Name:

Foundations of Technology

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

Appalachian Trail Activity

Scenario

Problem

Procedure
Materials

Start of
Expert
Responsibil
ities

You and five of your friends decide to hike part of the Appalachian Trail,
the whole trail is a total of 2175-mile trail running from Georgia to Maine.
Your team will be dropped off in Pennsylvania and picked up at Harpers
Ferry. The team will be starting when school ends for the year in June.
Your team will consist of an expert in each of the following subjects on the
trip: Energy & Power, Manufacturing, Construction, Information &
Communication, Agriculture & Transportation, and Medicine & First Aid.
Your team must plan a 3 week hiking trip starting June 20th, dropping off
in Pennsylvania and picking up in Harpers Ferry.
Each person is responsible for making sure that their Hiking Team is well
prepared for this trip by knowing their own subject and packing the
resources needed for this trip within their subject. Each person is
required to have a plan and a back-up plan for their responsibilities on the
trip.
Your fearless and supportive leader/teacher will be meeting you ONCE
with a ration of supplies that you come up with within the weight limits.
Sheriff Sam will be around to protect you from anything that might harm
you like bears, crazy raccoons and other travelers.
Each of you will carry a pack filled to a maximum weight limit of 40 lbs.
Every pack does NOT have to have the same materials in it.
Your WHOLE team only has $2000 to spend on the materials for the trip,
this includes EVERYTHING needed for the trip (clothes, shoes, food,
backpacks)
Follow the Engineering Design Process to prepare your pack.
Computer w/Internet Access
Energy & Power
Manufacturing
Construction
Fire, Charging
Pack, Clothes, Water
Sleeping arrangements
Equipment & Shoes
Bottles
for all members: Where
*Challenge: What can
and How (Sleeping
you use for 2 different
bag, roll?)
purposes?
Info & Communication
Agriculture
Medicine & First Aid
&Transportation
Information for the trip, Food for the trip (How
Simple First Aid Kit,
Communication on the many calories should
Plants/Animals
hike (Different paces?), you eat?), What
information that could
Communication with
Plants/Animals will you need medical
outside world, Ration
encounter? How will
attention, Normal
Resupply,
you react?
injuries (Prevention?)
Non-Verbal Day

Name:
Foundations of Technology

1.

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

Define the Problem

What need or want must be met by the solution?
_____I have to provide healthy and sustainable diet for a three week hike down the Appalachian
Trail.___________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.

Brainstorming
List possible items that might be used in your final pack. Clearly identify and describe how each of
these ideas relates to the problem statement. Organize them within the 6 Expert Categories: Energy &
Power, Manufacturing, Construction, Information & Communication, Agriculture & Transportation, and
Medicine & First Aid.

Name:
Foundations of Technology
Name

Cal/Srv

Clif Bar

240

68 / 2.43

Granola

200

50 / 1.79

16

160

Milk, powdered skim 80

Nutrigrain bar 120
PopTart

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

Weight Srv/Pkg

Instant Oatmeal

3.

Period:

43 / 1.54

23 / 0.82

32

37 / 1.32

200 52 / 1.86

Coffee, instant

2 / 0.07 60

spaghetti noodles

210

Tomato paste 30

33 / 1.18

Mac-n-Cheese 260

70 / 2.5

56 / 2 8

Research and Generating Ideas

In the space below, document your research. I would suggest researching for cost and weight of items
as well as information of the trip. If any expert has something specific to research it should be done
here as well. Be sure to include proper citations at the end of your notes.

Many people don't realize that food needs can double on a hike, depending on distance, temperature, and
elevation. The fat in your body supplies lots of energy as it is slowly burned, but needs to be
supplemented by food. If you run out of food, your body consumes muscle for fuel and that results in
fatigue and degrading performance. Plan your food supply so you have a cushion of extra food in case of
emergency.
The speed at which you move also makes a difference in how many calories are consumed. There is a
jump when you change from walking to running because you are exerting many more muscles, but this
calculator assumes walking. Whether you walk at 2mph or 4mph, there is only a small change in calorie
consumption.

Name:
Foundations of Technology

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

Citations/References
Hiking Food Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.hikingdude.com/hiking-foodneeds.php

4.

Identifying criteria and specifying constraints

What are the criteria and constraints of the design problem?

