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How did the Appalachian Trail Mate begin?My name is Pete Barker and I am the founder of Barker Innovations and the creator of the Appalachian Trail Mate. I thought I might take a moment and let you know who I am and how the AT Mate became a reality. I have always been an outdoor enthusiast, starting with the Cub Scouts in my early years and the Boy Scouts in my pre-teens. My family and I have always enjoyed canoeing and camping regularly near the area where we live. However, hiking, as a hobby, was something I had never done and, in truth, never even thought about, until 1998. I happened to watch a documentary on a local public broadcasting station about a group of people attempting to thru-hike something called the Appalachian Trail. To put it simply I was totally captivated. The idea of striking off into the wilderness with all your essential belongings strapped to your back was somehow incredibly appealing. I spent about 8 months planning my first trip, educating myself about hiking and backpacking and the AT, selecting the equipment and generally anticipating the start of my first section hike. The most frustrating part of the entire process for me was the lack of simple, low cost tools that could aid me in planning my "perfect" trip. I didn't want to spend extra money for fancy topographic map programs that didn't really offer any advantage over a printed map, and there simply wasn't anything on the market that could actually create quality trips based on the things that are important to a hiker, namely daily hiking distances and number of hiking days. As a result, I began to develop a very simple computer program just for my own personal use that incorporated a portion of the contents of the ATC published databook. This program only included data for the Georgia and North Carolina sections since these were the only sections of the trail of immediate importance to me. As it evolved, I kept adding new features that seemed to be useful or needed. When I was finished I had created what appeared to be the best trip possible based on my hiking preferences. I also had created what I was convinced was a wonderfully useful tool for AT trip planning. I approached the ATC with a demonstration copy of my initial version and an idea of bringing this product to other AT hikers. Fortunately, the ATC also saw the potential and eventually this version of the Appalachian Trail Mate was born. I believe that no other tool currently available provides so much, so easily, for so little. I crafted every line of code in the AT Mate and it was an intensely personal project for me. Hiking and backpacking, particularly on the AT, has become a passion (some might say obsession) of mine, and I feel equally passionate about this software product. It is my sincere hope that you find the AT Mate to be the innovative and useful tool you have been looking for. We are always looking to improve our products. Please take the time to give us your reactions and feedback. We will endeavor to include as many suggested upgrades, corrections and improvements in future versions as we can. The AT Mate, much like the trail it is named after, is a continuously evolving and improving resource and with your help it can be even better. Thank you for your time. Pete Barker aka "Planner Pete"
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