There’s no doubt that hiking has come into a league of its own over recent years. Once upon a time it might have been seen as unfashionable and perhaps more suited to elderly people. Now, the situation is completely different, and the era of the Great Outdoors really has endorsed itself to the popularity of hiking.
While there are countless reasons behind the above, with governmental initiatives being one of these, something else which has aided its plight is the modern-day GPS tracker. Initially, these may have been reserved for logistics companies, but they have been adapted into wearable products and this has allowed a hiker to really reap the rewards.
Bearing this in mind, let’s now take a look at some of the ways in which these products have helped carry hiking to the next level.
They have made everyone love (or hate) statistics
One of the main reasons these products are so popular is because of their impact on statistics. Now, it’s possible to venture off on a hike and receive immediate feedback on how it has impacted your body. You will find how many calories you have burned, what your average heart rate is as well as countless other stats.
As we all know, we are now living in an era where our levels of fitness are scrutinized at every level. For those of us who really want to develop our bodies, finding out this immediate feedback on our hikes is invaluable for our progress.
Routes have now become more adventurous
One of the big risks for some hikers was that routes were starting to become boring. This wasn’t because these hikers lacked imagination; it was because they didn’t want to venture out into the wilderness where getting lost was a possibility, or even wandering into a somewhat dangerous area.
This is where the GPS tracker has come in and almost rescued the situation on its own. The fact that a person’s location can be immediately relayed to loved ones means that a greater degree of security is felt during these works, and this should not be understated.
On a slightly different note, any new routes that are attempted are documented on the tracker. This means that it’s easy to revisit them and ultimately, enjoy your walks a little more.
They have made life much safer
The previous point touched on this, but there’s no doubt that a GPS tracker really has made life safer for hikers.
We’re not necessarily talking about the risks of wandering into dangerous areas here either. Instead, it’s all about incurring an injury and being stuck in the middle of nowhere. Particularly for those hikers that ventured out alone, this was a significant risk factor.
Some might suggest that these people could just tap into their mobile phone to contact the emergency services. However, with most “adventurous” walks in remote areas, there’s every chance that the phone would be without any signal. As the GPS runs on different frequencies, this isn’t a problem and a person can be located regardless of their phone’s signal quality.