Criteria

Constraints

Name:
Foundations of Technology

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

3 week hiking trip

$2000 dollar budget
Each person can carry 40 pounds
Teacher will supply a small ration
halfway through the trip

5.

Exploring possibilities
Reflect on your brainstormed ideas and research notes and describe the plusses and minuses of each
design approach you have considered. What decisions will your group have to make? Write down the
decisions that you must make to discuss.

Brainstorming Ideas &

Decisions
Quest bars
$25.99

Pluses

Minuses

-good snack and source of energy

when needed

1.6 lbs.
Oatmeal
$10.44

Provides fiber and supports

energy throughout the day

Not ready to eat

Can have many different

vegetables added, easy to
prepare, provides vitamins found
in nonstarchy vegetables

Not many calories

A great source of protein and can

be mixed with any food

An acquired taste

1.5lbs
Pasta meal
$75.99
2.0lbs

Spirulina powder

$24.22

0.55 lbs
Bug Spray
$32.79

Protects against any bug bites

and prevents the spread of
disease that comes with them

0.55lbs
Dried vegetable soup
$15.14
1.6lbs

A good healthy snack that

provides stable energy and
vitamins. Takes a long time to go
bad.

Name:
Foundations of Technology

Period:

Powdered Skim Milk

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

Adds calcium to the diet and other

natural vitamins and minerals

Requires water

Has live sprouts and serves as a

healthy complex carbohydrate

Goes bad quicker than other items

expensive

0.56lbs

Prevents skin dryness and

cracking, provides rapid healing
for small scratches, keeps skin as
healthy as possible

Poison ivy/oak healing

cream

Heals rashes caused by poison ivy

or oak in case anyone gets them

$27.00
3.0lbs
Ezekiel bread
$15.99
0.9lbs
Vitamin E skin cream
$6.75

$7.79

Easy to eat and protein rich

0.64lbs

Peanut butter
$9.99
1.49lbs
TOTAL COST $252.09
TOTAL WEIGHT 13.39lbs
6. Selecting an Approach
a. Enter the constraints and criteria of the project in the first column.
b. Score your brainstorming ideas against each constraint or criterion and indicate how well the idea
meets the criteria and constraints. 3 pts = easily meets, 2 pts = somewhat meets, 1 pt. = does not
meet
c. Total the columns and circle the highest score to indicate your best design idea.
Constraint/Crite 4 person
food
clothes
Other
rion
tent, 2
materials
person
tent, tarp,
sleep
arrangem
ents
3 Weeks

Weight

Money

Name:
Foundations of Technology

Total

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

7. Developing a Design Proposal

Based on the evaluation of your ideas, develop a design proposal packing list for the highest scoring
idea. Attach your working material list in Microsoft Excel file to your Weebly. Determine the materials
you plan to use based on your design.
8. Making a model or prototype
Within the 3D Modeling Software Autodesk Inventor create the items needed for the trip to fit within
the pack that you have bought/designed. Attach your parts & finished product from Autodesk Inventor
to your Weebly.
9. Testing and Evaluating the Design, using specifications
As you create your solution, you will perform tests to make sure that the solution is meeting the needs
of the given problem. If your solution does not work, you may need to repeat the previous steps of the
Engineering Design Process, until you find a functional design. In the space below, document the type
of tests you conducted and the results.
Test Performed
Is it within the weight
limit?

Test Results
Yes, the weight limit is 40 pounds per person and my load only weighs
13.39 pounds.

Is it sustainable?

Yes, the amount of food will last for three weeks.

Is it within the cost

limit?

Yes, the cost limit for the entire group is $2,000 dollars. The food only takes
up $252.09 of the budget.

10.Refining the Design

Based on your tests, what design refinements should be made to the prototype to ensure that it can
satisfy all of the criteria and constraints of the design problem.
Refinements

Name:
Foundations of Technology

Period:

Date:
Unit 3 Hiking Group

I need to make sure I use the lightest and most durable materials possible

I need to make sutre my food containers close securely so food does leak when were hiking

11.Creating or Making It
Modify your model/prototype to incorporate the design refinements you identified in section 10. What
additional steps would be necessary to produce the final product for the customer?
I need to make my spoon handler thinner to make it easier to use
I need to make my spork more concaved
I need to brand my milk container and make it lighter

000000
12.Communicating processes and results
a) Demonstrate your final packing list & packs to the rest of the class.