Technology and nature don't mix? Yeah, right!

Technology and Nature Don't Mix? Yeah, Right!

I recently took up flyfishing after many years of being away from the sport. Brett from the Blue Ridge Outfitter showed me a great stretch of water and we started out early in the morning.

The weather was beautiful . . . sweltering outside but stone cool under the trees at the edge of the water. Feeling rather "Hemingwayish" with nothing but the stream for company, we found what was hatching, and started catching some nice fish. The river rushed all around me and the sound was like meditation. I was totally immersed in the perfect outdoor experience. Then, at once, I was jolted back to reality. Then . . . my cell rang . . .

There is nothing I like more than being outdoors. We work with technology all day, everyday, and nothing heals more than disconnecting from the network and connecting with nature.

Even though a part of me rebels against the idea of using anything electrical in association with a trip into the woods, there are actually a lot of great apps that you can use to enhance the outdoor experience.

Here are a few things that can help make your outdoor adventures easier, safer and more enjoyable! You can look these up on the Android Marketplace or Apple App Store.
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Geocaching:
Like treasure hunts? Then Geocaching is for you! It’s played throughout the world by anyone using a GPS enabled device. Most phones support this now so usually that’s all you need. You use the GPS to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, which contain notes, trinkets, toys or even money. Geocaching isn’t just for the outdoorsy types . . . you can geocache in the city too!

These apps will help you find places to look for, and give hints to finding your next cache.

Groundspeak's Geocaching
The iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4G use a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi positioning and cell towers to determine your approximate location. Groundspeak's iPhone Application then queries the Geocaching.com database in real-time and provides a list of geocaches near you.
Android's leading compass, featuring location display and geo-tagged notes. The #1 compass app for Android, featuring different styles, location display, and Catch Notes integration for easy location notes.

SeekCache
If you like to hit the geocaching trails without a lot of prep and hoopla, then check this out. Open the Seek Cache app on your iPhone and wait a few seconds for it to determine your GPS coordinates. A list of nearby caches pops up in a Safari browser window, and you’re off. What could be easier?

Nature:

Weather Channel
Planning any outdoor adventure requires you be in touch with the weather, and the Weather Channel app is a must since it provides the most accurate info you can get.

Google Skymap
This app allows you to easily and quickly identify and locate stars, planets, constellations and more with a just a touch of the screen or by simply pointing to the sky. Have fun with family and friends discovering the night sky. Looking for a planet or star? Just use the finder and let the arrow guide the way.

iBird Pro
During your down-time while you sit back and relax and enjoy the outdoors this year, try out the iBird Pro app. This app, iBird Plus, is an interactive guide to the most popular bird species found in the backyards of North America.

Wildflowers
The North Woods Wildflower Identification Guide is filled with 68 different beautifully drawn wildflowers growing in North America today. Identify flora while you hike!

MyNature Animal Tracks
Animal tracks can be found in nearly every square mile of North America! With the MyNature app you are now equipped with a database with 7 search-able track categories fully illustrated by size and shape for quick selection plus a complete description of track measurements, full color digital images of an actual track in the wild and even range maps showing each animals distribution across North America.

Butterfly Collection
Get Butterfly Collection and explore a picture library of butterflies and moths from all over the world. Flick to browse 240 of these enchanting insects. Their unique shapes, patterns, and colors are captivating, whether you’re a butterfly enthusiast or simply looking for some artistic inspiration.

Camping and Hiking:

Trails.com
The Trails app is the single most useful app I have found for Hiking and Camping. The Trails.com app offers over 48,000 trail guides from the top outdoor publishers. Trail guides cover over twenty-four different outdoor activities including everything from mountain bike trails to off-road trails. You can search trails nearby, view details of specific trails and even get up-to-date weather conditions to ensure a quality outdoor experience.

Knot Guide
Knots are used in sailing, climbing, tree trimming, jewelry making, and everyday tasks such as attaching a load to your vehicle. Knot Guide has 17 different categories include: Bends, Binding Knots, Climbing Knots, Decorative Knots, Fishing Knots, Hitches, Lashings, Loops, Rope Care, Sailing Knots, Scout Knots, Shortenings, Splices, Stopper Knots, and Whippings.

Camping Recipes
When mac and cheese doesn’t cut it, check out Camping Recipes for iPhone, where you will find delicious and easy camping recipes that will satisfy big or picky appetites. This app offers easy, delicious recipes for camping and hiking!

Bug Repellent
Keep pesky mosquitoes and other insects far away with Bug Repellant. This app emits a high frequency that is harmless to humans, pets and plants. It can be used while camping, hunting, fishing, farming and sleeping

Flashlight
Simple but often overlooked, the flashlight app can really be handy in a pinch.

