New York Times Bestselling author and nationally syndicated sex advice columnist, Dan Savage, is known around the globe for his takes on polyamory, Rick Santorum and amateur porn. But now Savage is throwing his well-worn cap into the ring of a new cannabis-inspired venture: SPLIFF, an amateur film festival dedicated to stoner culture and the entertaining peccadillos of pot and the people who imbibe it.
“There’s a huge visual component to being stoned,” says Savage, famous for his Savage Love column and Savage Lovecast podcast. “You get stoned and you go to the movies. Or, you get stoned and you binge watch TV. Or, you get stoned and you go lay in the park and look at the clouds. A lot of being stoned is putting something in front of your face to let it roll into your brain. So, we thought, there’s probably a film festival in that too!”
Savage, who rose to prominence when he joined forces with former The Onion co-founder, Tim Keck, at the Seattle alt weekly newspaper, The Stranger, is no amateur when it comes to putting on film festivals. The Stranger’s popular porn fest, HUMP, which Savage co-founded, is now in its 15th year and tours the country. SPLIFF, which received more than 250 movie submissions in its inaugural year and will begin its run in Denver inApril, is poised to claim similar success.
https://vimeo.com/325331043
“HUMP just unleashed all this creativity around sex and gender,” Savage explains. “It features friends and lovers enjoying themselves and each other, which is different from most commercially-billed pornography. And we just thought, you know, the same way sex brings people together, pot brings people together, too.”
SPLIFF, which will tour the country, travelingbetween weed-friendlycities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, will feature more than 20 original films, ranging from plot descriptions like, “One person. One peanut. One backyard. Only one can win” and “A spaced-out, bizarre ode to hands.” The festival, Savage says, promises to honor both the imaginations and lives of weed tokers.
“We thought there’s probably a whole bunch of people out there with things to say about pot or just funny things to say about cannabis culture or about themselves when they’re stoned,” says Savage. “And it turns out we’re right.”
For more information and the full list of SPLIFF dates and films, click here.
Is Kim Kardashian Trolling T-Swift By Releasing New Perfume On April 26?
April 26 — the 116th day of the year, the day both T-Boz (of TLC) and Channing Tatum were born, and in just a few days, it will be known as the day both Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian released game-changing products to the world (a little dramatic, but you get the point). Let’s hop into this boiling hot tea, shall we?
Okay, it’s not news that T-Swift and Kim K aren’t BFFs. However, they’re no longer enemies either — per Kim on Watch Happens Live with Andy Cohen earlier this year. So, when Kim announced on Monday (April 15) that her new perfume collaboration with her sister Kylie Jenner is set to launch on April 26, many fans were like: “now we got bad blood” (see what I did there).
See, Taylor announced last week that she’s releasing something huge, something great, something life-changing — seemingly new, long-awaited music, — on April 26 and she even launched an entire website with a countdown to mark the big occasion. So, when Kim announced the impending arrival of her new perfume just days after Taylor dropped her countdown to April 26, let’s just say Swifties weren’t too happy about that. So much so, Taylor fans began commenting on Kim’s perfume announcement, accusing her of trolling Taylor.
“You guys so [decided] to launch it on the day Taylor Swift relases [sic] her new single. Do you really have nothing else to do other than trying to steal her spotlight. I mean, there are sooo many other dates…,” one T-Swift fan wrote.
Another added: “hmm…. April 26? the same day as Taylor’s Swift’s announcement. THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS :/ (would put a rat, but rats are nice, sweet animals who don’t deserve to have people have them).”
Chelsea Handler Defends “Great Guy” Kevin Hart’s Gay Jokes: “We All Evolve”
Chelsea Handler is the latest comedian to defend Kevin Hart after he stepped down from hosting the 91st Academy Awards amid backlash surrounding his homophobic Twitter history.
This week on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, a caller asked the 44-year-old comedian about “the whole Kevin Hart Oscars debacle” and if she thinks “comedians should be held accountable for what they’ve said or tweeted in the past.”
“I don’t think so,” Handler replied. “I mean, I honestly respect what Kevin Hart did. I love Kevin, I know him personally, and I think he’s a great guy. And I honestly think we’ve all made mistakes.”
