Life begins at the end of your comfort zone – 10 best hiking applications

Hiking is my sanctuary. I love it, perhaps more than I love YouTube videos with puppies – and that’s hard.

I recommend it to all my friends, because it’s the perfect way to release stress; reconnect with nature; have fun; fill their lungs with fresh air and not smog in city parks; and get tired enough to cure insomnia. Just go hiking for one day and TRY not to fall asleep at night. Trust me, you’ll end up hugging and kissing your pillow before you’ve even taken your shoes off. It’s the best.

I’ve been hiking since I was 12. My mom took me to the outskirts of the city, and we’d just walk for hours. We’d pack lightly, but always prepare great outdoorsy food to bring along. After an hour or two, she would put the blankets down on rich-green grass; I’d unpack the roasted potatoes, duck confit, and raspberry sauce. It’s delicious.

I love taking my friends hiking and treating them the same way my mom did when I was little. Most of them don’t know the first thing about mountains of hiking, but thankfully we have smartphones in each pocket, if not even every orifice. We used them to plan our routes and find new picnic spots. This one time, my friend dropped his phone and broke it. But thankfully there was a great shop in the nearby town that handles phone repairs, and they fixed it up in no time.

Here are our favourite 10 apps:

1. Weatherbug

This is the best app on the planet for checking the weather. There’s a lot of weather designer apps, but they’re just exercises in user experience, rather than actual useful apps. Trust the people in Weatherbug for exact weather info.

2. Here Maps

When Nokia died and got bought off by Microsoft, they got to keep their map business. So they made an app that had their maps. The app is can work offline, and has directions.

3. iSis app

The iSis app is a mountain rescue app, if you ever get stuck while hiking. Pretty useful.

4. Trail Tracker GPS

When you get to the mountain, this app will help you pick the right track, and guide you back.

5. Chimani National Parks App

Don’t know where to go? Check this app that has a database of national parks and more.

6. Audubon Birds Pro

The quintessential app for all birdwatchers. Don’t miss out and buy the Pro version.

7. Runkeeper

Don’t feel like food? Grab this app and your best shoes – it’s time for a run. Runkeeper measures your pace, steps, and track.

8. SAS Survival Guide

This guide is the leading authority of apps meant to save you from dying in the wilderness. It has tips, tricks, and tells you what’s poisonous and what’s not.

9. Star Walk

Point your phone to the sky, and watch as this app tells you the names and shapes of the constellations you’re looking at.

10. First Aid by the Red Cross

It’s a great app in case something unfortunate happens. It’ll guide you through most accidents that might happen when hiking, and how to help someone or yourself.