Rescuers fear "Yuppie 911"

[--M.]

You are correct, sir! --Phil Hartman

 

[jniehof]

hiking with a cell is easier then hiking without one. Back in the day you had 2 choices, rescue yourself, or send a party member for help.

For those who miss those days, I recommend T-mobile. (For that matter, I believe neither Sprint nor Verizon has service at Nancy Cascades, either.)

 

[Tim Seaver]

Back in the day you had 2 choices, rescue yourself, or send a party member for help.

No mention of the good old "hunkering down"?

The Art Of Hunkering has truly been lost on this generation. Tsk.

 

[Mike P.]

T-Mobile will have you in the good old days. (Well actually it does work on some of the Southern Summits in NH (Moosilauke, Kinsmans, Cannon, close proximity & line of sight to a tower) but overall the service is week in the Whites & off the highways. It's sketchy even in my town (Colchester, CT)

That said, the Blackberry Curve takes a decent picture, for a phone. My camera on the other hand, doesn't even make an 911 call.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I recently heard of a paddler who was in the Fish Creek Ponds region this fall and got windbound in camp; he called for rescue. Whatever happened to just staying in your camp until the wind lets up? Maybe he didn't want to be late for work.

 

[Little Rickie]

I signed up when I bought the SPOT - $8/yr for up to 2 rescues / yr, up to $50,000 each. The big question is how the exclusions are interpreted:



I would think that they would have a strong case for not covering you if, for example, the state determined that you were negligent and decided to charge your for your rescue because of it. (Then in a classic stroke of insurance, you would not have it when you needed it.)

Point (a) could be problematic - if I fall and slide on snow that became icy when clouds moved in, and need rescue, shouldn't I have anticipated that the snow would become icy with a forecast for increasing clouds?

I haven't heard any experiences with this insurance, maybe some have?

Do we know for sure that this company doesn't pay out easily or is difficult about claims?

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I miss the Lewis and Clark Expedition days, too.

and I'm thinking of oiling up my hob-nailed boots and... Nahhh, I don't need any gear - I HAVE A CELL PHONE!

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Do we know for sure that this company doesn't pay out easily or is difficult about claims?

I "bought" a SPOT last spring (actually it was free and I just paid for the support). Haven't needed it, and have not heard of any insurance pay-outs. Of course, the SPOT insurance is only for registered owners of those devices with a current coverage plan in effect.

 

[Little Rickie]

I "bought" a SPOT last spring (actually it was free and I just paid for the support). Haven't needed it, and have not heard of any insurance pay-outs. Of course, the SPOT insurance is only for registered owners of those devices with a current coverage plan in effect.

I tried to google for any complaints about claims but didn't come up with anything. If someone knows more I'l like to research this some. Please post or PM me.

Thanks in advance.

Little Ricke

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I tried to google for any complaints about claims but didn't come up with anything. If someone knows more I'l like to research this some. Please post or PM me.

Thanks in advance.

Little Ricke

I find it hilarious that you misspelled you own name
I also researched Spot insurance pay-outs and came up with only advertisements for Spot. I would think that there would at least be some discussion on some message board somewhere, but I guess not. This indicates that nobody has had to use their Spot in a situation that they were charged for. I think I'll start hiking in New Hampshire...

 

[Little Rickie]

I find it hilarious that you misspelled you own name QUOTE]

Can't chew gum and type at the same time. It sounds OK to me.

 

[sierra]

you guys can poke fun at me, thats cool, but I never let on that I wouldnt help someone who needed it, (chip),in fact ive rescued 2 people myself over the years, I wont bore you with the details and provide your fodder. As far as going back to the Lewis and Clark days, thats funny, but not quite that far back. Oh one more thing, "hunkering down" is not an option, nice try, but by my standards you would just eventually die all nice and hunkered down. I was thinking more like crawling out, Im sure an option most would never consider, espechally with that nice charged up phone, heck, why get all grimey and be late for the misses who would be worried to death about why you misssed your 5.00pm " honey, Im safely out of the woods and will be right home, do you need anything dear"? tsk.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Oh one more thing, "hunkering down" is not an option, nice try, but by my standards you would just eventually die all nice and hunkered down.

