KEN KNIGHT IS MISSING ON APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN VA

[Kendall Clement]

Lorraine Pace –

>But who knew that being legally blind was a get out of jail free card?<

Wow… That is just mind-numbingly ignorant. I thought I was done with this thread, but I have to add my two cents. Your post is one of the most cruel and insensitive comments I have ever heard. And, I have heard and been the target of MANY cruel, insensittive and simply brutal insults… It almost leaves me speechless.

[Kendall Clement]

Ryan and GPS Users,

Thank you for your insights regarding GPS units. I too have been considering getting one for the same reasons as P.P. I'd like it just as a back-up since I'm alone most of the time and I wouldn't want to be lost several days. Also, Ryan I appreciate your article regarding the Garmin Oregon 550t as well as your comments about the Geko. I don't want to spend $500 to $600. As you guys have mentioned I would just like to have the added security and peace of mind.

[Robert Speik]

Hello Ken-
We await your trip report with anticipation. We hope you will help your many friends learn from your experience.

This thread seems to be winding down and the "Learning from Ken's Ordeal" thread in Philosophy and Technique has attracted only two pages of comments. I will try to sum up my comments in this post.

Paul Haan summed up my comments on the failure of your group's leaders to do their traditional duty and sweep you along. Or, perhaps they offered, but you said no, "I am not part of your group and I will go my own way. You are not responsible for me in any way." Paul Haan summed these traditional obligation of leaders and organizers more completely than I and no one objected to his local words.

A GPS has become almost mandatory for backcountry travelers in recent months. The advent of the $100 Garmin eTrex H and the $170 Garmin eTrex Venture HC make "staying found with map compass and GPS" as affordable as $136 to $206. Both are equally accurate as the high priced models with unnecessary magnetic compasses that turn off as soon as you start moving and barometric altimeters that need constant adjustment to the newly accurate geometric altitude reported on all GPS models.

It is too bad that all of the GPS units mentioned in this post cost $600 and more. No wonder that folks don't need a GPS – at $600 and up, I might not need one either. No one mentioned having $6 Quad maps (or equal) with the UTM coordinate grid in NAD 27. PC maps cost $99 for all 1,900 maps in Oregon, for example. The "best compass for backcountry and mountaineering" is the clear base plate, declination adjustable Suunto M3 costing about $30.

The small SPOT Satellite Messenger costs just $149 plus the annual satellite telephone service. If used with care, it can call 911 and take the Search out of Search and Rescue.

People use their common digital cell phones every day to call for help. Take it along and save the batteries. Don't believe the naysayers. They aren't heavy!

Lastly, don't fall for the propaganda of Conservative talk show hosts like Bill O'Reily and Rush Limbaugh who demand that Mt Hood and Mt Rainier should be closed down for the winter to save the expense of rescuing the fools who risk their lives climbing to the summit.

Each State has laws governing reimbursement for SAR services. In Oregon, the maximum charge is $500 per person if laws were broken or reasonable care was not taken. ". . . evidence of reasonable care includes:
(a) The individuals possessed experience and used equipment that was appropriate for the known conditions of weather and terrain.
(b) The individuals used or attempted to use locating devices or cellular telephones when appropriate.
(c) The individuals notified responsible persons or organizations of the expected time of departure and the expected time of return and the planned location or route of activity.
(d) The individuals had maps and orienteering equipment and used trails or other routes that were appropriate for the conditions.

The elected County Sheriff responsible for SAR can declare that the "individual did nothing wrong" even if the individuals failed to do everything required by Statue such as carrying a cell phone. Goverment agancies seldom charge for rescue services.

"He who knows naught, knows not that he knows naught."

"Hiking the hills and scaling peaks have risks that are hidden to the uninformed and in part, these risks can be mitigated by opening the mind to learning the traditions, current skills, the use of great gear and from the experiences of others.

This knowledge can be learned from wonderful books such as Mountaineering, the Freedom of the Hills, from the world wide web and by the mentoring of others. Classes given by volunteers and offered by the major Outdoor Clubs of the world are a wonderful way to gain knowledge and meet informed companions.

