GoWild Releases Data from Winner of BHA’s Hike to Hunt Challenge

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers’ annual Hike to Hunt challenge encourages outdoor enthusiasts to get outside and raise awareness for public lands and waters. The fundraiser for the nonprofit lasted two months and had more than 1,500 entries. 

The competition was hosted on Under Armour’s Map My Hike app, but the winner of the competition’s mileage challenge actually dual tracked his efforts. Joel Smith, a Texan hunter and angler, also used his GoWild™ app for Garmin to record rich data from his journey. 

Miles of Data

According to BHA’s email sent out on August 29, Joel Smith recorded 857 miles over the span of 60 days. Through GoWild, Joel was also able to track a considerable amount of data:

• Joel’s average hike was more than 3 hours across 75 total hikes tracked on GoWild. That’s about the average time for a Major League Baseball game.
• He burned 88,420 calories, meaning he earned 589 beers. (Pro tip: We don’t recommend drinking all of those at once, Joel.)
• The total ascent was 3,290 feet. Not too shabby for Texas!
• Speaking of Texas, Joel often hiked in excess of 102º Fahrenheit. Remember, Joel: Those beers won’t keep you hydrated!
• Joel’s average heart rate was 109 beats per minute, and he maxed out at 182 beats per minute on a few hikes. 

Congrats, Joel

Team GoWild extends is congratulations to Joel. “It’s been fun to watch this story evolve over the last few months,” GoWild Cofounder, CEO, Brad Luttrell added. "I can't wait to see what other stories unfold this year and beyond for Joel."

Tracking Adventure

While Joel used GoWild’s Garmin integration, any GoWild community member can track a multitude of activities with GoWild’s free iPhone and Android apps. Tracking hunting, fishing, hiking, scouting, archery and more is easy on GoWild. 

GoWild is not affiliated with BHA.