backpacking with friends. But without friends, there’s no chance of splitting up gear and your pack will be heavier when going solo. Those items you’re used to sharing, like a water filter, tent, first aid kit, and stove, you’ll be carrying on your own.

Adventure Alan camping with his 9-pound base weight.

Solo backpacking is a great opportunity to scrutinize your gear list and shave any unnecessary weight. Focus on dropping pounds with a lighter tent, sleep system, and backpack, and then move through the rest of your gear to determine if any ounces can be left behind. Ditch luxury items like a camp chair, heavy food items, and extra camera gear to keep your pack at a reasonable weight when soloing.

Get a Satellite Communicator

Invest in a good satellite communicator device. This device will allow you to send text messages outside of cell range. You can text your family at night to let them know your status. You can also press the SOS button and send a message for help if the need arises. The goal is to never have to use such a device, but having the capability to send for help in case of an accident is well worth the cost in both money and extra weight in your pack.

A woman hiker standing on a rock looking out into a foggy mountain valley.

Hike with Confidence

Many solo hikers are more concerned about encounters with people than run-ins with wild animals. Think through a plan on how you will act if you run into sketchy people in the backcountry. When approaching people you are concerned about, try sprinkling a little confidence in your step. Walk by them briskly, leaving no time for conversation.

If you get caught up in questions, be vague with your answers. Don’t tell strangers exactly where you plan to camp, how long you’ll be out on your trip, or that you are traveling alone. Have a fake story ready if someone who gives you the creeps starts asking too many questions. Be ready to tell them about your imaginary friends who are just a half-mile behind you, the made-up ranger who checked your permit 10 minutes ago, and make up a campsite location that is no less than 10 miles in the opposite direction from your planned stop.

Finally, don’t broadcast on social media where you will be spending your time alone in the backcountry.

An orange tent in a mountain valley with snowy peaks in the distance.

Camp with Purpose

Consider what makes you more comfortable: camping within earshot of other backpackers or finding an out-of-the-way spot where no one would stumble upon your campsite in the dark. If you like to be near people, choose popular destinations like lakes and river crossings for camps. However, listen to your gut instinct. If you feel uncomfortable camping around people, or you get to the high-traffic camping area and the people don’t seem like a crowd you can trust, load up on water and dry camp down the trail. Choose an isolated, elevated spot so that you can peer down on any person approaching your campsite.

A man sitting on a ledge looking out at a valley, a portion of his tent is in the foreground.

Get into camp well before dark so you have time to set up and watch the sun go down. Getting used to your surroundings in the fading light takes the mystery out of the darkness. Make a plan where you will go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Finally, keep a clean camp so you don’t attract animals.

Conquer Solo Backpacking with a Friend

Finding a friend to practice solo backpacking seems counterintuitive, but it works. Plan your hikes together at home but stay separate on the trail by starting two hours apart. Camp on different ends of the lake and agree to refrain from contacting each other unless an emergency arises. Plan to meet at the car at a certain time at the end of your hike for a quick debriefing on how the trip went.

Another way to hike solo with a friend nearby is to thru-hike an area. You start at one end of the hike, and your friend starts at the other end. Your paths cross somewhere in the middle of the hike, where you exchange car keys. You’ll be miles away from your friend for most of the trip, but knowing that you will meet a familiar face along the way provides encouragement and incentive to keep going forward.

March 19, 2020

Boating Fishing Gaia GPS New Maps

Plan Where to Fish with USGS Streamflow and Gaia Fishing Maps

by Ashli Baldwin March 16, 2020

written by Ashli Baldwin

Find a new favorite fishing spot or plan the perfect trip with two all-new interactive map layers. Get up-to-date streamflow and water temperature information from the new USGS Streamflow map. And, be one of the first to test the brand new Gaia Fishing Map with boat access information and known fish species for select waterways in Montana and Oklahoma.

The USGS Streamflow and Gaia Fishing maps supplement an expanding catalog of fishing-specific map sources that includes National Geographic fishing maps for Colorado.

USGS Streamflow

This layer allows you to overlay Stream Gage status icons on any map source and offers complete coverage of the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii.

Gage icons indicate current river flow status — above normal, normal, below normal, and unknown. Tap the icons to get information such as Gage ID, flow rate in cubic feet per second, water temperature, gage height, and river status based on historical averages when available.