I hope that posters will use as much thought as I have in commenting on this post. Please emulate the sweetness of Kendall Clement. I am new to this web and have nothing to gain from posting here.

A friend who has been a member of BackpackingLight for four years, emailed me with an apology for some of the posted replies I have received.

I can tell you that I was given a complementary subscription by BackpackingLight, so I am trying to pay my dues in this way. My posts require a lot more work than one line zingers.

[Ashley Brown]

Hey Robert,

I'd agree with your comments on GPS units. Can't understand why someone in Ken's position wouldn't have one. I suspect he may be taking one on future trips. I'm sure he could have got himself back on the trail if he'd had one.

Having said that, I don't own a GPS unit. But I've considering the eTrex H.

I'd be interested in your, or others, comments on the "Easy Showily" unit. Here are the specs. I'm sure this unit is no where near as sensitive as the eTrex H but it is a whole lot lighter, and has a very nifty functionality that lets you just plug it into your computer when you get home to automatically display all your waypoints on google maps.

Anyway, I'm interested in how well this unit might actually work for giving coordinates in the field.

Cheers, A

ps. Andrew Skurka seemed very satisfied with the performance of his SPOT in Iceland, although I guess there was very little tree cover (if any). But it was out in the middle of nowhere.

[Rick Dreher]

Until SPOT sorts out the bugs, a PLB is the more conservative and far more dependable option for soloists. No check-in functions, but more robust, trustworthy and proven technology. Size and weight have been effectively halved.

http://www.mcmurdo.co.uk/products/product.html?product_type=2&product_sector=5&product=101

I've been a GPS fan for years, like using them and find them very useful. For some unknown reason consumer GPSs are regrettably growing in heft and unneeded feature sets. But, GPS chips are in so many products now that they've become commodities (cheap!) so all the hardware has to do is catch up with the tech. I'll bet dollars to donuts (mmmm, donuts) within a couple of years we'll be able to buy a usable digital camera/navigation-ready GPS that's all of five ounces. Or heck, how about a GPS Kindle?

My underriding concern is the lack of field-swappable batteries in a lot of the current cross-function devices. Who carries extra batteries for their cellphone?

What I'm getting to is my sense that what we "need" is a GPS with PLB function. Make it six ounces with a 2.5×4 inch OLED screen and AA battery power, and I'll be happy.

Cheers,

Rick

[Roger Caffin]

> A GPS has become almost mandatory for backcountry travelers in recent months.

I am sorry to be so blunt, but that's total rubbish. Ask any older walker how he navigates and he will tell you, with some pride I imagine, that he KNOWS how to use a map and compass. And so did we all before the GPS was ever invented.

What's more, I strongly recommend that people still learn how to use a map and compass. You can do far far better navigation and route planning with a map than with the tiny screen on an expensive GPS. And you can still do it when the batteries run out. In some respects, this is a safety issue.

I grant you, if all you do is walk on signposted tracks then you may not need to know how to navigate with map and compass. But then you are just a follower of other people's navigation. And who knows what sights and places you are missing out on? I am not criticising anyone for doing that: hike your own hike.

Following a GPS through a series of waypoints means that all you are doing is walking along staring at the screen. People who navigate with maps really see the country and understand it. With those skills they can often navigate without using the map much at all. My biased personal opinion is that you are far safer when you know how to navigate properly.

Cheers
Roger Caffin
Speaking solely on his own behalf, and not for BPL.

[Keith Selbo]

I hike the AT in that area frequently and I know how easy it is to overwalk a switchback and can certainly understand how difficult it would be for a visually impaired person to quickly catch a mistake of that sort, let alone find his way back to the trail.

Since I know that, I'm not sure I understand why a visually impaired person who's an experienced woodsman would undertake a hike alone without taking precautions commensurate with his disability. I seem to recall that even the able bodied Ryan Jordan took a satellite phone on one of his longer treks to assure his survival.

The money and effort expended on Mr. Knight's rescue by the public sector and private individuals would have purchased locator beacons for platoon of blind hikers. I hope Mr. Knight hears this and out of consideration and gratitude purchases one for his next hike.

