Use FarOut Like a Thru Hiker

This video focuses on FarOut Guides (formally known as Guthook) and its "Create Custom Route" feature. On my 2021 thru hike of the Appalachian Trail I relied heavily on the methods reviewed in this video in order to more comprehensively plot and plan my days. We'll review which map layers are most helpful and why, how to create a custom route for each day you're on trail, how to understand grade and elevation shift, why it's important to understand grade and elevation shift, and how to use this method to organize and plan not just individual days on trail, but also your "jumps," or days between town visits.
In this video I use as examples my following days on trail:
Day 78: Mount Marshall Trailhead (NoBo mi 960.5) to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (NoBo mi 977.3)
• Day 78: Instinct
Day 79: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (NoBo mi 977.3) to Sam Moore Shelter (NoBo mi 1,002.6)
• Day 79: Rolling the Od...
Day 127: Ethan Pond Shelter (NoBo mi 1,844.8) to Lakes of the Clouds Hut (NoBo mi 1,858.8)
• Day 127: More Fun in T...
Day 156: The Birches Campsite (NoBo mi 2,187.8) to Katahdin (NoBo mi 2,193.1)
• Day 156: Summit Day
For more information on FarOut Guides, visit their website at: faroutguides.com

[@mjeh1]

I did most of my hiking from the 70s through the 90s. We used maps, guide books and a compas. I wonder how many through hikers could avoid getting hopelessly lost under those circumstances. The PCT was a serious challenge in the 80s.

[@travelinbeat]

I've often wondered the exact same thing!! I certainly hope that anyone planning on spending significant time in the backcountry would endeavor to learn some basic principals of navigation. I certainly relied on plenty of foundational principals (north star, topographic triangulation, maintaining a heading, etc) on both the CDT (particularly in early morning hiking in the dark of the NM boothill), and the PCT (particularly through in early morning hiking through the record snows in the High Sierra). I would absolutely advise everyone with thru-hiking ambitions to familiarize themselves with basic principals.

[@CraigCalabrese]

Me too old school paper maps and compass I still carry for back up

[@joetherealdeal]

I've used the app for two years and didn't know how to make a route until I saw this video. Thanks!

[@travelinbeat]

Ive found it to be a very helpful method once you familiarize yourself with the "feet per mile" calculations. So glad its a helpful video for you!

[@MrTitanTopper]

Professor beat…I learn SO much from your vids. In fact, probably more from you than just about any other YT Thru-Hiker!! 👏🏻

[@travelinbeat]

Dang, thanks, Money! So glad they're working for you!

[@KrizAkoni]

Nice tutorial. I like that you named the routes by day and that it shows the statistics. 😎 One thing I regularly do on mine is use the jump to google earth feature. I use that to investigate trail heads and food.

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks! Yeah the system I used worked well enough for me that I had hope that this video might help others!

[@celestesuter1148]

Thank you for this very thorough tutorial of FarOut! I was confused and now it’s all much clearer. Nicely done.

[@travelinbeat]

Thank you! Do pleased to hear that you found it helpful!!

[@HikingWithWhiskers]

Wow! What an excellent video!! Thank you for sharing! Gonna have to watch this again & pause & do this!! What a great way to journal your hike!!🥾🥾⛺️

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks, Whiskers! I hope you find this technique useful!!

[@HikingWithWhiskers]

@@travelinbeat definitely will!🥾🥾⛺️

[@dlelliott]

This is a great tutorial. I will rework how are use the app now. I’m heading out on the Appalachian trail in about 23 days so I am always looking for a last-minute details such as this. Thank you so so so so much and good luck on your upcoming hike as well.

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks, Duane!! Your comment is EXACTLY what I was hopping to see from this video!! Best of luck to you on your adventure-- you're hoping todk great!!!

[@handwerkerausleidenschaft574]

Thanks a lot for this video. I like your thinking and planning of the daily routes. I will do it in the same way when I start this year.

[@travelinbeat]

Awesome, thanks!! Northbound AT? Let me know if there's anything I can help with as you get ready to embark!

[@handwerkerausleidenschaft574]

@@travelinbeat Yes NoBo, I start on 27th March. 2 months left for training. I think I will be well prepared.

[@ryanriddell8376]

Very helpful. They did update the app a good bit, but I was able to figure it out and your tips are really helpful.

[@travelinbeat]

Awesome, so pleased that you found some helpful insights with this video!! Hope your planning and hiking goes well!!

[@JasonFerguson1283]

Thank you so much for the demo.

[@travelinbeat]

Haply to help!!

[@jerrybailey6584]

Great video, thanks

[@travelinbeat]

Thank you, Jerry, so glad you enjoy it!

[@honganhv8808]

Awesome!! Thank You so much!!

[@travelinbeat]

You're very welcome!! I hope this video helps you!!

[@aikirunner]

Well done.

[@embunstories]

Thank u for this tutorial.

[@travelinbeat]

You're very welcome, I hope it helps!!

[@embunstories]

@@travelinbeat I will continue to watch your videos for me to learn ..thank u🙏🙏🙏

[@paddle_hike]

Just got the map for the foothills trail (will make the hike so much easier) ;)

[@travelinbeat]

Excellent!! So glad to hear that this was helpful for you, best of luck on your hike!

[@colleenyork7354]

Helpful tutorial! I would think that ‘forewarned is forearmed’ - knowing what’s ahead allows you to prepare (and plan) accordingly. (nice mug!)

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks, Sama! Probably a little bit esoteric for the non-hikers, but I'm hopeful it might help someone out there!