“I’ve said things that are deplorable that I would never say again,” the Life Will Be the Death of Me author continued. “You can’t just hold people to the fire for things that went on–we all evolve, and we all grow up, and we all get it, now we understand this isn’t allowed.”
Hart repeatedly made anti-gay comments in a series of tweets between 2009 and 2011, threatening his son with violence if he caught him playing with dolls, and insulted various celebrities by calling them “gay” or “fag.” He quit the Oscars gig in December.
Advertising in the cannabis industry is difficult. In most U.S. states where cannabis is legal, rules regarding cannabis advertising are complicated and extremely restrictive. For example, in California, businesses can only run ads in areas where “71.6 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be 21 years of age or older.” The advertising landscape online is even far less forgiving. Most online ads platforms, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, explicitly prohibit the advertisement of cannabis products.
In the absence of reasonable advertising regulations for the cannabis industry, many business owners have turned to a new and rapidly growing form of advertisement: Social Media Influencers.
What is a Social Media Influencer?
A social media influencer is a person that uses their large social media following (which can range thousands to millions of followers) to promote certain products or services. Outside of the cannabis industry, one of the most successful social media influencers is Kylie Jenner, who companies will often pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for single social media post promoting their product.
While some may balk at the idea of paying a person thousands of dollars to promote a product on Instagram, the numbers do not lie – influencer marketing works. Approximately 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations. Companies that use influencer marketing earn on average $6.50 for every dollar spent. By 2020, the influencer market is expected to grow to $10 billion.
Why Are Cannabis Companies Turning to Influencers?
As alluded to earlier, advertising in the cannabis industry is difficult. Not only are advertising regulations for cannabis complex, but also traditional means of advertisements are expensive. Buying ad space on television, radio, or a billboard can cost companies thousands of dollars with little guarantee of success. In contrast, influencer marketing is loosely regulated (for now) and less expensive.
It is also easier to target specific demographics by relying on influencers that appeal to your core audience. Cannabis business owners may not know who is going to view their highway billboard, but they do know what kind of person is going to visit Snoop Dogg’s Instagram page.
Who Are The Leading Cannabis Influencers?
The question of who the cannabis industry’s leading influencers are is a topic for debate. Unlike other industries where the practice more prevalent, influencer marketing in the cannabis industry is still relatively new. Consequently, it is difficult to say who is the “top cannabis influencer.” However, there are at least a few cannabis influencers that stand out from the pack. Here’s five cannabis influencer that have turned their social media following into big business:
Seth Rogen
Comedian Seth Rogen has built a career off of starring in stoner comedies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End, so it is only natural that he would use his talent and fame to spread the word about cannabis. With 6.6 million followers on Instagram, Rogen might not be the world’s most widely followed celebrity, but he has built up a strong and loyal social media following.
Hoping to capitalize off of his reputation as a cannabis connoisseur, Rogen and his fried/business partner Evan Goldberg have teamed up with the world’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth, to launch a new hemp and cannabis company called Houseplant. Understanding the power of social media, Rogen announced the brand by leaving a cryptic message asking people to follow the Houseplant’s Instagram page.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson at Planet 13 Cannabis Entertainment Complex. (CNW Group/Planet 13 Holdings Inc.)
Not content to be the World Heavy Champion of Boxing, sports legend Mike Tyson has dived headfirst into the cannabis industry. Like Seth Rogen, Tyson has leveraged his fame to turn himself into one of the industry’s leading advocate. Tyson has partnered with the upscale cannabis dispensary Planet 13 to be the exclusive launch partner of his 40-acre cannabis resort, dubbed Tyson Ranch. In addition to Tyson’s 7.6 million Instagram followers, Tyson has a popular cannabis podcast called Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, which has close to 90,000 followers.
“Tyson Ranch, consists of a team with 100+ years of industry experience focusing on quality to make premium cannabis products. We are all about going the extra step to offer truly great cannabis. The Planet 13 Cannabis Entertainment Complex offers customers an ultra-premium cannabis experience that dovetails perfectly with Tyson Ranch’s belief that not all cannabis is created equally,” said MikeTyson.
Dan Bilzerian
Dan Bilzerian, owner of the cannabis brand Ignite, is perhaps one of the biggest influencers in the cannabis industry. Often a polarizing figure within the industry, Bilzerian’s social media pages are filled with bikini-clad models in various states of undress, exotic locations, and more often than naught firearms. While some may characterize his social media presence as the epitome of toxic masculinity, with more than 26 million followers on Instagram, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have a strong following.
