Our NSF project team attended the unofficial kickoff of the hiking season–AT Gateways–from February 28 to March 2 at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. AT Gateways, previously known as the AT Kickoff, includes activities, demonstrations, talks and booths (including ours!), and vendors, mainly at the lodge. At the event, we launched the latest version of our SmartTrail app, a weekly questionnaire for long-distance hikers that helps assess the mental and physical issues that hikers experience.
In attendance from our team were PIs Kris Wernstedt and Scott McCrickard, along with students Yusheng Cao, Jennifer Chandran, and Gibbs Gresge. We divided our recruiting efforts between the main lodge (where most of the festivities occurred) and the visitor center and trailhead arch (where many thru hikers register, get their numbered hiker tag, and start their hike). The trailhead was definitely the best place to recruit–though many of the hikers there were anxious to start their hikes. We recruited about 25 hikers, and we had great conversations with many other current and past hikers.
In addition to launching our app, at the event we presented a talk and hosted a booth that featured findings from our prior research efforts, including our newly released paper led by project co-PI Shalini Misra that summarized our interviews with AT resource managers. There were about 30 people at the talk, and I was struck by the overall positive feedback toward technology use on the trail. This is different than talks even just five years ago–it seems like the presence of technology on the trail is becoming an accepted part of the trail culture (for better and worse).
Overall, it was an impressive event, well attended by people who care deeply about the trail. The park is lovely, and our cabin both had a secluded feel and also felt close to the sights and sounds of the park. We look forward to attending in future years.
Technology on the Trail 