How did terrain trap hikers?

[Andy]

How did you manage to get out of your padded cell??

I would assume with the help of either a GPS, PLB or "Celphone"

[arocknoid]

Must have had a jailbroken celphone*.

*Definition of a Celphone:

a telephone illustrated in an owd skool Disney animation,
e.g. :



If only I could have found a phone in a cel from "The Rescuers;" 'twoulda been perfect for DPH.

(now where did i stash my Courvoisier...?)

[bluerail]

This is the good stuff.

Zip, you're the best !

This weekend ? Both or either day? Pick a time, I'm in town both days
Call or text me, I need a work out been hanging off a rope too much.

[phydeux]

My concept is to not worry about getting lost, but to 'keep myself found'.

I just use a simple map & compass; $20 for a compass, $10 for a topo map of San J (they're still available by mail order from the USGS). This method requires that you keep track of where you are from the first step on the trail ('keeping yourself found') rather than depending on a belt full of e-devices when you get lost.

Yes, I have a cellphone (prepaid plan), but I never expect it to work in the backcountry.

[Perry]

Does it have to be a smarrtfone???

[AlanK]

Does it have to be a smarrtfone???

In needs to be a smart celfone, definitely not a mere cell phone. I carry mine in an easily accessible pocket on my full body armor -- never go anywhere without that!

[guest]

I think reliance on too many things outside one's own personal skills & preparation can be potentially dangerous in itself.
These devises can help, but, as many mentioned here, can also be a determent, crutch, or worse.

[Hikin_Jim]

I'm not sure if Daniel/eagle11772 is sincere or not.

Whatever the case may be, I'm happy to see this post resurrected because it had cute baby pics of my daughter.


She's come a long way since then.


As for gear carried in the backcountry, I do carry a PLB, but there are good reasons not to, mainly expense. I paid about $450 for my PLB; it's the single most expensive piece of hiking/backpacking gear that I own. The good news is that costs are seriously declining. A good PLB now costs about $250 which is far more affordable, and if the past is any indication, the costs will continue to decline.

A cell phone isn't a bad idea per se, but they frequently don't work in the backcountry because there's no signal. Reliance on a cell phone is clearly not a good idea.

As for a GPS, nothing wrong with it, but a GPS can fail due to either breakage or battery discharge. The standard recommendation is to carry a map and a compass and use the GPS to augment (not replace) a map and compass. Some of the most lost people I've met out in the backcountry had a working GPS but didn't really know how to relate their GPS position to the terrain around them. It's important to keep oneself generally oriented to the surrounding terrain. That general orientation is the reality check that can keep you from doing something stupid based on the GPS. This is particularly critical when hiking off trail and picking cross country routes.

Just some thoughts.

Daniel/eagle11772, if you're sincere, I wish you the best even if I disagree with you to some degree on some points.

HJ

[Ellen]

I carry mine in an easily accessible pocket on my full body armor -- never go anywhere without that!

Gosh Alan, I thought I was the only one who wore full body armour

Bloody Blonde Hiking

[scotts]

People with a modicum of competence and good judgement have been traversing the SJ's without gps for millenia.

With competence and judgement the wilderness has been human friendly since, well, before we were humans. Without these qualities, whether you have a gps or not is probably the least of your worries.

Insisting on a brittle technological fix for all cases (including those where nothing is broken) seems like a mandate for undercutting the very competencies and judgement skills we ought to be valuing above all else.

It's hard to imagine wanting a gps to get to the grocery store.

First post here I guess. Hey all.