Cell Phones Aid Lost Hikers

I'm a hiker. Over the years, I haven't always carried a cell phone with me when I've gone hiking. Nowadays, I make it a point to lug along a cell phone when I hike, mostly so my wife can get a hold of me if she needs me, that is, if she's not hiking with me as she often is, in which case she carries her own cell phone.

Not that I'm grumbling, but there have been times that while I've been hiking with my wife, I've carried everything: my stuff, her stuff, the water, the food-everything, including both of our cell phones.

Then she got to thinking that if something happened to me, like say if I fell off a clilff or steep section of trail and was incapacitated (or worse), she'd have no means to contact help. So then she began carrying her cell phone. Meanwhile, I still carried everything else. But that's what husbands (at least this one) are for, right?

Recently, while doing some browsing on the web, I found an article that reminded me that our cell phones are more than just a means of dialing 911 to contact rescuers if we need rescuing. Additionally, our cell phones are a means of rescuers finding us, by way of the GPS locators that are in our cell phones and which are activated when we dial 911.

According to the article, authorities can and do make use of the GPS technology in our cell phones and computer mapping software to find lost hikers and backcountry enthusiasts or give them directions to safety.

The article cited a couple of examples of how cell phone technology and mapping software were able to assist lost folks. One example involved an ATV rider who summoned help on her cell phone. The dispatcher noted her location on a map on his computer screen and guided her to a road where a logger was able to offer her assistance. One person saved. Time and money that would have been spent by rescuers saved, too.

A second example involved two experienced hikers in the area of Cranberry Peak in Maine. Even though equipped with a compass, the hikers went off course due to an incorrect sign. Confounded, they summoned help on 911. Initially, the lost hikers didn't believe the dispatcher could chart their movement on his computer until he told them to take a turn. When they didn't follow the dispatcher's directions and had to backtrack, they were convinced. With the dispatcher's guidance, they eventually emerged on a logging road where a police officer had been dispatched to wait for them.

To sum up, carry a cell phone with you wherever you go. You may not like "Big Brother" knowing your whereabouts, but if you are ever lost while hiking, you'll probably be glad he did.

Reference

Jespersen, Betty "Cell phone technology helps searchers pinpoint the lost." Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME); 10/28/2007.