Iridium GO! First Look

[Ken Thompson]

Since the GO! is mention in RJ's article from last summer and no news on part two appears anywhere, is this article part two in essence?

I'd rather read Alan's work.

[James Marco]

I don't care what others carry.
I don't care what they don't carry.
Technology should not impact me in any way when I am in the woods.
I do not allow my technology to impinge on anyone in any way in the woods.
I do not wander around with my phone in the air looking for service. I like to know where I am.
I do not shout to be heard over a weak connection, it really doesn't help.
I do not step off a cliff because I am watching bars rather than watching where my feet are.
I don't spend forty-five minutes on a 1 minute call trying to connect.I have better things to do.
I check for bars by seeing if they are open for business.
I carry a phone to arrange for resupplies, check ins and pickups. If my wife doesn't hear from me for a week, she knows I am out of touch. If she doesn't hear from me for two weeks, she calls the DEC to report me missing, then she calls the funeral home.
I really don't need an Iridium Go. Maybe some do…fine.

[Dave P]

Sure a lot of belly-aching over what outdoorsmen have been using for a decade. A lot of the guys here "borrow" satellite phones from their work-places before they head out on their backpacking trips, often because they are heading into remote places which are not usually accessible by motorized means or have maintained trails.

There is not going to be a horde of people yakking on their phone. Most of the users I met only want to send a few text messages once every two or three days.

Besides, staying connected to the world all the time is expensive. It's comical to see people being threatened by a service which is considered as a luxury by most.

Smartphones with accessible wifi, I understand. But the trend I am seeing is that better connections is not being in demand because of recreational users; but because oil companies subsidizing communication developments for their own workers. Every-day folks using the same network just help foot the bill.

Given the increased interest in the West to extract whatever is left, it is not really a surprise people are becoming more connected when one follow the paper-trail between oil-extraction industry and telecommunications industry.

In Alberta, we have near-universal coverage because companies like Suncor and others paid for it all.

[Nick Gatel]

"“Nick, I noticed that on your AT section hike you used your iPhone as a GPS.”

Randy,

I also used it a few other times too. It was my first real smart phone purchased in 2011. I took it on a trip in May 2011 documented here. This was interesting. When I tried to call my wife, there wasn’t enough of a signal to place a call. One of the guys suggested I text her. I didn’t know how so he taught me how to send a text.

But I persevered and learned about apps and stuff. I considered the potential of the phone as a multi-purpose tool and downloaded Topo for iOS and took it on a trip in Nov of 2011, which is detailed in this trip report.

I used it on a trip in the beginning of Dec 2011, but never wrote a trip report.

A detailed account of its use on another trip at the end of 2011 is recorded here.

And yes, I used it on the 2013 AT trip you mentioned in this trip report, and I mentioned, “Normally I would not use a phone to house my maps, but in this case it allowed spontaneity.”

My disdain for the technology is not some preconceived judgement, but is based on actual experience and observation.

[Randy Nelson]

What I take exception with is this: Like only Smokey the Bear can prevent fores fires, you come off like only Nick can advocate for wilderness. Or at least only people who fit your narrowly defined criteria. Which I certainly don't meet.

"Folks who cannot stand the silence, the natural sounds, or solitude of wilderness cannot advocate if they need an iPod to camouflage the music of wild places."

I do carry a small MP3 player and listen to podcasts or music when I'm my bag. I sleep less when backpacking and it helps me fall asleep. And I also carry ear plugs for when it's really windy. So I can't advocate for Wilderness?

"People who demand maintained trails to visit wilderness cannot advocate."

I don't know who's doing the demanding, but I certainly do use trails. I'd imagine it must be 100% of backpackers who use trails. That doesn't mean we don't go off trail. You seem to hike primarily in the desert. I was just in the desert 2 weeks ago. Between the rock and sand, trails didn't exist. But it was easy enough to navigate for almost anyone because it was so exposed. I primarily hike in Colorado and Wyoming where there are plenty of trees to obscure your goal but you can still move easily enough through them in a lot of places as the forest isn't that dense. I've never hiked in the south or southeast but have seen incredibly dense forests there. Seems like it would be almost impossible to get through some of them without trails. Or at least taking 10 times longer than being on trail.

I'm still not sure of your point here about demanding maintained trails or who is doing that.

"Hikers who cannot figure out where to go hike without help to locate a route cannot advocate."

Are you referring to signage? Like trailhead signs? I'd say most everyone uses those.

"Individuals who think quotas are better than no roads to wilderness cannot advocate."

What does this mean? Most places I go are near roads that are not dedicated for wilderness access. But you have to leave the car and start hiking somewhere. The only place I've ever gone where I even needed a permit were National Parks like Yosemite, Zion, RMNP. So if the choice is quotas and permits or closing roads to National Parks so only serious backpackers can go, than I'd choose quotas. I generally avoid the hassle of NPs for the most part.