Bilzerian became one of the world’s most successful professional poker players, winning over $50 million in a single year. Despite not adhering to any social norms — and continuing to be unapologetically himself — he developed a reputation within the gambling community for always doing what he said he would do, a mindset that he’s carried with him into numerous investment opportunities, business ventures, and personal pursuits — creating an empire. Now, he’s dedicated to building a brand in the cannabis industry to live the Ignite lifestyle.
Big Mike
Michael Straumietis, also known as Big Mike, is the CEO of the cannabis fertilizer company Advanced Nutrients. Straumietis has built a career off of developing cannabis-specific nutrients and has leveraged that fame into an Instagram following of more than 2 million. Like Bilzerian, Straumietis’ social media often features scantily clad women, but to a lesser extent. Instead, Straumietis positions himself as a more of a cannabis thought leader than a globe-trotting playboy.
In 1996, BigMike took $25,000 he’d made from a small illegal grow in Temecula, California, snuck into Canada with a fake passport and built a growing organization 200 people strong. He then used his growing and business expertise to start his company, Advanced Nutrients. Today, Advanced Nutrients is the maker of the #1 selling cannabis-specific nutrient line in the world, with over $110 million a year in sales from 93 countries. Advanced Nutrients also lends seed money to individuals in developing countries who dream of starting a small business, but lack the means to do so. BigMike‘s charity Holiday Heroes feeds over 30 thousand people in need, each Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Charlo Greene
Charlo Greene is a former journalist turned cannabis entrepreneur that gained overnight fame after she announced live on television that she was quitting her job to pursue a career in cannabis. Greene is a somewhat controversial figure in the cannabis industry after running afoul of regulators in Alaska for launching eponymously named Alaska Cannabis Club. With approximately 214,000 followers on Instagram, Greene is what is called a “Micro-Influencer,” which is someone that has a small but dedicated social media following. Nevertheless, Greene has carved out a niche for herself in both the cannabis industry and the wider entrepreneurial community.
The world of cannabis influencers may still be new, but it is rapidly developing. Even if cannabis advertising regulations relax over the coming years, don’t expect cannabis influencers to go away. Influencer marketing is an incredibly powerful form of advertising, regardless of the industry.
Years ago, the first Crocs were introduced, haunting our lives with their rubbery sounds and awful looks. Now, a designer is here to make it all worse. Introducing Goth Crocs, which are just black Crocs adorned with spikes, studs and chains.
Created by Instagram user @garbage_b0y, these Crocs have no partnership with the official brand of Crocs. They’re available for purchase on Etsy, where they’re priced at $240 a pair.
“The shoes are soooo “BAD” that I ended up buying a second pair. And by bad I mean the freshest there ever was. Also, I’ve gotten hella compliments. Love em!” says one pumped up customer.
Despite the legendary unpopularity of the shoes, Crocs is a very large company, selling sandals, flip flips and more. The traditional Crocs we all talk about are officially called Clogs, which is just the brand’s way of letting us know that they’re in on the joke and that they know how ugly their shoes are. Brand new Clogs with all sorts of designs, patterns and colors cost around $40.
Ugly designer shoes are very popular among costumers, who flock to them for some reason. The uglier and more expensive, the better. Should we all just make our own models of Crocs and earn millions? Glitter Crocs? Camo Crocs? Open-toed Crocs? I’m sure there’s an audience for each and every one of those.
Despite marijuana legalization’s recent avalanche of support from politicians, particularly Democratic presidential nominees, the War on Drugs continues in most of the country. Yes, although cannabis is legal for adult use in 10 states plus Washington D.C., marijuana possession is still a crime in the United States. In fact, marijuana possession led to almost 6 percent of all arrests in 2017, according to FBI data.
But, as The Washington Post first reported, that number “obscures the considerable variations in enforcement practices at the state and local levels.” According to data from The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, marijuana possession accounted for 20 percent of arrests in various places throughout the country. And in several counties, that number passed 40 percent while one Georgia county claimed almost 55 percent of its arrest from possession.
“While drug war proponents often say they’re going after kingpins, the reality is that the police nearly always goes after the lowest-hanging fruit: people who use drugs—especially marijuana, which is easy to find—or bit players in the drug trade,” said Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told the Washington Post.