[Buck Nelson]

I don't think it has to be all or nothing. I'm a firm believer in doing my best to avoid getting down to my last option. Maps skills are very important. So is basic knowledge of compass use. A GPS is another option.

I usually carry a GPS in remote backcountry and I tend to use it as a backup. I don't follow my GPS around but try to keep an eye on the big picture, being aware of where I am on the map. I use the GPS mainly to reorient myself. All of us who have spent much time in the boonies have experienced the feeling of "this doesn't make sense." A GPS can help quickly sort things out. It's just another option to me, a sometimes invaluable option that can show me exactly where I am.

I recognize that it is another piece of technology, but with a GPS I can can actually spend more time appreciating the world around me and a little less time navigating and backtracking.

Relying solely on a GPS is dangerous. Adding a GPS to a map and compass increases the margin of safety. Unless there is a factor I'm unaware of, it seems that in this case a GPS could have been used to easily recover the trail.

[Robert Speik]

Hello Roger-
Thanks for your comment. You under score an important point.

However Roger, you have misquoted from my post ;-(( Here is my full statement:

"A GPS has become almost mandatory for backcountry travelers in recent months. The advent of the $100 Garmin eTrex H and the $170 Garmin eTrex Venture HC make "staying found with map compass and GPS" as affordable as $136 to $206."

Roger, if you Google the phrase "map, compass and GPS" you will find that there are at least 295,000 documents with those three words used together!

A few sentences further on in my post I write:

"No one mentioned having $6 Quad maps (or equal) with the UTM coordinate grid in NAD 27. PC maps cost $99 for all 1,900 maps in Oregon, for example. The "best compass for backcountry and mountaineering" is the clear base plate, declination adjustable Suunto M3 costing about $30."

Let me restate our shared advice: You must use the correct topo map and a real compass together with your GPS.

As subsequent excellent posters have noted, you can carry your GPS shut off in your pocket and use it only when you want to confirm your position to an average accuracy of 4.1 meters.

Note that I use the Garmin Geko 201 when weight trumps utility ;-))

Thank you all for your support in getting informed discussions of this important subject.
-trad_guy

[Kenneth Knight]

OK, this is getting a bit out of hand so I am going to break my silence ahead of time and nip some of this discussion in the bud.

I did have a compass. I also had the regional AT maps. I also, as has been noted elsewhere, had a variety of other gear to help make me more "findable."

Assertions are being made that you will not get lost if you have a GPS, map, and compass. This is nonsense. If it were true the need for SAR would be greatly reduced. Even with these tools once you do find yourself in trouble their usefulness may not be as great as you first might think. After all, a GPS even loaded with waypoints, will only tell you an "as the crow flies" direction to travel. That direction could easily be impassible.

All tools have limitations. This applies even to the venerable compass and map. I know people who have had compasses fail. I know of at least one instance where a person was hiking a trail he knows well with a map that turned out to be wildly inaccurate resulting in him becoming lost for a time. If you do not acknowledge and understand the limitations of the tools you have in the circumstances you find yourself you are more apt to make a bad situation worse.

I will have more to say about what happened in the future. May I suggest though that a more fruitful discussion would be focus on issues that are often glossed over such as what information should be left with people outside of a particular trip (e.g., route plan, gear list, photo) and what can be done when bad things happen. After all while I may be the latest person to need SAR services I am definitely not going to be the last.

[Jim Yancey]

I learned navigation with map and compass (I guess I am one of the "old hikers" Roger referred to.) I quickly became map-obsessed, and I love having a full-sheet USGS topo to orient myself to the country I'm walking through. It literally gives me a big-picture view of where I am, something that a tiny screen GPS just simply can't do. I normally use just the map and compass, along with terrain reading, to keep myself "found." With that said, I do carry a GPS as an additional navigation tool that I use to get occasional "fixes" that I can then use with a UTM grid to pinpoint my location on the paper map. It seems the best of both worlds, and it's fun for me.

