Outdoor

inReach: Community Shares Its Eclipse-viewing Locations

October 3, 2017

On Monday, Aug. 21, a solar eclipse was visible across the United States, with 14 states on the path of totality. More than 200 inReach users sent us a message from their device at the location where they viewed the eclipse.

Many inReach eclipse viewers shared that they were in the path of totality, and others noted that the weather prevented good conditions for watching. Regardless of the location, the messages expressed the inReach community’s enthusiasm for witnessing the eclipse in their residential neighborhoods, work sites and remote backcountry locations.

Visit the link here to view a detailed map online, which shares not only the location but also the text of each message we received. (We removed information that could identify a user.) The image below shows the location of the messages we received along with a line that indicates the approximate path of totality.

A number of inReach users shared that they were gathering with friends, families and strangers to view the eclipse. One inReach user, Ken from Colorado, shared that he camped with about 150 people southwest of Lingle, Wyoming. He provided the following description:

“We sat around in our camp chairs watching the progression of the moon’s disk over the morning sun in clear, high-elevation skies. As the moon shadow swept over the western ridges, it looked like an approaching storm. Totality was 2m 11s that seemed much shorter, but the cries of joy from adults matched those of the kids. You can’t describe the moment with words or pictures; the experience was chilling (literally, as we had a thermometer set up that measured a 20°F drop).”

Another favorite message came from an inReach user in northeastern Oregon, “John Day Wilderness in a hammock with welding hoods on and not a single person around. My wife and I make excellent decisions 🙂”

Thank you, inReach community, for sharing your messages and participating in this event. We’ll offer more opportunities to send us messages and share your adventures soon.