Here is a short list of the counties with the highest percentages of marijuana enforcement in total amount of arrests (data as of 2016):
Dooley County, Georgia: 54.5%
Hamilton County, New York: 43.5%
Sterling County, Texas: 42.1%
Hartley County, Texas: 42%
Edmunds County, South Dakota: 33.3%
Although the Post mentions most of these counties are found in rural areas, significant figures in marijuana-related arrests can still be found in urban counties. Chesapeake, Virginia had almost 3,600 arrests in 2016. But almost 23 percent of those arrests were because of marijuana possession. More populated counties also maintain high arrest rates for cannabis. Maryland’s Montgomery County (pop.: 1 million), which is located outside Washington D.C. (where weed is legal), made 20 percent of its 24,000 arrests due to cannabis.
“The status quo allows law enforcement and their associations to profit in many ways,” said Diane Goldstein, a Law Enforcement Action Partnership board member, a group advocating to reduce the severity of cannabis laws. “Marijuana continues to be an easy way to create probable cause for searches, arrests and civil asset forfeiture.”
We get a ton of questions about whether it’s legal to import hemp into the U.S. It’s a complicated question without a clear answer. We do know that the Drug Enforcement Administration has confirmed that the importation of cannabis plant material that falls outside of the Controlled Substance Act’s definition of “marihuana” (e.g., the mature stalks and seeds incapable of germination) is not in violation of the CSA or related laws and regulations specific to importing goods. That limited exception doesn’t cover other parts of the cannabis plant, including hemp flower.
The 2014 Farm Bill allows for the limited cultivation of industrial hemp, but that bill requires that hemp be grown pursuant to an agricultural pilot program in compliance with state law. Hemp grown in another country can’t meet those inherently domestic requirements. The 2014 Farm Bill is still in effect as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) is preparing to regulate the commercial cultivation under the 2018 Farm Bill. However, the 2018 Farm Bill has already altered the CSA’s definition of marijuana to exclude hemp and that provision is not dependent on USDA regulation.
The complicated question was addressed in part in by a federal court in California. In November 2015, Innovative Nutraceuticals, LLC placed an order for hemp from Spain to L&M Natural Hemp. L&M shipped the Spanish-grown hemp along with documentation showing that the material contained in each package was cultivated from seeds certified from hemp in Spain and test results showing that the plant material contained 0.2% THC. On December 6, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) seized the hemp shipment at the Los Angeles International Airport. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) tested the shipment and found that it contained CBD.
Innovative Nutraceuticals filed a petition with CBP, seeking administrative review of the seizure. CBP denied the petition because CBD is a compound that naturally occurs in marijuana and therefore the shipment met the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). CBP also stated that “hemp flowers” are not excluded from the CSA definition.
Despite this, Innovative Nutraceuticals continued to import hemp from Spain and CBP seized shipments in January and November of 2017. On March 14, 2018, CBP again seized an Innovative Nutraceuticals hemp shipment, this time at the Louisville, Kentucky airport. However, CBP informed Innovative Nutraceuticals that the shipment may be released if the company executed a “Hold Harmless Agreement” agreeing not to sue CBP for damages related to the seizure and requiring Innovative Nutraceuticals to pay costs for delivery or retrieval.
On July 2, 2018, Innovative Nutraceuticals filed a complaint against the United States of America in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeking the following claims for relief:
(1) an injunction and/or declaratory relief ordering the United States government [(the “Defendant”)] not to detain, seize, summarily forfeit, or destroy any future shipments of hemp plant materials containing [CBD] and/or 0.3% or less of [THC];
(2) an injunction and/or declaratory relief ordering Defendant to provide timely notice and a hearing to owners and shippers of detained or seized hemp materials;
(3) declaratory and injunctive relief ordering Defendant not to destroy and to return all seized hemp materials; and
(4) monetary reimbursement for all hemp materials seized and destroyed by Defendant.
In response, the government filed a motion to dismiss all of Innovative Nutraceuticals’ claims.
On March 28, 2019, the Court issued an order (available here, courtesy of Hemp Industry Daily) granting the government’s motion to dismiss Innovative Nutraceuticals’ first and second claim for mootness and granting dismissal of the fourth claim due to Innovative Nutraceuticals failure to identify the government’s waiver of sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity is a legal doctrine saying you can’t sue the government for damages unless the government says you can.
