injured when hiking solo

[Rockyroad]

PLBs, cell phones... are just insurance policies. You can leave them in your pack and forget about them the entire trip. But I respect decisions not to carry them.

Here is my story in which I was glad to have my Spot.
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 37&t=15432

[Wandering Daisy]

I have been "on the fence" for several years now, and still have not "fallen off" on either side, LOL.

The weight is now down to what I consider reasonable.

The cost is still sky high in my opinion. And you are a prisoner of their on-going use plans. After a considerable investment, you then can be blind-sided by change in use fees.

In 2018 I went on a trip with a buddy (both of us old-farts who can barely send a text on our phones) who was carrying an In-Reach, mostly off but turned on for messaging. It took some time to connect (up to 20 minutes) to the satellite and then he had to move around a bit to find a good location. If injured, I am not sure that would always work. If you keep it on all the time, spare batteries may be needed. It was not exactly like instantly pushing a help button. My capacity to work electronics properly when mentally alert is poor, let alone when in shock from injury. It was very helpful when coordinating with my husband who was picking us up. We mainly used the pre-written short messages. It was quite tedious to actually type a message.

Thus, I am still on the fence.

[Harlen]

WD wrote:

Solo in the winter! Now that is really "into the wild".

Not solo, I have a dog!

[Wandering Daisy]

I assume Bearzy has taken a first aid class. At least he can lick the wound. And jump in your sleeping bag with you to prevent hypothermia.

[Harlen]

Rockyroad wrote:

Here is my story in which I was glad to have my Spot.
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 37&t=15432

That's a heck of a story even the second time through Rocky. Am I right in assuming that with your combined wrist and leg injuries you would have had a hard time exiting back up over North Glacier Pass? I know it well, and it's hard enough on a good day. We're very glad your experience went as it did. I may be heading slowly toward a safety device, perhaps first by including a loud whistle... and maybe a second dog?

The Mountain Pom climbing high above North Glacier Pass.

Wolfie beside Twin Lakes- you see, he could have led you down safely Rocky.

[TurboHike]

And you are a prisoner of their on-going use plans. After a considerable investment, you then can be blind-sided by change in use fees.

This is one reason why I bought a PLB instead of a texting device like InReach. I carry the Ocean Signal RescueMe, price was $280, no ongoing fees, weighs 4 ounces, the battery lasts 7 years. It's a "one use" device, if used the battery must be replaced by a service center.

ACR makes a similar product, ACR ReqQLink, weighs a little bit more, about the same price, somewhat lower battery life. The upside for ACR is that they replace the product, for free, if it's ever used.

[Rockyroad]

Rockyroad wrote:

Here is my story in which I was glad to have my Spot.
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 37&t=15432

...I may be heading slowly toward a safety device, perhaps first by including a loud whistle... and maybe a second dog?

Has anyone ever been saved by a whistle? A number of years ago, my wife and daughter got separated from us on a hike when they accidentally took another path. When I noticed they weren't behind us, I stopped and blew my whistle repeatedly, hoping they would follow the sound. After a while, I decided to backtrack, made a guess on where they may have veered off, and found them within a few minutes. Though they were not far away, they did not hear the whistle which was likely obstructed by the trees.

In your case, I'd have more confidence in Bearzy or Wolfie playing out a Lassie/Timmy episode than a whistle. Those tree wells can be very deep.

[dave54]

Are we falling into the fallacy of "it doesn't work work in every situation so why do it all"?

A whistle is about as small and light as you can get. It is a trivial item to carry. Most PLBs are smaller and lighter than a flask of a favorite adult beverage. Even if I never use it the peace of mind of those at home is worth the miniscule weight penalty.

[LMBSGV]

While the whistle did not bring search and rescue (the SPOT SOS did that), it did bring help. I cannot medically conclude as to whether or not I was going into shock at the time, but the assistance I received from the couple who heard the whistle and treated me as if I was going into shock was important. Also, without those people, I'm not sure if the helicopter would have seen me in order to rescue me. Finally, getting me in the helicopter gurney may not have been possible with only the one person dropped from the helicopter. The other people were needed to help me walk over to the gurney and lie down without further injuring myself. As Dave said, there really is no reason not to carry a whistle.

Here's the incident I'm talking about:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 37&t=19980

Along with a whistle, I think it is foolish in this day and age not to carry some sort of PLB. The arguments over which is best--In-Reach, SPOT, dedicated PLB, or satellite phone--are endless and have filled message boards, including this one. I'm not about to recommend one over another since each has its advantages and disadvantages. I've been going solo since 1997 so it was 22 years without needing to use one, but when I did, there is no price I can put on the result.

[tomba]

Has anyone ever been saved by a whistle?

2015: http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 30#p100818 which links to https://www.kcra.com/article/teen-who-h ... rs/6424697#

Teen who heard missing Folsom hiker: I couldn't believe my ears

Harwood suffered several broken bones after falling, and even though she couldn't walk, she was able to crawl.

In fact, reports indicate Harwood crawled two miles to a creek. She had a water bottle and a whistle, which proved to be key to her survival.

2012: http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 387#p62387

Just after a Helicopter dropped off one of the teams and left the area, SAR personnel heard a whistle off in the distance. Nathan had seen the Helicopter and was blowing his rescue whistle.