Whats yer call in the calvary time?

[fowledup]

A few of the comments on the middle fork of the Feather thread got me thinking. When your out solo or going out anywhere I suppose. When do you tell folks to call in the calvary? As a first responder in a younger life I heard all kinds of different answers some made sense, some seemed a bit too long, others way too soon. Personally I usually give myself a 12hr. buffer from the time I said I'd be home. My reasons vary but I'll hold off on spewing them out for now. How many carry a spot? My wife and family have been on me alot about getting one lately. Something about THEY know I'm not getting any younger. PFFT!

 

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[johnedoe]

whats a "spot"?

 

[Hefty1]

 

[Hefty1]

I carry one all the time out there .

 

[johnedoe]

OH..... OK thanks

 

[Aufisher]

ACR 406 mhz EPIRB

 

[goldenIrishman]

I make and keep to a check in schedule as well as letting people know where I'm going to be. Doesn't matter if I've got to drive a few miles to get signal or not. I've also got an app on my phone that works with the GPS to let people on my list know where I'm at and the direction and distance to me. It doesn't rely on voice or data connection so it always works.

 

[KevinInColorado]

What is this app GI?

 

[fowledup]

I have one like what GI is talking about called 'PhoneTracker'.

 

[goldenIrishman]

The app I'm talking about is called "View-Ranger". Free from Google apps store. Easy to setup and use but being old school I always seem to forget that I have it on the phone.

 

[fowledup]

J - is it gps or cell based? I assume gps based but do you have to have cell service to transmit the location to your list? My problem is I'm miles and miles from any cell service.

 

[63bkpkr]

Fowledup,
Once while out hiking the NFAR country for a 10 hour hike I managed to put myself in a situation where I was out all night without any gear and had to make do with what little I had with me. In the morning I continued hiking across 7' high manzanita. After 3 hours of that I had a little talk with myself about not having had water for many hours, being exhausted, not getting to the trail I knew was nearby, being in delicate condition due to the nights exposure to late Sept early October night time temps and the like. I did come to the conclusion that it was time for me to press the 911 button on my SPOT and did. Three hours later the helicopter was right above me BUT there are no windows in the floors of helicopters so they could not see me nor could they land as I was in tall forest country. Around 10:30pm that night the rescue team got to me, by midnight I had taken enough electrolytes and water to make my body feel good enough to get going so we hiked out.

There comes a time when even a full grown man must admit that he needs help so just push the correct button and you will have it arrive. For anyone who is going to be out in any type of country 'stuff happens' and one can never prepare enough for what can happen so be sure to carry some form of GPS communicator as they save lives. Or, I would rather be alive and still backpacking than to be a dead statistic. The GPS units do not need Cell Service to communicate as they go up to satellites BUT having a good view to the sky above helps as you need three satellites to be able to send. That said I was in tall to heavy trees and my signal still got out and I own one of the original units. Be patient and give it time to link to the satellites!!!...............63bkpkr

 

[goldenIrishman]

J - is it gps or cell based? I assume gps based but do you have to have cell service to transmit the location to your list? My problem is I'm miles and miles from any cell service.

GPS based as far as location goes. Not quite sure on the "buddy tracker" part though.

 

[oregonmp03]

I call my dad each trip and tell him what road / creek / etc I'll be on. We have a standing order if we haven't texted or called by dark it's time to start the clock. Three hours after dark and no contact it's time to call the cavalry, unless I specifically specify before hand. I've had once where I was pulling out an elk and was way past dark. I stopped what I was doing about an hour after dark, drove a couple miles to the highest peak and text him to tell him what was happening and if I didn't call by a certain time I was in trouble. I hate hunting alone but anytime i'm out prospecting or hunting by myself I let him know exactly where I'll be, my plan, etc

 

[2cmorau]

crawl;ling back to the truck is not an easy thing to do with a busted leg, but your safe now, you made it to the truck, then the truck don't start, cuz the starter or battery is dead, your in a deep canyon
going out alone is high risk, Itinerary all i can add to this, oregon suggested phone call even a few miles of driving is worthy after a storm to let someone know your doin fine
thanks for the post Fowled and 63 like always good stuff, glad your here to share that

 

[mikep691]

Three people know where I am, two have maps. On a regular weekend trip, if I don't check in by any method before 6pm on Sunday they are to call out the dogs. Now, I keep three gallons water, and at least my tent and sleeping bags in the truck, even if I'm just doing a day trip. Extra smokes, and a bag of jerky are in the tool box as well. I find a way to get out of the woods when the beer is gone....

 

[Bronze]

I have a map of all the areas I prospect hanging above all my mining equipment. When I go out, I put a gold thumb tack in the spot I am going to be and tell the wife that if I am not home by "X" time, to call 911. Most of the places I go aren't hard to get to (1/4 mile hike at absolute most) if anything does go wrong its going to happen right at the dig site.

 

[stefen]

electronic leash

 

[63bkpkr]

2comorau, I am also glad I'm still here to share.

I must agree with your input about the getting back to the truck with a broken leg is tough as I've had to do that once as well. My truck did start so that trip also ended well.

On the previous note about the night out without gear and being extracted by a rescue team well, I hiked back into the canyon the next day. My gear was still down in there, I was OK and the hike back in was a snap with a nearly empty pack. Yup, still crazy after all these years..........63bkpkr