"Societies who substitute SPOTs and their ilk for wilderness skills cannot advocate.

Persons who will not hold themselves accountable for keeping themselves safe in wilderness, expecting SAR to rescue them with the touch of a button cannot advocate. Without technology to save our collective butts, the lack of technology might change our perception."

Really? I carry an inReach so I can't advocate for wilderness? Carrying a PLB, SPOT, inReach, etc, has zero to do with a lack of wilderness skills or accountability. Stuff happens. If I break my leg, then yes, it would be nice if SAR could help me. I go solo 90% of the time so there's no one to go for help if the poop hits the fan. It also allows me to change my itinerary. Last September in the Winds, I had a route planned out but once I got there and talked to a few backpackers coming out as I was going in. I decided to completely change my trip. I texted my wife the new itinerary. So even if the device failed, she and SAR, would have a good idea where to look for me. And I used tracking for the first time. Might help if something like this ever happens:

http://www.backpacker.com/trips/wyoming/trapped-the-mike-turner-story/

Some people would argue that it's MORE accountable to carry a notification device. It would save a lot of effort by SAR if someone goes missing and they know their last notification location. I'm not arguing you should carry one. Do what you want. I know I will. If you see me on the trail, you'll never know what I'm carrying with me anyway so I don't know why anyone would care.

Maybe I'm just spoiled because cell phones don't work where I go. The only place I ever see people use a cell phone is on top of 14'ers and not much even then. But that is not a wilderness experience anyway. More like a party on top of a mountain.

[Katherine .]

'What I take exception with is this: Like only Smokey the Bear can prevent fores fires, you come off like only Nick can advocate for wilderness. "

Actually Randy, you've got that wrong: "Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires." Smokey the Bear just delivers the message.

Get ready to take the blame for this summer's impeding inferno!

(my poor husband, as a small child, felt the weight of the world on him from this campaign)

[Billy Ray]

"The only place I ever see people use a cell phone is on top of 14'ers and not much even then. But that is not a wilderness experience anyway. More like a party on top of a mountain."

Most of the 14ers in CA are wilderness experiences and you mostly see nobody there. And that 'party of top of a mountain'… that's exactly what Nice, myself, and many others abhor… totally destroys the wilderness experience… does not leave any wilder experience for those who don't want to party…

I know you'll want to argue Randy. Your whole post against Randy is you being argumentative rather than try to see Nick's point of view… so… argue on Randy… you seem to enjoy that…

Billy

[Randy Nelson]

Of course! Don't know how I could have gotten that one wrong.

Steven Wright:

When I was a kid, I remember seeing Smokey the Bear on TV saying, "Only you can prevent forest fires." I thought "Who? Me?" So I'd sneak out of the house in the middle of the night with a bucket of water — "Gotta go to work."
— SW

[Randy Nelson]

"Most of the 14ers in CA are wilderness experiences and you mostly see nobody there. And that 'party of top of a mountain'… that's exactly what Nice, myself, and many others abhor… totally destroys the wilderness experience… does not leave any wilder experience for those who don't want to party…"

That's nice. It's not that way on the more accessible ones here in Colorado. On the weekends there can be hundreds of people going up the more popular ones. My understanding is Whitney is like that. Must be if you have to get a permit. Is that a wilderness experience to you? Not me. I don't do 14ers for solitude. The ones I've done out here, and it's only 10 or 11, have never had less than 20 people on top when I was up there. Everyone talking, taking pictures for other groups, etc.

"I know you'll want to argue Randy. Your whole post against Randy is you being argumentative rather than try to see Nick's point of view… so… argue on Randy… you seem to enjoy that…
"

Pot. Kettle. Black. Billy.

Seriously, did you type that without laughing?

Yes, I disagreed with some of Nick's post. I don't think you have to be a purist to advocate for wilderness. If so, then wilderness is in serious trouble because I don't see John Muir around to fight for it.

I respect other's enjoyment of wilderness and don't infringe on it. Like I said, cell phones don't even work where I go except on top of some of the 14ers. But Nick's post makes it sound like anyone who does use technology, no matter if anyone even knows they do, can't advocate for wilderness. I disagree.

[Peter Necarsulmer]

The question IS does it work? Answer: YES!

Different strokes for different folks on whether or not this device enhances, detracts or is neutral impact for your wilderness experience. That's an individual POV and ultimately a function of how you manage (or mismanage) the device's availability and capabilities.

On a personal experience note, the unit saved my bacon in a very serious situation two weeks ago — and because of the phone/voice capacity allowed me to get critical help without calling in the SOS cavalry.

[Author]

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