blindhiker

HOME | THE PLAN | GEAR | PREPARATION | SUPPORT

 

gear_for_the_hike


Donations made through PayPal are not tax-deductible.
If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to Mike's Hike, please send a check to:


Capable Partners, Inc.
C/O Violet Foster, Treasurer
30169 Helium St. NW
Cambridge, MN 55008.

LINKS

MIKE'S BLOG

STAR TRIBUNE ARTICLE

AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY INTERVIEW

TRAILER FOR DOCUMENTARY

EMAIL MIKE HANSON

DOWNLOAD FUNDRAISING FLIER

SCREEN READER FRIENDLY FLIER

 

 

 

 

center line

 

GEAR

I will carry standard hiking and backpacking equipment, familiar to most people who have camped, hiked, or backpacked.  I plan to carry a Nokia N82 cellular phone, with one GPS and one GPRS program.  I will also carry a Bluetooth GPS receiver.  The GPS program will work in areas where there is no cellular phone signal.  The GPRS program will provide me information about points of interest in towns and other off-trail areas where there is a cellular phone signal.  This will give me access to information for the entire AT.  Please visit http://www.loadstone-gps.com and http://www.wayfinder.com/access for additional information about the programs I will use. 

I have tested this system extensively, including under dense tree cover and in more extreme weather conditions than I am likely to face, including twenty-two (22) degrees below zero.  I have replicated every type of problem that could occur, including loss of data, inaccurate data, loss of a signal, and dead batteries.  I will have two backup systems.  I will carry one with me and store the other one off-trail.  I will also carry tape-recorded trail guides in case of failure of both my primary and backup systems.  I will have access to the internet both to update my blog and make necessary data changes.