CompassGo
Given a “thumbs up” by Macworld, this simple GPS compass allows you to set a certain location in its memory so you can find your way back with ease. It’s great in the wilderness but even more helpful when trying to find your car in a crowded parking lot.

Army Survival
With more than 1,400 pages, Army Survival is a comprehensive guide pulled straight from the U.S. Army Field Manual 21-76, titled “Survival.” It includes psychology of survival, basic survival medicine, shelters, water procurement and more.

Maplets - Maps for All National Parks, Subway, Ski Resorts and more
The most comprehensive map app on the app store, with over 5000 maps in the US and worldwide including Yosemite, New York Subway, London Tube, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, State Parks, and more!

Running

Get Running! – Couch to 5K
I like to run and this is a great app for those just starting out. Targeted more for beginner runners, Get Running provides users with a specific training regimen over the course of nine weeks, with the end goal of being able to run for 30 minutes. Audio prompts guide users through each workout and even provide encouragement along the way.


Ghost Running
Sometimes, the best motivation is competition, and who better to compete with than yourself? Ghost Race enables you to track your times on various routes and compare your performance from day to day. The app’s audio function also keeps you updated on your progress against your ‘Ghost’ in real-time.

RunKeeper
RunKeeper Pro is probably the most well-known of the running apps on this list. This is a feature-rich app that enables GPS tracking, distance, speed monitoring, caloric output and activity history for any number of activities you partake in including sports such as running, cycling, hiking, skiing and swimming. You can also sync all the data to RunKeeper’s website to monitor progress and share publicly. RunKeeper also offers a simplified version of the app for free.


Other Sports

FishMate - Fishing Times With Tight Lines
A great fishing app, FishMate, gives you information on the major and minor feeding times, moon phase as well as weather forecasts to help you plan your fishing outings. Developed by former touring professional bass angler and the host of the syndicated radio fishing show called Tight Lines, Sammy Lee, this app is full of Mr. Lee's 30 years of fishing experience. The app features Fishin' Time, which tells you everything you need to plan your fishing trip, current weather conditions for your area and places to store photos of your catch.

Surfline
For surfers and bodyboarders, finding the perfect beach means finding the best surfing conditions. Surfline has a free iPhone app that lets you monitor surf conditions at local beaches. It is location aware and automatically shows the conditions of the beaches closest to you. Each location has current conditions, 5 day forecast and if available, a live stream of the actual location.

iNavX Marine Navigation
Never lose sight of land with iNavX Marine Navigation. This app turns your iPhone into a detailed NOAA RNC U.S. waters marine chart, then plots your position in real time. Before you set sail, tap to get the latest weather, tide, and current forecasts.

iTrailMap 3D
Designed for skiers and snowboarders, this application gives you 3-D tracking on mountains and trails. You can record your tracks and also upload them on the web. There is also a free version that doesn’t include the 3-D aspect.

RiverGuide for Kayakers
If you’re thinking about kayaking, rafting or canoeing in the near future, consider this app. In moments, it gives you the cubic feet per second of most U.S. rivers.

Trackback - Hunting Edition
Tag GPS waypoints for your car, base camp, stand, etc. and navigate back to them whenever needed.

Orvis Fly Fishing
I could have used this on my last fishing trip. The Orvis app provides
Animated Knots and flycasting instruction including the 10 most common casting mistakes.
You also get the field guide to top 100 trout flies, Orvis fishing reports, Podcasts, glossary and equipment guides.

Virtual Nature:
If the outdoors aren’t your thing, you can still reach out to nature from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy.

A Real Tree
This app plants a virtual tree on your device. You can watch it grow over time. The cool thing is that when you buy the app for $.99, A Real Tree plants . . . you guessed it . . . a real tree somewhere in the world. A Real Tree works with organizations that provide materials and education to local communities to plant trees in an ecologically-beneficial manner. Local communities learn how to plant trees while avoiding toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Local communities plant trees that produce nutritious fruits and crops that they can live off of and make a living on.

Koi Pond
The classic Koi Pond. Peaceful and fun. This app is one of the most realistic water-based simulation apps available on the iPad. The water is multi-touch reactive, there is plenty of customization like lights, decorations, and plants, eight different breeds of koi, and you can shake your iPad to feed them.
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So nature and gadgets can live in harmony after all! Who knew! Whether you get outside with or without your devices, make sure you get outside and enjoy all that your area has to offer. And read Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River." It'll make you want to go for a hike!