Is the Smartphone-Free Thru-Hike Dead? Some Hikers Are Bringing It Back

For years, the smartphone has been hailed as the ultimate multipurpose backpacking tool: It’s a camera, map, GPS, diary, music player, plant identifier, book, and emergency communication device all in one.

Smartphones have become particularly ubiquitous on long trails. Thru-hiking-specific guide apps like FarOut allow hikers to access useful information like elevation profiles, weather, camping options, trail angel contact info, and access to critical updates like trail closures, reroutes, and wildfires—all from the backcountry. For all that functionality packed into one device, a smartphone is an ultralighter’s dream. But as technology plays an increasingly dominant role in our daily lives, some backpackers wonder about fully unplugging while on the trail. On a weekend trip, ditching your device is easy. But how about a long trail?

Of course, you can safely and successfully thru-hike without a smartphone—backpackers have been doing it for decades. Shane “Patchwork” Linden, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker from Rochester, New York, is among a small contingent of backpackers going about it the old fashioned way. Linden, 28, does carry a smartphone for emergencies and to keep in touch with loved ones when he’s in town, but he uses it as little as possible on the trail.

“I came out here because I had a job that was on the computer and I was just staring at a screen all day,” he said. “I noticed that even when I wasn’t working, I would be on my phone or I’d be listening to a podcast or music. And I figured that this [thru-hike] could be almost like a retreat.”

Linden is currently a little over halfway through the AT, and says it’s gotten harder to keep his phone in his pack as he’s progressed. He says the vast majority of thru-hikers he meets use FarOut to inform their treks, and his peers are often incredulous when he tells them he doesn’t have the app. Initially, he decided not to use FarOut because he didn’t want to pay for a subscription, which ranges from $8 to $15 per month. But he’s gotten by just fine without it, instead relying on “The Awol Guide,” a print guidebook that outlines the trail’s many landmarks as they correspond to an elevation profile. The guide also features town maps, water source and camping info, and more. Linden has a PDF version of the guide on his phone as backup, but he mostly references a paper copy.

“I just feel like this might be the only time in my life where [I won’t always be using a phone] and I want to try to savor that, even if it is challenging a lot of the time,” he said.

Linden says he sometimes feels like he’s missing out on the wealth of knowledge that exists online from other thru-hikers who post beta about good views, campsites, water sources, or other happenings along the trail. Apps like FarOut provide real-time information that Linden can’t get from his paper guide. But, he says, not relying on the internet allows him to be more spontaneous and make connections with those around him. When Linden stumbles upon an unexpected view or a spring he didn’t know about, he feels a rush of serendipity. This allows him to stay in the moment rather than planning every aspect of his hike ahead of time.

“It’s a good starting point, too, for conversations where I can be like, ‘Oh, can you let me know if there’s a good water source up here?’ Then we just get started talking and that’s what I’m out here for.”

Thru-hikers who ditch the smartphone may find themselves packing a few more gear items to make up for its functionality—Linden hikes with a disposable camera in addition to his paper guide, for example. And whereas plugged-in hikers can often get away with subpar navigation skills, those who go analog need to take extra care to brush up on their map-and-compass proficiency.

Linden says he misses out on the occasional meme or inside joke that circulates among hikers on FarOut, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Recently, he was sharing a shelter with some other hikers who noticed there was great cell service in the area. While his companions settled in to watch videos on their phones, Linden resisted the temptation to catch up with friends back home and kept his device packed away. Instead, he took in the view from his home for the night.

“I don’t get that much in my life—the chance to just watch the sky change colors as the sun goes down.”

Tips for Hiking Unplugged

Backpackers have been doing it for decades, but ditching your phone on the trail can be easier said than done if you’ve become reliant on it. Here are some tricks to ease the transition.

• Learn to navigate. Even if you plan to use Gaia GPS or another mapping app while hiking, you should be proficient in navigating the analog way. Familiarize yourself with your route ahead of time so you can anticipate trail junctions and other decision points.
• Plan ahead. Apps can take the hassle out of logistics in the moment, but doing your research before hitting the trail will make for a smoother experience. Scope out and mark water sources and camping options on your map, as well as any potential evacuation routes or alternative routes. If you can’t plan your entire hike before hitting the trail, consider investing in a paper guide for your route, which you can reference as you go.
• Dial your kit. If you rely on your smartphone for multiple uses, you may need to make some gear swaps when you go low-tech. Think about everything you use your phone for and pack accordingly. (You may want to carry a notebook, watch, book, deck of cards, camera, and/or an emergency communication device, for example.)
• Make friends—but don’t count on them. Self-reliance is key on any long hike, so don’t rely wholeheartedly on obtaining beta from plugged-in hikers you meet along the way. That said, striking up a conversation with other backpackers is an effective way of gathering information and forming connections—which is often what thru-hiking is all about.