What is TrailPhone.net?
TrailPhone.net makes it easy for long distance Appalachian Trail hikers to share their journeys over the web. Hikers can map their progress and record audio updates from any plain old telephone.
What is The Appalachian Trail?
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,174 mile scenic footpath that runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine. It provides fresh air, a change of pace, and an opportunity to connect with nature. The A.T. is a popular destination for day hikers, weekend backpackers, and long distance hikers alike.
Hiking the entire length of The Appalachian Trail is quite a feat. Those who hike the trail from end to end in a single trip are called thru-hikers. The average thru-hike takes about six months. About 20% of attempting thru-hikers complete their trips. Those who complete the trail in more than one trip are called section-hikers.
I'm going to hike the trail. Why should I use TrailPhone.net?
If you're planning (or currently in the middle of) a long distance A.T. hike, TrailPhone.net can help you:
- Keep in touch with your friends and family at home
- Share your adventures with the trail community online
- Have an audio keepsake from your journey
- Hear what's happening on the trail ahead and behind you
- No need to carry portable email or voicemail devices (or find a publicly available computer when you get in to town).
We can also think of a few perfectly good reasons for not using TrailPhone.net too. If you'd like to get away from technology, if you'd like to keep a journal thats not shared with the entire universe, or if you think you're a better writer than you are a talker, we understand. Either way, have a great hike.
Do I have to be a long distance hiker to post audio updates to TrailPhone.net?
Nope. Anyone hiking the trail can post updates. You don't have to be in it for the long haul.
Where can I learn more?
Here are a few sites that provide more information about The Appalachian Trail and long disance hiking:
- Wikipedia article on The Appalachian Trail
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy
- Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
- WhiteBlaze.net, A Community of Appalachian Trail Enthusiasts
- TrailForums.com, Long Distance Trail Hiking Forums
I'm not fond of my speaking voice. Are there other online services that can help me document my hike?
Absolutely. Check out TrailJournals.com and Postholer.com for text journals that cater to hikers, and Blogger.com and Wordpress.com for more all-purpose blogs. Check out EveryTrail.com and MyOutdoors.net if you're into mapping. And, check out Flickr.com if you're into photography.
Does your toll-free phone number spell anything clever?
1-877-998-7245 spells 1-877-99-TRAIL on your touchtone keypad.
Cell phones are evil. I hate them.
First, thats not a question. Second, cell phones can be very disruptive and impractical on the trail. Some hikers frown upon them. TrailPhone.net is designed so that you can call from any plain old telephone (for example: payphones) so you don't need to carry a cell phone with you. Third, cell phones save lives. Do you still hate them?
What should I talk about when I record my audio entries?
Feel free to talk about whatever you want. Tell us about where you've been or where you're headed. Read an entry from your journal. Describe the bear that attacked you, or the all-you-can-eat buffet that you attacked.
Reflect on life. Talk about the ups and the downs. Talk about the flora and fauna. Tell us about your new lightweight stove made out of half a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Tell us about the colors of the sunrise or the colors of your bruises.
What sorts of people have you encountered? What sorts of places have you been to? If you could have any super powers on the trail, what would they be? How long has it been since you've washed your socks? Share some juicy trail gossip. Hum the songs that keep getting stuck in your head. Or, just say hello.
Who pays the bills here?
In order to keep our web servers and phone system online and up to date, we need donations from people like you. If you or your company is interested in making a donation or sponsoring TrailPhone.net, click here now or contact us.
I have a great idea for a feature.
Tell us all about it. If its easy enough to implement, we'll give it a shot.
I found a bug / error on your site.
If you encounter bad mile mark data, a button that isn't working, or anything else that doesn't look right, let us know and we'll fix it ASAP.
What are of the geeky things used to develop TrailPhone.net?
The site is hosted on shared server running LAMP, with Hostgator.com. The phone server is hosted on a separate shared server running Asterisk, with Lylix.net. The Asterisk server communicates with free low volume VoIP based VoiceXML hosting provided by Tellme.com. Vitelity Communications handles our toll free number and VoIP service. GoDaddy.com handles our domain name.
This site uses the Google Maps API, the TerraService Web Service, javascript code by John Deck, and GIS / mile mark data from the ATC to do mapping. sOx and getID3() handle most of the audio manipulation. We use Amelhedi's gradient function to do some nifty graphics stuff.
How did you make that mountain graphic in the header / background?
We used a photoshop brush by Luna Regina.
Whats up with the harmonica that plays when I call TrailPhone.net?
That four second ditty is by TexasMusicForge.
Who created this site?
Adam Varga completed a thru-hike of The Appalachian Trail in 2004 (see picture below). His trail name was Doctor Space Monkey 5000. He created this site to give something back to the trail community, to raise awareness for conservation and environmental issues, to live vicariously through other people's adventures, and to show off his web dev chops. Adam blogs over at adamvarga.com/blog.
