TRT -- Guthook not showing the tent sites

[jefals]

I purchased this app a few years ago. Planning to head up there next week and start at Kingsberry South, so I pulled up the app to check it out. Didn't see any tent sites starting at Kingsberry. Does anyone out there have a clue about this?
Thanks!

[lonehiker]

You don't need an app to find tents sites...

[Slo-go'en]

The app only shows the location of legal campsites.

[jefals]

You don't need an app to find tents sites...

Maybe you don't. I'm often walking with my head down, looking at the trail right in front of me in order not to step in poop, trip on roots, step in an indentation in the terrain, etc. I might go right past a perfectly good site without even seeing it.
Until last April, Guthook's TRT had these. I found it useful for planning where I was going to try and get to that day...

[jefals]

The app only shows the location of legal campsites.

Yes -- since an April update. Prior to that it also showed lots of tentsites as well.

[Miner]

When it's time to find a campsite (usually around 7:30pm for me in summer), I start paying attention to the area around the trail. Usually within 15 minutes or so, I find something perfectly acceptable to me no matter where I go in the Sierra Nevada. I certainly never had any issues find a campsite along the TRT when I wanted one. But as a cowboy camper, I don't need a big spot in the first place. When I hiked the TRT, I used Erik the Black's TRT map book; GPS is overkill considering how well marked the TRT is. I recall it showed several campsites on the maps (usually at least 1 every 1 - 3 miles), not that I used those very often as I normally found plenty of others along the way.

If you have time to watch an app on your phone, you certainlly have time to look at the scenery you are hiking through (and isn't that the whole point of being out there?).

[jefals]

When it's time to find a campsite (usually around 7:30pm for me in summer), I start paying attention to the area around the trail. Usually within 15 minutes or so, I find something perfectly acceptable to me no matter where I go in the Sierra Nevada. I certainly never had any issues find a campsite along the TRT when I wanted one. But as a cowboy camper, I don't need a big spot in the first place. When I hiked the TRT, I used Erik the Black's TRT map book; GPS is overkill considering how well marked the TRT is. I recall it showed several campsites on the maps (usually at least 1 every 1 - 3 miles), not that I used those very often as I normally found plenty of others along the way.

If you have time to watch an app on your phone, you certainlly have time to look at the scenery you are hiking through (and isn't that the whole point of being out there?).

For me, GPS isn't overkill. I can think of 3 spots out there on the first half of the TRT where the trail was confusing, so the GPS was useful in keeping me on the right path.
I think these guthook sites were 100 or 200 feet off the trail. I don't know that I could spot something comparable from the trail. I would have to hike in, see if there's a suitable place. Likely it would take several attempts to find something that way. Heavy pack. Burning energy. Getting frustrated. So, now just have to settle on sites easily visible.
Since I started backpacking with these apps, I kinda got used to em. When they take something away, it's a little frustrating... I'll just deal with it, tho.

[Slo-go'en]

I would expect to find a campsite near every water source (especially ponds) and in other obvious "this looks like a good place to camp" areas. Of course, that doesn't help much with planning on how far you might want go on any given day. I'm actually surprised Guthook doesn't show tent sites on this trail.

[jefals]

I would expect to find a campsite near every water source (especially ponds) and in other obvious "this looks like a good place to camp" areas. Of course, that doesn't help much with planning on how far you might want go on any given day. I'm actually surprised Guthook doesn't show tent sites on this trail.

Me too. It used to. I talked with them. They removed the tentsites last April.

[fiddlehead]

Since almost everyone anymore uses an app to find their way on the trail, can you imagine the heavy use the stealth sites would get if they put them on there.
It's best that they don't.
Might even cause some hikers to use their own mind and judgement for a change.

[jefals]

Since almost everyone anymore uses an app to find their way on the trail, can you imagine the heavy use the stealth sites would get if they put them on there.
It's best that they don't.
Might even cause some hikers to use their own mind and judgement for a change.

I see the point. Wayne mentioned to me the other school of thought is it might be good to confine the camping to fewer sites to reduce the use on most of the trail. I guess its all about the tradeoffs.
Since my discovery that this feature was missing and my original post, I've had to rethink. Had to actually study the map and plan out my camping. Doesn't look too bad - (on paper, anyway. Hopefully, no surprises)..

[guthook]

Me too. It used to. I talked with them. They removed the tentsites last April.

To add some context, as of April we are partnering with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association to produce the TRT guide in our app. Their wish was to not show individual unofficial campsites. This is similar to our arrangements with most trail organizations at this point.

[Venchka]

To add some context, as of April we are partnering with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association to produce the TRT guide in our app. Their wish was to not show individual unofficial campsites. This is similar to our arrangements with most trail organizations at this point.

Shucks. The consumer has no say?
A few National Parks that you may have heard of do exactly the opposite by establishing Backcountry campsites. Ironically they aren’t near either Coast.
Wayne

[lonehiker]

Next, I suppose, people will be wanting the app to tell them where they can dig a cat-hole...

[guthook]

Shucks. The consumer has no say?
A few National Parks that you may have heard of do exactly the opposite by establishing Backcountry campsites. Ironically they aren’t near either Coast.
Wayne

Well... if the National Park establishes a backcountry campsite, that is an *official* campsite. So we would list that in the app.

And the consumer definitely has say, but the final decision comes down to the people creating the guides. Given the choice between adding a feature to the app that is antagonistic to the stated wishes of the people who maintain the trail, and a feature that isn't, we choose for the one that isn't.

[guthook]

Next, I suppose, people will be wanting the app to tell them where they can dig a cat-hole...

I do often have to go into the tracks I create and remove little side trips where I later realize I was still tracking when I went off to dig a cat-hole.

[Miner]

Given with cat holes, you don't want to reuse the same spot, it would be more of a list of places where not to dig one.

[jefals]

Next, I suppose, people will be wanting the app to tell them where they can dig a cat-hole...

I'm sure lonehiker's being sarcastic. It would take some kind of fool to expect to find an app to provide this.
On the other hand, it isn't unreasonable to expect an app to continue working the way it did when you purchased it. For a new backpacker, new to the woods, perhaps a little foolish, taking on more than he should, out there all alone, with an app he feels will "protect" him -- telling him everything he needs to know, to wake up one morning, turn on his app and find, all of a sudden it's not giving him what he considers crucial information -- this could freak him out.
It's easy to say, "Well, he shouldn't be out there". The fact is, he IS out there.
The tentsites are useful. Let's say you're on a relatively dry 80 mile trail, you're tired, you have a couple hours daylight, you're at a good spot to set up. There's water a mile and a half up ahead. Wouldn't you like to know if there'll be a spot to camp near that water?

[Venchka]

If you’ve got water, lots of cold clean water, you’d be amazed by how flat the ground can appear. If it’s late and getting dark fast, any place near that cold clean clear water is PERFECT!
Wayne

[jefals]

no. not true. I recently passed several streams flowing down steep mountainsides on one side or the other of a narrow trail. nice cold water, but nowhere to do anything other than maybe sit on a rock.