Anyone have GPS info on the AT Trail. I have a Garmin GPS 76s and would like to follow a friend on the trail and possibly for my own use later.
Dale (Webguy)
Garmin gps info
system
#2
The ATC has GPS info for the entire trail accurate to within a foot or two, real high quality data. My experience with GPS on the AT is that it doesn’t work too well yet, but like cell phones and all other technology, they tend to get better with time and probably will.
Problems are these (1) when the trees leaf out good, then this partically blocks the view of and attenuates the signals from the GPS satellites in orbit around the earth. So many times the GPS can’t view the number of satellites it needs to view to give you a good GPS fix even on high mountain tops under heavy leaf cover. (2) In the valleys and especially hiking up the sides of mountains, the mountains and ridges themselves many times block the view of the GPS satellites so a good GPS fix cannot be obtained.
A GPS functions much better for winter hiking than summer hiking for the above reasons and also there is a lot less moisture and other stuff (dust) in winter air than in summer air, because colder air holds much less moisture than warmer air. That is why on a cold crisp winter night, the stars are so beautiful.
Having said the above, GPS have proven themselves on the AT, helping people refind the AT in the snow and refind their campsite after hiking out then hiking back in. So go for it. The more you use it, the better you will become at using it and know its capabilities and limitations. 
Maintain
system
#3
Only saw one in seven months on the trail last year. That was Deldoc he had a large unit straped to his back. He was creating a new trail map with about 1,000 pts per mile. Some people started with them and soon mailed them home. Personally I never saw a need for one. I didn’t carry a compass either. Never needed it. But, to each his own … said the man who kissed the cow.
Papa Smurf
system
#4
You should read Rocket’s journal. He used a GPS this winter to refind the trail on a couple of instances with mixed results. In the summer if you are paying attention the trail is pretty well marked. The only times I have gotten lost is when I haven’t been paying attention and went down a side trail.
Big B
system
#5
I hike the AT in '98 and never saw a need for a GPS unit. I did carry a very cheap key chain type Silva compass.
“You are never lost if you don’t care where you are”.
Plush, AT '98
Farther
system
#6
I purchased the Garmin Legend. It has some very cool features like average moving speed and average overall speed. I also am disapointed with the performance under tree cover. It often loses the signal. I also have problems understanding the compass function, but maybe I am just dense. It would be nice to have if you got lost off the trail but I wouldn’t bet my life on it. Another problem is battery life. If you leave it on all day it will use approximately 2 AA sized batteries a day. That could get heavy on a long hike. The Legend also comes with basic maps loaded into it so,you also have to buy and load the mapping software which costs around $100.00
Onetake
Onetake
system
#7
To those of you who are considering a thru-hike, I don’t speak for all thru hikers but… when you get to my age you give your opinion anyway. If you worry about where, when, or how many… you take something away from your hike. It want take you long to realize that enjoying the hike means: Getting up when you feel like it, walking when you feel like it, eating when you feel like it, stopping when you feel like it, and sleeping where you feel like it, and don’t sweat the other stuff. Micro managing your day gets old very fast. The joy of a thru hike as others have said, is the people, the trail, and the towns. Yes, you will be tired, very tired, cold, very cold, wet, very wet, hot, very hot, hungry, very hungry, sore, very sore, and turned around sometimes. Just sit down until somebody comes along and tells you where you are and what to do. Your hike will be one of the best times of your life.
Papa Smurf