Incidentally, I use a Garmin Foretrex 101 without the wrist strap. It's very accurate, but very minimalist (comparable to the Geko.) It weighs next to nothing, uses lithium batteries and displays UTM coords in several datums. That's all I need with my trad paper map and compass. HYOH

[Michael B]

Ken, I was psyched to see you get out and don't let the quarterbacking here get you down.

As for GPS, I navigated for about 20 years with map and compass, but now take my geko along as well. I would like to get a mapping GPS, mostly for fun. The GPS is great at confirming you are going in the right direction. But there have been 2-3 times in the past several years in which I was sure the GPS was "wrong" and was pointing me in the wrong direction. Each time, I pulled out my map and tried to figure out what was going on, only to realize each time that the GPS was right and I was wrong.

There have also been 2-3 times in which the GPS has "failed". I have seen the display freeze in super cold temps. The geko also has a bug in which a certain button combination reduces the contrast to zero, and in the field I didn't remember how to undue that setting. The geko has mediore reception in heavy woods, but that has never been a more than an annoyance for me.

So I think a GPS is a useful and helpful tool; but not required and not a replacement for map and compass, but a supplement.

[Robert Speik]

Hey Ashley-
Thanks for your post confirming that cheap, light GPS units can work well too.

You mentioned the Wintec WPL-1000 and asked whether it might work on a long hike:

"Wintec WPL-1000 is an auto-show track logger that records track data from the received GPS signal. It is not only the best companion for sport and recreation but also the ideal application in fleet management and after tracking on PC.

All recorded GPS information can be downloaded to the computer quite simply, just plug-in the USB connector to computer and the recorded track will be shown on Google Maps automatically."

This GPS tracker might record your track for download to your computer for display on Google Earth, but it does not do what the Garmin and other "On the Trail" units do.

Many folks actually do not know that they can use the UTM location coordinates (in NAD 27 to match the Quads) shown by all hiking units to find themselves on a required map.

Ken posts "Even with these tools (USGS Quad topo map or personal computer generated equal) once you do find yourself in trouble their usefulness may not be as great as you first might think."

"After all, a GPS even loaded with waypoints, will only tell you an "as the crow flies" direction to travel. That direction could easily be impassible."

Clearly, a tool that can show you your precise location on your topo map, is a very good thing.

(Your unit should not be loaded with waypoints, just a few marking important points on your walk such as water, a shelter, etc. Store your 500 waypoints on your PC. ;-))

Recently a tragedy occured in the mountains near Bend. A father died of hypothermia and his son was cruelly hurt by freezing. They might have found the trail back to their car located not far from their original stranding but having only a GPS, (they did not have a map, compass or the skills to use these tools) they headed for a recorded GPS waypoint miles away down a restricted drainage.

A correctly set up GPS can show you exactly where you are on your map. You can follow your map back to trail or car.
–trad_guy

[John S.]

In that backcountry safety plan sheet I posted, the route and gear are included. SAR would see the type trip and length of time out to figure out what gear/food is carried at a minimum. I did add a spot for communication gear for that general trip plan.

A separate personalized safety plan could be devised that included more stuff like clothing specifics. Or, a person/group could take a cheap digital camera, take a pic of themselves or group at the trailhead, and leave that in the car.

[Robert Speik]

Hello Ken-
We all look forward to your "incident analysis!"

You suggested:

"May I suggest though that a more fruitful discussion would be focus on issues that are often glossed over such as what information should be left with people outside of a particular trip (e.g., route plan, gear list, photo) and what can be done when bad things happen. After all while I may be the latest person to need SAR services I am definitely not going to be the last."

Here is a message that has been offered to over 7,000 people in Oregon. It is short and sweet-

Four simple responsibilities of the backcountry traveler
Hikers, backpackers, peak baggers, alpine climbers, backcountry skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers, horsemen, hunters and more
1. Tell a Reliable Person where you are going, what you are going to do and when you will return. Search and Rescue personnel will want to know where you planned to park your vehicle, its description and license number, what gear you have, the names, cell phone information and experience level of your companions. Of course, you must agree that you will call the Reliable Person when you return to town. Also, this encourages your thoughtful setting of a "turn-around" time for your adventure.
The Reliable Person must accept the responsibility to call the local County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue through 911 with the above information if you do not check in by an agreed-upon time. Experience tells us that the Reliable Person may not understand the importance of this responsibility. Your life may depend on a timely call to 911. Oregon Statutes require that you have left this information for Sheriff’s Search and Rescue services or you could be charged up to $500 per person.

