High Sierra Topix

commonloon wrote:

A LOUD whistle is a better... After that trip I googled loud whistles and ordered a storm whistle.

x2 Thanks Paul.

Topic about emergency whistles: http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 15&t=13467

That was a common fear of mine - getting injured and suffering until I died. How cool that I never had that happen and of course never will happen to me.

Thanks for all the info and references on whistles. Very useful. I was somewhat kidding in my response to Harlen and did not intend to suggest we should not carry whistles.

I still carry a whistle, along with an Inreach, phone, signaling mirror, paper maps, photos of maps on my camera's memory (in case I lose the maps), compass, leave detailed plans with my wife... so I tend to lean on the "safe" side, knowing that any combination of the above could fail.

Not so much into the whistle. Takes just as much effort to touch SOS on the inreach device. Inreach device has important waypoints on it. Phone stays in the truck. If you are truly solo, who would hear the whistle? Still trying to teach Simba how to press the SOS button. Slow progress.

Cross Country wrote: ↑Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:42 am That was a common fear of mine - getting injured and suffering until I died. How cool that I never had that happen and of course never will happen to me.

You are hiking in the backcountry when you check out. Not a bad way to go. I can think of worse places to take my last breath.

I do not remember getting injured backpacking but probably did.
One time I was hiking with my son mike 9yo going west over hell for sure pass. I really did not want to hike down to the timber gap trail. We started out cross country to cross the creek on the left and the cc pass farther up. I was hikeing really fast downhill cross country. What an idiot I was. Moving really fast I stepped on a hugh rock and my foot slipped out from under me. By some miracle I was able to do a 180 degree flip forward and land flat on the back of my pack on the rock. The rock was flat on the surface. It was that packs last trip and it saved me a probable nasty injury. What luck.

I just remembered that years ago I posted pictures from that trip.