Gage information comes directly from the USGS and gets updated every 6 hours. View the USGS Streamflow overlay when connected to the internet.

Gaia Fishing

The new Gaia Fishing overlay offers data sourced by Gaia GPS team members from their local states. Coverage is currently available in Montana and Oklahoma. Similar to the USGS Streamflow map, this layer is interactive, and you can tap icons to get more information.

The map also features:

Fishing access points, boat ramps, marinas
Known fish species where available
Fish habitat/brush pile locations
Bathymetric lines where available
Labels for lakes, rivers, streams, and small bodies of water
Montana fishing license dealer locations

You can layer both USGS Streamflow and Gaia Fishing on top of any map source – and take advantage of iOS Dark Mode by layering with the new Gaia Topo.

How to Use These Maps

These new layers come with a Premium Membership. To add these layers to your maps, open the Gaia GPS app or website, tap the layers icon, and select “Add map layers.” Go to “Nautical/Aviation” and select the new map source. Also, make sure you’ve enabled the new Gaia Topo to utilize these maps.

March 16, 2020

Tall orange and yellow flames sweep through a forest at night time.

Emergency Response Gaia GPS

Eight Ways to Help Victims and Firefighters of the Australian Bushfires

by Mary Cochenour January 9, 2020

written by Mary Cochenour

Deadly bushfires continue to ravage southeastern Australia, leaving more than 15.6 million acres burned and well over 100 fires still blazing out of control. As scorching summer heat and high winds continue, firefighters see no relief in sight and officials expect the fire season to continue through the months ahead.

With this long-lasting crisis, emergency responders say that financial donations are the best way to help both victims and fire crews battling the bushfires. Whether you’re down under or oceans away, consider donating to these eight Australian organizations.

Flames burning grassy, open hillside with widely dispersed, low trees in the distance. There is a dark sky in the background and charred land in the foreground.

Donate to organizations that help victims

1. Australian Red Cross

In times of disaster, the Red Cross cares for the health and well-being of disaster-affected people, noting on its website that financial donations, rather than goods, help communities recover sooner. Currently, the Australian Red Cross is supporting thousands of people in 69 evacuation centers who have been displaced from their homes due to the bushfire emergency.

Australian Red Cross volunteers are working to deliver basic needs like food and water, helping victims locate missing loved ones, and have started a cash grant program to help people meet immediate needs. Donations to Australian Red Cross help support these recovery programs and allow the organization to continue its one-on-one support to the thousands of victims who have been devastated by the fires.

2. Salvation Army Australia

Salvation Army Australia provides customized assistance for each individual or community in need, including financial assistance, housing support, mental health support, community building, and material assistance. Currently, Salvation Army Australia is supplying meals to both evacuees and wildfire responders involved in the Australian bushfire crisis. The organization is unable to accept donated goods at this time due to the lack of storage and the complex logistics involved in distributing goods in disaster-affected communities.

According to Salvation Army Australia’s website, financial donations are the most effective way to help all residents in need by allowing fire victims the opportunity to decide how to best use the much-needed funds to support their local communities.

3. St. Vincent de Paul Society

Thousands of residents left their homes this week as bushfires crept into suburban areas, forcing evacuations all over southeast Australia. St. Vincent de Paul Society focuses on helping victims deal with the aftermath of the fire. Financial donations help the organization to continue to provide food and clothing to people who have lost everything in the fire, pay unexpected bills that accumulate during the recovery process, make referrals to other organizations that provide crisis accommodations, and foster emotional and practical support after homes are lost.

4. Save the Children

More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged in Australia’s bushfires, leaving many families displaced and living in emergency shelters. Save the Children organization recognizes that kids become the most vulnerable victims in times of disaster. To help ease the traumatic effect of the fires, Save the Children is setting up “child-friendly spaces” across brushfire-affected areas. A donation of just $85 can help start a child-friendly space where youngsters can safely process their devastating experience by giving them a place to be children again.

Large range and yellow flames rip through a silhouetted forest at night.

Donate to organizations that support firefighters

5. Country Fire Authority

Currently, more than 2,700 firefighters are battling blazes across southeastern Australia with more fire crews on the way. Australia’s Country Fire Authority is a volunteer and community-based fire and emergency services organization that helps to protect 3.3 million people living in the Victoria region of Australia, where fires have been burning out of control. A donation to this organization will help keep firefighters working the front lines around the clock.

