Posted on 03/22/2024 10:44:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Wife and I hiked up to Hickory Falls at Chimney Rock in N.Carolina. A guy had his hat blow off and it sailed down to the rocks near the falls, landed about 100 feet down. The guy went down the rocks and got the hat. The rocks were wet and slippery near where the hat landed. There was still a long drop from where the hat was. There were maybe 20 people watching the guy and everyone was holding their breath.
It was a very nice hat, probably $200 at least, but no way I would have gone down those rocks.
A $100 Garmin gps will keep you on trail. It doesn’t need a cell tower. Might save your life.
I have a relatively cheap GPS locator that can send two messages that I can create (”I’m good - love you!” and “Need help but not an emergency”). Also has the emergency button that will send rescue crews to my location.
Working in a remote location it is comforting to my wife to hear from me at lunch out at the site and then back at base camp for the night.
There are better ones (and more expensive) where you can send and receive text messages via the satellites too.
Smart. Places I’ve elk hunted a broken leg is as lethal as a bullet in the head. Lost in December in the Rockies can and is terminal in a lot of cases.
“She probably leaned over for a better photo or something”
Yup. Death by selfie.
Is that what they mean when they say “Bend back and kiss your🐴 goodbye”.
I think it was John Wayne that said “ Life is hard, it’s harder when you’re stupid”.
What if you stumble and drop your phone?
If sunny, don’t need a compass - can tell by sun’s position easily.
If not by sun, by moss on sides of trees. Or on rocks.
Any outdoors person can......
Very sad for all her family and friends.
How sad. Especially sad her parents came out to help find her only to get that devastating news.
I always wanted to visit Tassajara but never got there. It was supposed to be a wonderful retreat area. It didn’t fare well in the fires a few years ago, I recall.
I use Gaia GPS for GPS navigation, even in well traveled areas. It’s a great app.
Even places with lots of trails can get very confusing (think Almaden Quicksilver), so good nav is very useful. If you plan ahead, you download the maps for your destination area.
My wife bought me a Garmin inReach Mini Handheld GPS Satellite Communicator last Christmas which allows satellite text messaging outside cell service areas. It’s good insurance for such emergencies.
Ten essentials for hiking. Perhaps this will help you in the future.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
Thank you so much.
I spent many days fifty years ago doing day hikes with a compass and a USGS quadrangle map, before the cell phone era, out in the mountains north of Gunnison. We knew enough to stay off the scree and travel loud.
I have the Garmin inReach Mini Handheld GPS Satellite Communicator.
A great feature of these devices is “Passive Tracking.” You turn it on and forget about it - viewers at home can watch your progress on the web. Maybe this could have saved this young woman’s life.
Here is an updated Cabelas review: The 5 Best Satellite Messengers of 2024
I call them “Selfiecide”
I do that. Carry an small extra phone which is for music only
Or she could have been pushed. Dangerous to hike alone in an invaded country.
Taking a Selfie ?
In the age of GPS, Garmin, TomToms, etc we have lost the skill of orienteering with a compass or the stars.
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