[@bhannon039]

I have the CDT downloaded and do not get the handy little white box at the top of the elevation profile that calculates feet/mile. Is this feature just on the AT map?

[@travelinbeat]

Hi Brian! I just checked my FarOut and I do have the little white box on the CDT as well (just finished the CDT a few weeks ago). Could it be collapsed? Sometimes it will collapse to the left side edge of the elevation view screen and you need to tap it again to expand it out

[@bhannon039]

@@travelinbeat Yep! It was collapsed. Thanks!

[@Karen-dq8nw]

Great video, makes it much easier. After I named my custom routes based on days - day 1, day 2, day 3... it sorted them by the first numeral. So it sorts day 1 then day 10, etc. with day 2 coming after all the numbers starting with 1. Any idea on how to fix this? I tried to use decimal points. 1.0, 10.0 but that didn't work either.

[@travelinbeat]

Yeah I know the app isn't quite perfect in a lot of these more detailed points-- I have had good luck emailing them though. Perhaps you could email them your issue and see if they can help or fix it? I'd be curious to hear how it goes for you!!

[@rogerstgermail]

Thanks so much for showing how to "plan" a hike. Does this app show you where you (relative to the trail) are as you execute the hike? My GPS in my car shows me where I am and how far to the next milepoint.

[@travelinbeat]

Farout does indeed track your location relative to the trail while in the map view (this video primarily discusses app functions that relate to the topographic profile view). For serious navigational assistance, or if you're particularly concerned about way-finding and routing, I would recommend checking out GaiaGPS, which I have found to provide far more comprehensive navigational features and functions. Thanks for watching!!

[@marklopez8906]

Better than algebra class. Very helpful. Did you use comments

[@travelinbeat]

I definitely read them frequently but I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't leave many

[@hobbesct]

This was a very helpful video. I created a custom route on my PCT trail with no problem, but when I zoom on that route like you do in the video the stats don't change. Even though I'm zoomed in to a portion of the route, it still shows the ascent, descent and length of the full route. Did something change in a FarOut update since you posted this, or is there a trick I'm not using to make the specs in white box reflect just the portion of the route on screen?

[@travelinbeat]

FarOut is very finicky, I've found. I create routes for my jumps and have no problems, I'm hearing plenty of other hikers complain about intermittent disappearing features. I think the app is kind of limited and buggy, unfortunately

[@hobbesct]

@@travelinbeat Thanks for the reply. I was hoping there was just some trick I was missing, but unfortunately a key aspect of this feature just isn't working for me. Maybe it's just a difference between Android and iOS versions.

[@user-uj4kg3pc7l]

Is there a way to log sections that’s you already hiked for a section hiker so I can insure im not doubling up on miles specifically the Florida trail

[@travelinbeat]

Great question. I am not aware of any functionality in FarOut that could achieve this goal. I might suggest that you checkout GaiaGPS. It is a full-featured mapping / navigation / trailfinding application. It is easy with GaiaGPS to log your activities and routes using your device's GPS location. You can save all of your hikes, organize them by folders (ie: one folder for "Dayhikes," or "Florida sections," etc.), and track elevation, speed, and more. I believe that the free version provides the functions you seek. I have found GaiaGPS super-super helpful and have used the paid version for navigating both the PCT and CDT. For these trails I recorded daily logs of my hike and saved them all in one big folder for each trail. These logs / folders are available for public review on each and every video dispatch from both the PCT and CDT. While I do still use FarOut for its comments and community insights, I find GaiaGPS far more powerful tool for navigation and activity tracking. Hope this helps!!

[@dekcarc]

2:53 Settings (not Download Manager)

[@travelinbeat]

You are right, thank you for the correction!

[@Grando7260]

Is that a Wayne Conyers mug?

[@travelinbeat]

Solid question! No sir, this particular mug was a Christmas present from Mom this past year!

[@colleenyork7354]

It’s from an Etsy shop, JewellPotteryandSoap. (can’t get the link to paste, sorry!)

[@Grando7260]

@@colleenyork7354 it’s all good I thought it was a mug from one of our professors at McPherson!

[@fenorlb3247]

Thanks for the video, but I thought the app will help you on where in your trail to get supply and to zero in a hostels etc... the very most useful informations on your thru hike, you don't say anything about that here.

[@travelinbeat]

That's all very true and you are right that I do not cover these functions in this video. I wanted to make a video that covered some of the more "hidden" features, but you're absolutely right that I probably should have at least referenced these more foundational aspects of the app. Thank you for the comment!

[@360Investigations]

Without going over the interface, layout, and providing instructions in how to navigate through this mess, then this video is useless. Mentioning things and shows screens that weren't ever shown how to access, serves no purpose. This app doesn't even have a legend/key showing what any if the icons represent. You kidding me!

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks for your feedback. I literally do cover how to access all of the menus I discuss in this video. Also, it seems that there are a great many people who have been helped by this video-- I'm sorry to read that you are not among them. I did not produce this video with any intention of it being a comprehensive first look at FarOut, and instead wanted to present this specific function of the app. I kind of assume a baseline knowledge, and I'm pretty confused by your finding the apps icons in need of a legend. That said, I'm not the app maker, perhaps you should share these thoughts with them.

[@360Investigations]

@@travelinbeat I watched this video all the way through. You didn't go over how to access much of anything. You can't have a video titled what you have then assume someone has basic understanding. Someone's understanding isn't relevant to what you're saying you're going to do in this video