Hiker Rescue in the Pemi

[DayTrip]

Ya, those river crossings are tough. My daughter and I did all three of those in mid November. Thanks goodness for microspikes on icy rocks.
We managed to cross all three without incident. I am, btw, not really familiar with off trail hiking but it's definitely one of those skills I want to work on (this summer). It will be nice to take my skills to that next level.

The herd path for the crossings on North Twin Trail is pretty damn near a real trail. A few mildly ambiguous sections but very easy to follow and nothing to be concerned with. I do very little bushwhacking (at least intentionally ). The first time I ever did this trail it was early in year and I took the herd path without incident. Last time I was on it I came out in the dark. If you want a "tune up" herd path to try out this is a good one.

 

[Remix]

I love my electronics. I have waterproof maps and compass and all of that but in higher wind conditions a map can be, um, unruly to work with. I keep an extra charger in my pack for my phone so I should EASILY be able to get several days of power if I need to dial it down to airplane mode. It allows me to keep my wife informed of my current location/progress and on some of the more "interesting" winter hikes I've been on, I can use the apps I have to follow a trail that I can't see because, it either isn't blazed well, or the blazes are on rocks which are now covered with snow, etc.... And, in a really worse case scenario (which I've not come across yet), I can use it to retrace my steps in case the snow has blown in over my previous tracks on the descent (if I'm using the same trail - otherwise, several apps have tens of thousands of trails built in which makes it easy to see if you've gotten off course. I haven't really had to do any of that, with the exception of one hike up Spellman Trail on Monadnock. That trail is almost impossible to follow in the winter - especially with 2 or 3 feet of snow on it. lol Point being that we're in the 21st century now and we shouldn't be afraid/unwilling to take advantage of the tools at our disposal.

I understand your point about using electronics. My opinion is that it should be a personal choice, but that specious arguments should not be made against those who use electronics.

Going out on a hike without proper equipment or skills and going out on hike with a gps/cell/plb are two independent conditions. I see a linkage being made between the two conditions as part of another agenda, because there is no logic in the arguments.

FWIW, adult learning is most easily accomplished through experience, not reading. Map and compass work, sighting bearings, can give the beginner some challenges and wrong answers. Doing map and compass experiences with a GPS to verify your results or give you a clue as to what you did wrong is a very effective way to cement skills when there are no instructors around.

Two people without the proper knowledge or equipment go into the woods, one with a PLB, one without. Which one is going to put fewer rescuers at risk?

 

[Sematary]

I understand your point about using electronics. My opinion is that it should be a personal choice, but that specious arguments should not be made against those who use electronics.

Going out on a hike without proper equipment or skills and going out on hike with a gps/cell/plb are two independent conditions. I see a linkage being made between the two conditions as part of another agenda, because there is no logic in the arguments.

FWIW, adult learning is most easily accomplished through experience, not reading. Map and compass work, sighting bearings, can give the beginner some challenges and wrong answers. Doing map and compass experiences with a GPS to verify your results or give you a clue as to what you did wrong is a very effective way to cement skills when there are no instructors around.

Two people without the proper knowledge or equipment go into the woods, one with a PLB, one without. Which one is going to put fewer rescuers at risk?

I would guess the one with the PLB. Don't own one myself. I've been curiosity searching on the internet for various devices because I have no problem being OVER prepared but cost seems to be an issue for me - not necessarily the device itself but more the fact that they all seem to require a "plan" which is another monthly expense I can do without. My current methods seem to be working fine. I haven't found myself in dire straits and I don't take stupid chances. People ALWAYS know where I am supposed to be and I make sure I update via text when opportune. I wouldn't mind having a locator device though as I understand the gps on the phone isn't the best for locating people.

