Sunday Skill-builders: Digital Trip Planning

Activity Notes

• Sunday Skill Clinics: Digital Trip Planning
• Date: Sunday, Apr 28
• Registration opens: March 28
• Times: 6 pm to 9 pm
• Cost: Mazamas members $35, non members $45 
• Mazamas Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd and Stark, Portland)
• Experience level: reasonable computer literacy

The Sunday Skill Clinics happen on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, usually from 6 to 9 PM. The second Sunday is more for beginner/intermediate topics, and the fourth Sunday is more for intermediate/advanced techniques.  Registration opens one month before the class. Topics will rotate and repeat, so if you miss one and want to take it, keep an eye out for it again.

Want to increase the chances of having a happy and successful backcountry trip? Hitting all your objectives starts with pre-trip planning at home, using modern tools such as Caltopo, Google Earth and Google Drive. 

• A laptop computer and MOUSE are required for this class. (Right click is your friend.)
• Please make an account at CalTopo and sign up for a $20 annual subscription prior to class.
• Please download Google Earth Pro to your laptop.

What we’ll cover:

• Find GPS tracks online for climbing routes and hiking trails
• Learn the basics of using CalTopo where you can import those tracks and print maps
• Use Google Drive to keep all your trip documentation in one place, and to easily share trip info
• Share PDF maps and GPS tracks with your pals, even if you don’t have a cell connection
• View a KML file of your route in Google Earth
• Use satellite imagery for trip planning
• Use advanced weather forecast websites such as windy.com, Caltopo, and snow depth maps 
• CalTopo custom terrain shading to show aspect, slope angle and elevation

Pre-class study:

I made a tutorial video on using CalTopo. if you are new to this software I highly recommend you watch this before our class to get familiar with the basics. (Yes, the video is a bit older and the software has gone through a few versions since I made it, but the basic functionality is still much the same.)  See it here.

I have another longer video on my process for pre-trip planning. There are many approaches to doing this, here's one that works for me. We will be doing something like this in class, so if you'd like to study it beforehand, here's the link.