TIL that elevation profile apps lie about that last 2 miles

I did a 14 mile loop in the Smokies last month and the app said the last stretch was a gentle 3% grade. Turns out it was a 900 foot climb over gravel with roots the size of my arm. I kept checking my phone thinking I was lost, but no, the trail just turned into a wall. It took me 2 hours longer than the estimate and I ran out of water half a mile from the car. Now I overlay the actual GPS track with the contour map before I trust any app. Does anyone else triple check those numbers or am I the only one who got humbled?

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elliot_king17d ago

I heard a ranger say those apps average the whole trail and miss the steep parts.