Rant: My GPS track said I walked 27 miles in a single day on the Lost Coast Trail

I was aiming for 18, but the constant beach sand and route-finding really added up. Has anyone else had their mileage explode like that on a coastal hike?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_simon14d ago

Constant beach sand and route-finding" is just how that trail works, so your GPS was probably right. That extra mileage isn't an error, it's the real cost of hiking there. Sounds like you just planned for an easier day than the trail allows.

michaeld4814d ago

Is it really that big of a deal?

betty_kelly914d ago

Yeah, that "real cost of hiking there" line is spot on. I read a trip report last year where someone tracked their actual steps on that same beach section. Their fitness watch showed almost double the effort compared to the map distance, just from the soft sand and all the little detours around driftwood.