6. New South Wales Rural Fire Service

The bushfires have tragically claimed the lives of three New South Wales Rural Fire Service firefighters. Learn about the firefighters and donate to their families here to help them through this crisis. In addition, options exist here to make a donation to specific brigades or the organization as a whole, helping to keep the more than 2,100 rural fire brigades on the fire lines and protecting over 95 percent of New South Wales’ landmass.

A baby koala catches a ride on an adult koala's back as the adult is walking across pavement.

Donate to organizations that help wildlife

7. Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

Australia’s bushfires are burning in the country’s prime koala habitat and an estimated 25,000 koalas have died with many more injured and in critical condition. Donations to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital go directly to the rescue and treatment of sick, injured, and orphaned koalas, including helping them through their release back to natural habitat. In addition, the Koala Hospital also works on preservation and expansion of Koala habitat and the collection of information regarding habitat health, disease, and nutrition as well as education campaigns to increase public awareness of everything involving the koala.

Follow the progress of koala burn victims at the hospital here.

8. WIRES Wildlife Rescue

Wildlife experts estimate that 500 million animals have perished in the Australian fires and many more have been injured. WIRES rehabilitates and preserves Australian wildlife year-round but has been especially busy during the bushfire emergency. In December alone, WIRES took in more than 20,000 calls on its emergency hotline and rescued more than 3,300 sick, injured, and orphaned animals. Donations to WIRES help pay for the rescue and care of animals injured in the bushfires and uses donation money to train and support the more than 2,600 volunteers out in the field.

Donate to the organization that suits you best

This list is not exhaustive – there are many other places you can donate. As you search, be on the lookout for scams. There have been 47 reported cases of scams surrounding donations to the Australian bushfires. To learn more about how to spot a scam, click here.

Gaia GPS for emergency responders and people affected by the fires

Gaia GPS offers free memberships to emergency responders. We’re also offering free memberships to anyone who was affected by these devastating bushfires. Email support@gaiagps.com to learn more.

January 9, 2020

sunset behind stone spires on a beach in Australia

Gaia GPS New Maps

New! Topo Maps for Australia

by Corey Buhay August 22, 2019

written by Corey Buhay

Towering coastal spires, lush rainforests, glittering beaches, and wildlife you’ll find nowhere else on earth: If you’re starting to daydream about where to head for your next big adventure, you should put Australia on your short list. And, fortunately, you can now count on Gaia GPS to be your guide.

*Dangar Falls in New South Wales, Australia. You can navigate here using the official, government-sourced topographic maps available in Gaia GPS.*

Gaia GPS has just released new topographic maps for Victoria, Australian’s second-most populous state. Home to the city of Melbourne and over 100 national parks and reserves, Victoria is an ideal destination for any kind of adventure. It’s also just a short flight or a ferry ride away from Tasmania, an island known for its adventure opportunities and untamed wilderness.

The Gaia GPS map catalog includes full topographic coverage for Victoria and Tasmania. It also includes maps for the states of Queensland and New South Wales, and nearby New Zealand.

*An overview of the map coverage for Australia and New Zealand currently available in the Gaia GPS map catalog.*

About Victoria Topo

The new Victoria Topo map includes cities, roads, trail labels and mileages, clearly labeled peaks, vegetation shading, water sources, contour lines, flood zones, road access restrictions, and important landmarks. The level of detail makes it ideally suited to planning and navigation for outdoor adventures.

This colorful layer utilizes the most current maps available from official government sources. The end result is a mosaic of 1:100k, 1:50k, and 1:25k topo maps, all sourced from the Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning. The 1:25k maps were published in April 2017, the 1:50k maps in June 2017, and the 1:100k maps in February 2018.

*Victoria Topo includes coverage of Grampians National Park, known for its mountain vistas and wild kangaroos.*

How to Use Australia Topo Maps in Gaia GPS

The new Victoria Topo map is available with a Premium Membership. However, Gaia GPS members of all levels can access topo maps for the rest of Australia, in addition to maps of New Zealand.

You’ll find all our official Australia topo maps in the Australia/New Zealand/Asia category of the map manager. Simply tap the map name to view legend information and sourcing details. Then, click the green plus-sign to add the layer to your main map view.

August 22, 2019

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