Within the last few years, trinkets like the Fitbit have taken over the market as a way to increase the number of steps that a person takes during the day. But, with all the options to purchase that offer only the number of steps taken in a day, someone decided that they wanted to do something different. So, this genius decided to come up with an app that translates your steps into the distance of the Appalachian Trail.
This person is Lisa Zaccone. She got this idea by starting a race between her coworkers, all of which worked at an office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She and her coworkers began tracking their steps and calculated how many steps it took them to get to Chicago. This became a race between all of them, who made a game out of it and ended up getting healthier along the way.
Seeing that this was turning into a great idea, Lisa asked her son to create an app that would do the calculating for them so they could continue to play the game together without having to do the math themselves. John did what she asked, but instead of creating the app to reach Chicago, he decided to code the app to track the steps through the Appalachian Mountains. Thus, the Walk the Distance app was born.
John, who went to school near the Appalachian Trail and has hiked through a section of the trail himself, wanted to harness technology to give people who can’t travel there in real-life the chance to see it without the high cost of travel. The whole virtual trip takes about 440 days to complete and consists of about 2,000 miles. The first 150 miles are free, and it is only $3 the rest of the way.
Now, all those who download this app can count their steps and start their own virtual trip to the mountains without having to calculate the distance themselves. Although the app is only available on IOS, for now, there is an Android version in the works for 2020 so that everyone with an iPhone or Android can use this app to get their steps in.
The current app works by connecting to your iPhone’s Health App and uses the miles tracked while carrying your phone so that it gets a reading of the distance being walked each day. These steps are then placed onto the Appalachian Trail so that you can see where you would be on the mountain if you were physically walking on the trail.
The Walk The Distance app also helps to bring people together for a little healthy competition by having all users visible on the map so that you can see who is ahead or behind you on the trail. You are able to speed up your steps and get ahead of those around you and pass others to get farther. You can even invite your friends and start a race against them to help all of you get your steps in for the day, week, or month.
This app feels more like a video game than a health app, and that seems to be the biggest appeal for users who have downloaded this innovative application. Those who have stationary jobs that require them to sit for much of the day have been gravitating towards this app and walking during lunch breaks and weekends to be able to get ahead of their friends to make it through the entire trail.
Although it is not the real thing, many users say that it is a great way to keep them up and moving and allows them to turn their exercise routine into a competition with their friends, family, or coworkers. This helps to keep people motivated when regular gym sessions wear them out. So, whether you are a fan of real-life thru-hiking, or you are just looking for a unique way to get some more steps in, you can do both.
With the use of this app, you can choose multiple trails to travel on so you can switch up the destination and keep things interesting and fresh every time you make it to the end of a trail. With destination choices like Georgia, the Smoky Mountains, or Marathon tracks, you can travel around the globe and see all different parts of the world without ever leaving your hometown.
Because the app is available for iPhones, you can also use the app on an iPad and iPad Touch if you would like to so you have the option of changing the device that you use each time you start the app. And with new trails being added to the Walk The Distance app in the near future, you might just be able to conquer the Pacific Crest Trail sooner than you think!
