Hiker Rescued after SIX long days in the Wilderness

[halhiker]

A mirror and a bright colored jacket are always in my pack.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/07/15/402 ... aking_News

[Hikin_Jim]

Thanks for the link, Hal,

It looks like he:
a) did not leave a detailed itinerary with anyone and
b) did not have any signalling devices with him

That's not to try to rip him to shreds (he did a danged good job with what he had; I'd probably be dead right now), but rather to encourage people to think about safety.

Waiting THREE DAYS for someone to even notice you're not back yet is no fun. A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) works anywhere in the world and notifies Search and Rescue that you're in distress immediately. It also takes the "Search" out of "Search and Rescue". A tremendous amount of resources are expended just looking for someone. The article states that 80 people were out looking for him. A PLB sends out both your GPS coordinates *and* sends out a homing beacon. Search and Rescue can proceed to your location directly and little time is spent looking for the victim.

HJ

[halhiker]

I've always been reluctant to use a PLB because I've always believed in self- reliance and adventure. Your point that 80 people were out looking for the guy and the PLB takes the search out of SAR makes a very good point. Maybe I'll put one on my Christmas list this year. I'm hoping to do some adventures in the Sierra similar to what this guy was on and I'd hate to put people out trying to find me.

[Hikin_Jim]

Considering that most of these guys on SAR are volunteers that have to leave their jobs and family, yeah, I think it's worth considering. Even if they weren't, helicopters, planes, 4WD's, etc. can't be cheap. Sort of puts the $250 price tag of a PLB into perspective, or at least it did for me.

A PLB by the way is a one time expenditure. There are no annual fees or charges. A SPOT has annual fees as well as an initial purchase cost but has more features including tracking and on some of the higher end models, custom messaging. A PLB is generally more reliable in terms of getting a signal out. SPOT signals are sometimes not picked up.

HJ

[Andy]

Jim,
any particular model you'd recommend for a down n dirty "i'm here come find me" PLB?

I'm in Hals camp by the way but you do make a good point especially up against the spot. I'm not to keen on always being "tied to the grid" but having the ability to send a ping when needed is truly priceless.

[Hikin_Jim]

Andy,

I went with something small and light, the ACR ReqQLink. The McMurdo is slightly cheaper, but you can't test it. If you deploy the antenna on a McMurdo, you have to send it back to the factory to get it re-sealed.

HJ

[Myth]

I have the ACR ResQLink, myself. Nice and light, yet sturdy. Never had to use it yet, so I don't know how well it works.

My only minor beef with it is the way the antenna docks. It is a thin, flexible metal strip that wraps around the unit and is held in place ( being naturally springy and wishing to straighten out ) with a small hook. I have managed to deploy it accidentally when transferring the unit to a pocket. No big deal, you just wrap it back around and hook it in place.

And this is actually a feature, not a bug. In an emergency it needs to be easy to deploy, preferably with a single hand. It certainly is that. And since it mostly lives in a shoulder strap pocket, I've only accidentally deployed the antenna twice, when I transferred it from the shoulder strap pouch to a pants pocket for one of those "It is just right over there, I'll just quickly check it out, no need to take a full pack" ventures.

Call it Hollywood's corrupting influence, but I don't want to be the one who perishes 300 yards from my truck because I left the thing in the truck for the "quick jaunt" and managed to get stuck in a crevice or something. Else it would just live in the shoulder strap pocket permanently.

[Hikin_Jim]

You are more diligent than I. I keep it in the bottom of my pack wrapped in a sock "so it will be safe". Trips for water and such are done sans-PLB. I'm sure I'll slip and fall head first into the nearest creek now. Of course, living in Southern California, that will end only in embarrassment and not a drowning.

HJ

[bluerail]

I agree its a wise and thouughtful choice, if not so much for saving your own life as being considerate of others safety, time and energy trying to find you. The clovis man issue is a great example.

[Ed]

I have a McMurdo FastFind PLB, but now carry a SPOT. I know the disadvantages of SPOT. But the ability to send an OK message as well as an SOS is important. You don't want nervous people at home calling 911 when you are running late, but don't need help. For example, a situation where the safest thing to do may be to hunker down for the night, but you can walk out in the morning.