The DeLorme inReach project is going very well here at DeLorme, our beta test is in full swing and everyone is very excited with the progress we’re seeing. I wanted to share a bit from my recent hike and then give you a chance to check things out for yourself… keep reading!
Last Saturday I went for a hike in the White Mountains with one of our lead engineers. We hit the road at 4:00 AM and were on the trail with my Earthmate PN-60w & DeLorme inReach at 6:00 AM ready to cover 11 miles of hiking with 2,800 feet of climbing including two 4,000 footers with Mt. Tripyramid’s North and Middle peaks. The trail was challenging and the views of the surrounding mountain range were quite impressive!
I think this example is probably better than me trying to explain all the features and benefits of two-way satellite communication from beyond cell phone range with the new DeLorme inReach. Christian, our Director of Technology, was up early and sent us some messages while we were on the hike. We were an hour’s drive from the nearest cell phone reception and we were able to check in with him during the hike. You all know that I’m easily excited by the projects I get to work on here at DeLorme but the ability to see confirmation that our messages were being delivered and the ability to get a reply really is a big deal… I’d go so far as to call it a game changer for those of us that spend a fair bit of time in the wilderness!
One last image… here’s the map of our hike on the soon to be launched Explore.DeLorme.com site. Notice that there are no gaps from dropped messages, the Iridium reception is very impressive and should a message not get out, it is queued and delivered as soon as a satellite comes into view. It ensures that the messages you send really make it through to your friends and family.
Okay, remember how I said you could check things out back at the start of this post? Well, here’s a link to my “Where’s Chip???” MapShare, you can view a map that shows my location and even send me a message when I’m out on an adventure.
As a little precaution I did put a password on the site… it’s the top secret name of my dog, Beezy. She’s very excited to be going on a hike with me in just a few minutes! I’m writing this post in Weld, ME and am about to go hike Tumbledown Mountain, one of my favorite climbs. Follow the link above and use “Beezy” as your password. Click on my name and then use the envelope to send me a message. I’ll get back to you when I take a break on the trail. I suppose I should give a time frame too… I have to put my boots on and get my pack ready. I should be at the trail by the time this gets posted and I’ll update here when I’m done…
Talk with you soon!
Chip Noble
Team DeLorme
UPDATE
I wanted to thank everyone that sent me messages while I was out on my hike, climbing Tumbledown Mountain. It was exciting to chat with blog readers while I was in the middle of a test of our new system! I sent updates and replies and best of all we learned of a problem that our project team is working on as we speak! It’s always fun for me to get the public involved with our design and testing process… makes the final product better every time! I’ve removed the ability to reply to my MapShare until the next outing… I don’t want anyone to worry if they don’t hear from me. One more hike tomorrow and then some travel for work. I’ll be climbing Mount Washington with some co-workers next weekend so you can check back then. After that, keep an eye on the DeLorme Blog for information about my upcoming Grand Teton climb in Wyoming with Backpacker Magazine! This is all really just a test run for that much larger event. Things are looking good so far!
Posted by Chip Noble - Design 
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