 

[DayTrip]

I would guess the one with the PLB. Don't own one myself. I've been curiosity searching on the internet for various devices because I have no problem being OVER prepared but cost seems to be an issue for me - not necessarily the device itself but more the fact that they all seem to require a "plan" which is another monthly expense I can do without. My current methods seem to be working fine. I haven't found myself in dire straits and I don't take stupid chances. People ALWAYS know where I am supposed to be and I make sure I update via text when opportune. I wouldn't mind having a locator device though as I understand the gps on the phone isn't the best for locating people.

My PLB doesn't have any plan. It was the unit plus an activation charge. You have to re-register it every so many years at no charge (I think 2 years but don't quote me on that). I just re-registered mine and I've had no more than 3 years). Devices with texting and tracking options generally are the ones that have a per-period (month, year, etc) service plan. I carry a SPOT and a PLB. I got the PLB first when I started traveling to more remote areas and the thought that I could get stuck with a 0% chance of getting out of woods alone. The network they use is supposed to be much more reliable than the network SPOT uses. The SPOT I got purely for keeping my wife up to date so she knows I'm OK after an incident I had. It has an SOS option but personally I would never trust it. I have a fair amount of issues just sending the text messages reliably. With the basic plan (which I think was like $12.99/month or thereabouts) I can send unlimited pre-created texts (which embed the GPS coordinates with it) to text and her email.

I rely on neither of these devices as a "get out of jail card". I have had two significant injuries in the past three years and was able to get out of woods both times. But I'm willing to acknowledge that at some point in my hiking life I may find myself in a situation where I won't be able to get out alone and having a PLB gives me a reasonable chance of alerting the appropriate people in a timely manner versus the default position of waiting until you don't return on time, then having a loved one call someone, who calls someone who then goes out in your general area and eventually finds you (hopefully alive). Not a guarantee but for the relative cost of the unit vs my life being over I'm willing to carry one. It can't guarantee my rescue but it improves my chances of a favorable outcome. And to someone else's earlier point the PLB benefits the rescuers as well, helping them narrow the search, limit resources used and maximize their safety as well.

 

[Sematary]

My PLB doesn't have any plan. It was the unit plus an activation charge. You have to re-register it every so many years at no charge (I think 2 years but don't quote me on that). I just re-registered mine and I've had no more than 3 years). Devices with texting and tracking options generally are the ones that have a per-period (month, year, etc) service plan. I carry a SPOT and a PLB. I got the PLB first when I started traveling to more remote areas and the thought that I could get stuck with a 0% chance of getting out of woods alone. The network they use is supposed to be much more reliable than the network SPOT uses. The SPOT I got purely for keeping my wife up to date so she knows I'm OK after an incident I had. It has an SOS option but personally I would never trust it. I have a fair amount of issues just sending the text messages reliably. With the basic plan (which I think was like $12.99/month or thereabouts) I can send unlimited pre-created texts (which embed the GPS coordinates with it) to text and her email.

I rely on neither of these devices as a "get out of jail card". I have had two significant injuries in the past three years and was able to get out of woods both times. But I'm willing to acknowledge that at some point in my hiking life I may find myself in a situation where I won't be able to get out alone and having a PLB gives me a reasonable chance of alerting the appropriate people in a timely manner versus the default position of waiting until you don't return on time, then having a loved one call someone, who calls someone who then goes out in your general area and eventually finds you (hopefully alive). Not a guarantee but for the relative cost of the unit vs my life being over I'm willing to carry one. It can't guarantee my rescue but it improves my chances of a favorable outcome. And to someone else's earlier point the PLB benefits the rescuers as well, helping them narrow the search, limit resources used and maximize their safety as well.

Which plb did you end up going with?

 

[DayTrip]

Which plb did you end up going with?

I have the ResQLink. It was one of the more highly reviewed at the time I bought it. Website: https://www.acrartex.com/products/outdoor/ There are quite a few electronics experts on this forum who could probably provide better info than me on this and other PLB's. It's hard to give it a review because you don't really use it. From what I had read about their network interaction and reviews of people who had actually deployed it the unit seemed to make sense for me.