In denying Innovative Nutraceuticals’ first and second claims, the Court determined the issue was moot. Under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, federal courts can only rule on actual, ongoing cases or controversies. The parties have to have some skin in the game in order for a federal court to have jurisdiction. Mootness occurs when one or more circumstances change making the controversy moot. This can happen due to a change in law, which is exactly why the Court denied Innovative Nutraceuticals first and second claims:
Section 12619 of the 2018 Farm Bill amended the CSA definition of marijuana so that it now includes an exemption for hemp, defined as “any part” of the Cannabis sativa L. plant “with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.” Id. Under this new exemption, any future shipments of industrial hemp product containing less than 0.3% THC by dry weight will clearly fall outside the CSA definition of marijuana and will not be subject to seizure.
[. . .]
Any uncertainty as to the legal status of Plaintiff’s shipments under the pre-2018 Farm Bill regime has since been eliminated by the Bill’s amendment of the CSA’s definition of marijuana.
The Court seems to indicate that future importers of hemp will no longer face the seizures that plagued Innovative Nutraceuticals. While makes sense given that hemp is excluded from the CSA’s definition of marijuana, it does not mean that CBP’s days of seizing hemp are over. The difference between hemp and marijuana is not obvious. It is determined based on the presence of a certain compound, THC. Hemp shipments may contain documentation showing that a product is hemp and not marijuana, but that doesn’t mean that the inquiry stops there. CBP will need a way to determine the difference between marijuana and hemp. This could be a problem in practice because hemp, especially in raw form, has a limited shelf life.
The takeaway from the Innovative Nutraceuticals order seems to be that because hemp is no longer a controlled substance under the CSA, that importing hemp does not violate the CSA. In practice, importing hemp still presents significant risk because CBP may still seize hemp on suspicion of it being marijuana. Anyone looking to import hemp into this country should plan accordingly.
Back in January, Meghan Markle announced that her due date was in late April, early May. But now, her in-laws have made pinpointing the exact date a little easier.
On Monday, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, announced they’ll be visiting Germany May 7 for a three day tour. And as it’s assumed they’re both expected to be nearby when the baby is born, it’s probably also safe to assume Meghan will likely give birth before the trip begins.
Meghan and Harry recently announced plans that they’ll keep the arrival of their baby private, however, the Palace says they will announce when Meghan is in labor. Unlike past royal births, there will be no posing on the steps of the hospital.
The couple says they’ll release a photo of the new family of three shortly after the kiddo’s arrival, with an official photo-op planned in front of Windsor Castle a few days after the birth.
The Duchess of Sussex is eagerly awaiting the birth of her first child, but eagle-eyed royal fans are convinced that, rather than putting her feet up, Meghan is busy on social media. Royal watchers have gone into a frenzy after spotting captions on the new @SussexRoyal Instagram account that they believe have been written by Meghan.
Fans have been quick to spot Americanised spellings, as well as dollar signs and American English in the captions, and claim this points to a US native writing them. Meghan, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, recently thanked fans for donating to their chosen charities in honour of Baby Sussex, and one post about Baby2Baby contains references to ‘cribs’ and ‘diapers’. Another post uses the US spelling ‘organization’, rather than ‘organisation’.
Jussie Smollett took a rather intense phone call during his Hawaii getaway and was recorded telling someone named Ryan that he ‘got off’ in his alleged hate crime hoax.
The 36-year-old Empire actor was spotted pacing back and forth during the animated chat and could be heard insisting: ‘I did not do any of this. The charges were dropped.’
In exclusive DailyMail.com footage Jussie, wearing an all black outfit with white sneakers, can be seen walking around a parking lot. An onlooker said: ‘He was saying “Ryan, Ryan. You have to believe me”.’
The star appeared tense during the conversation, which took place during his family vacation to the islands and came just days after he was pictured all smiles on a trip to the beach.
Smollett’s family were dining in a nearby restaurant during the phone call, according to eyewitnesses.
With 10 states having legalized recreational cannabis and 33 states having legalized medical cannabis, the prospects for increased legal cannabis sales in America this April 20, the original cannabis holiday, are greater than ever.
