ALWAYS CONNECTED: A hiker using his cellphone on the Appalachian Trail in Bear Mountain, New York. Today camping gadgets such as a twig-fuelled stove that can charge a smartphone while it heats baked beans, and online tips such as using an empty foil-lined potato chip can to boost WiFi signals, mean there is no need to go off the grid while on the trail. — Reuters
HARRIMAN STATE PARK, New York: Maybe it was guilt over alarming her parents when she inadvertently dialled 911 from the Appalachian Trail, but Caitlin Belcher wishes she could ditch her cellphone for the rest of the 2,180 mile (3,508km) hike.
"It would really be cool to not have it. I just want to be out in the woods, isolated," said Belcher, 23, who has called home to Fredericksburg, Virginia, twice weekly since her journey began in April and gets constant texts from her parents, who even call her hiking partner's phone as well.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