It was meant as a sarcastic reference to the "hunkering" approach, which unfortunately has been offered in the past as the noble and inexpensive alternative to calling for assistance while lost above treeline, on a cold, wet, windy night in the Presidential Range.

Which certainly isn't to suggest that more than a few "rescued" parties or individuals could have/would have/should have just toughed it out rather than immediately call for help as soon as they have a major ingrown toenail condition.

 

[RoySwkr]

Oh one more thing, "hunkering down" is not an option, nice try, but by my standards you would just eventually die all nice and hunkered down.

Sometimes it can be a good option.

In the cited case in July they only had to wait a few more hours to daylight and they would have been fine and able to walk out themselves, which might have been easier than having somebody bring you a light and having to walk out when you are exhausted. A guy I knew was too slow on a ski tour and built a fire and hunkered down for the night, boy was he mad when his buddy's wife called fish & game and some rescuers showed up and made them leave.

In true wilderness, searchers often prefer that you stay in one place so you're not a moving target.

In some cases you may die if you wait for rescue, so it's worth cutting off body parts to be able to go. And whatever you decide, in NH your decisions will be judged by a lawyer

 

[Little Rickie]

Oh one more thing, "hunkering down" is not an option, nice try, but by my standards you would just eventually die all nice and hunkered down. fely out of the woods and will be right home, do you need anything dear"? tsk.

I wouldn't have a problem hunkering down. I'm prepared for that. Especially if: my batteries were dead and I was dumb enought not to have packed extras, the weather was real bad and I couldn't see the trail, I was exhausted or I was lost and it would be stupid to walk around in the dark. It's only a few hours.

If I was injured so I couldn't walk I'd use my cell phone.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Svengali Lives!

In the cited case in July they only had to wait a few more hours to daylight and they would have been fine and able to walk out themselves

The dad and daughter were not wearing hiking gear and the daughter was wearing shorts when they set out around 3 p.m. to hike to the top of a 5,000 footer, where it was about 50 degrees at the summit, Ober said.

...and thunderstorms were forecast for that night, which fortunately didn't happen. Hanging out in shorts in 40-50 degree weather is uncomfortable - throw in a lashing rainstorm and you have the perfect recipe for hypothermia.

They might have been fine...or they might have been dead. Pretending to know what the outcome would have been without intervention is an interesting game from a comfy chair, but that's about the extent of it.

 

[sierra]

Why dont we agree on at least 2 things here, we all love the mountains and there are different approaches to how we travel in them. I have no desire to be vandictive and retract my negitive responses, I agree we all have our own levels of commitment, I see perectly how someone with kids and a wife would be more prudent, or anyone for that matter. This is America, we all can hike and live the way we choose and thats that, imo. see you in the hills.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

If I was injured so I couldn't walk I'd use my cell phone.

Don't know what I'd do, as I refuse to own a cell phone... But then, I was hiking for 30 years before cell phones existed... Back then, EVERYONE hiked without a cell phone.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I hunkered down and bivyed on the steep slope along one branch of Slide Brook in the Dixes one April night a few years ago. It wasn't too bad, and I was lucky there was no precip. I don't know what I would have done if I had a cell phone with reception, or a satellite device. I suppose that if I felt hypothermia was imminent, I would have called for assistance. By the way, is there really any difference between pressing the "Please Send Help" button on a SPOT, and pressing the "911" button, other than where the message goes first?

 

[Nessmuk]

By the way, is there really any difference between pressing the "Please Send Help" button on a SPOT, and pressing the "911" button, other than where the message goes first?

There's a huge difference. The Help button is NOT a "please send help" button. It only sends a signal to those who you pre-designate, and it is up to them to decide what to do. Authorities are not monitoring the help signal. During the Yukon 1000 canoe race this was made very clear to us, it was up to us and our ground crew to figure out a procedure if we had sent the non-life threatening help message - most likely meaning we were terminating the race but could continue to the next river village under our own power - which might still be a couple of hundred miles away.

Only he 911 button signal will be passed to SAR or other appropriate official authority to begin the rescue process. It is only to be sent for life threatening conditions where rapid response is necessary.