According to a recent report from Flowhub, a Colorado-based provider of point-of-sale software for dispensaries, with April 20 falling on a Saturday and new consumers continually entering the legal market, this year’s holiday will be the biggest sales day for retailers in 420 history.
Flowhub came to this conclusion by examining the growth of 420 from 2017 to 2018, with cannabis sales on April 20, 2018, growing by more than 30% compared to April 20, 2017.
“This number was bolstered by the fact that 420 happened to fall on a Friday last year,” said Anne Fleschman, VP of Marketing at Flowhub. “Retailers can expect to see a similar growth trajectory during the 2019 holiday which lands on a Saturday for the first time for most markets that have legalized adult-use or medical marijuana.”
On April 20, 2018, flower captured 54% of sales, concentrates represented 29%, and edibles came in at 12%. Flowhub predicts that easily shareable, instant-use products, such as pre-rolls and edibles, to name two, will dominate 420 sales this year.
The majority of this is good news for the industry, but it is possible that retailers could see a decline in the average sales amount per transaction. In states like Oregon, the market is facing issues of producer and retailer saturation, so cannabis prices are dropping and dispensaries are dealing with a greater amount of competition, as reported by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
While this could be alarming for producers and retailers, a recent report from the Oregon Legislature noted, “Despite those falling prices the overall dollars sold year-over-year have continued to increase.”
As some parts of the country experience their last snowfalls of the season and others encounter spring showers, many yearn for the upcoming opportunity to bathe in the sunlight. While myriad outdoor activities are available for your summer adventures, perhaps none is more low stakes and contain a lower barrier to entry than hiking. It’s simple as finding a trail, grabbing your shoes, and going.
The Fresh Toast – Here are 6 must-have hiking apps for outdoor adventures. It will make your life way easier!
But if you want to take your hiking game to the next level, or perhaps plan for better, safer days, you could maybe use some help. In addition to packing some water, extra clothes, trails snacks, and first aid, these apps will help you be ready for anything when you hit the trails in the coming months.
1) AllTrails
If you download only one app from this list, it should probably be AllTrails. With more than 50,000 trails spanning the globes, you’ll be able to traverse hikes you’d never discover on your own. Search local destinations or explore possibilities for upcoming travel or see if your dog can come along. And thanks to its robust community, users will post tips like scenic lookouts and possible obstacles, preparing you for any extra gear you might need. Did we mention it’s free?
2) MapMyHike GPS Hiking
This app is great for marking your fitness goals and favorite trails while amongst the trees. Its function is right there in the title, as this app will provide a mapped route of your hike.
Whether you’re in a national park or your local community, MapMyHike will track your calories lost, elevation gained, and provide feedback and statistics. Perfect if you’re using hiking as a weight-loss activity to shed some extra LBs before the summer season.
3) National Parks By Chimani
Exploring national parks ahead of time, as far as park rules and hours of operations and possible closures, is a must before driving to the gates. Really there’s several similar apps out there like the REI and National Geographic sponsored apps, or one handled by the national parks themselves. Check them out, and decide whichever one best fits your preference. This just happens to be our favorite and is rated in the app store higher than the rest.
4) Cairn
Worried about getting stranded in the wilderness and can’t find cell service? Well consider this app your security insurance. Crowdsourced maps will show you where cell reception is available and will alert designated emergency contacts your location on the trails if you don’t make it home on time. To use the app offline, you have to pay a small fee, but it could potentially save your life
5) Peakfinder
This is probably one of the coolest apps around for dedicated hikers. Point your phone’s camera to an arbitrary mountain range, and the app will show the names, locations, and elevations of various peaks in a 360° panorama display. Even better, the app contains more than 350,000 mountains in its database so it can function offline and across the world. If you want to check out a peak just out of view, app will also let you “fly” over for a closer look.
6) Spyglass
Trying to cut down on gear weight? Download this app for a navigational compass and complete GPS toolkit that comes with a truly impressive augmented reality view.
Here’s a short list of everything included: “Hi-tech viewfinder (HUD), milspec compass, gyrocompass, maps, tactical GPS, waypoint tracker, speedometer, altimeter, gyro horizon, sniper’s rangefinder, coordinate converter, sextant, inclinometer, angular calculator and zoom camera.” Enjoy the ability to track and share your location in real time with every tool you could possibly need.