2. The Second Responsibility of each individual backcountry traveler or climber is to be equipped with a light weight daypack and enough extra clothing, water, food and selected gear to survive an emergency stop of several hours or overnight. These Essentials are seasonal and should focus on keeping you hydrated and dry, eating simple carbohydrates, and able to stay in one place. If you become lost, signal your location, perhaps with colored tape or a reflective "space blanket", and stay still or exercise your large muscles at your marked position to stay warm. Do not try to find your way until you become exhausted, cold or dangerously wet. Wait at your marked location safely for rescuers. If you are not “prepared”, you could be charged in Oregon for Sheriff’s rescue services
Experienced mountaineers carry the traditional "Ten Essential Systems"!

3. The Third Responsibility is to have a topo map of the area, a declination corrected base plate compass (seventeen degrees currently in Central Oregon) and an inexpensive GPS.
A small simple accurate Garmin eTrex H GPS receiver costs only about $100 everywhere, a compass $35 and a 1:24,000 USGS Quad topo map, $7, total $137. If you do not have a “topo map and compass”, you could be charged up to $500 per person for Sheriff’s rescue services.
Experience tells us that you cannot get by with GPS alone – you need a topo map and declination adjusted base plate compass, and new skills to use them together!

4. The Fourth Responsibility is: Carry your common digital cell phone. Insure that you have the personal option to call for medical or rescue services. I would prefer to call for help on Friday morning at the time my leg was broken and not have to wait until Sunday at 6PM when I will be reported missing. In our experience, there are very few areas in our Oregon Cascades where a cell phone is out of contact. Several cell phones in a group are far better than one. Phone rescuers on your cell phone with your exact UTM (NAD 27) coordinates from your GPs or your map, your current condition and proposed plan of action.
An important new free service is the ability of Rescuers to request from your mobile phone Provider under FCC E911 Regulations, your general location triangulated from cell phone ping records. Another option for some is to carry a $150 SPOT Satellite Messenger which can give your friends or 911 your exact UTM location. Oregon SAR Statutes require you carry a means of communication such as a cell phone.
Copyright© 1995-2009 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved.

[John Carter]

Okay, I can't sit around and be silent anymore. I hope Robert Speik doesn't mind me posting this, but I was so glad to see Robert posting on these forums, and a little surprised by the reaction of some of the other forum members. So here goes:

Robert Speik is co-founder of the Cascade Mountaineers, based in Bend, OR. He is also founder of http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org. Robert also teaches mountaineering and navigation courses at Central Oregon Community College. Robert has climbed over 300 peaks. Now in his early 80s and still an active mountaineer, Robert is possibly the oldest person to have climbed South Sister and Mt. Jefferson. He is a well-known outdoorsman in Central Oregon, and you can find him in the local papers now and then.

I tell this to everyone not because we should respect his opinions simply due to his experience, but rather because Robert brings decades of mountaineering expertise and instruction in particular to these forums. He also regularly instructs many mountaineers who have put little thought into their navigation and self-rescue needs. If you think Robert's navigation tools sound a little heavy and technology-driven, consider that part of the mission statement of both http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org and the Cascade Mountaineers is to educate mountaineers in order to reduce the number of annual fatalities and frostbite-induced amputations that regularly occur throughout the Cascades. These injuries and fatalities are clearly documented on his website each time one occurs. Consider the injury and fatality cases he regularly sees, often resulting from typical lack of planning for disaster, when you consider the viewpoint he is responding from.

Perhaps a healthier discussion would be whether or not mountaineers and backpackers share the same navigating and self-rescue needs. Does someone doing an over-nighter high on a snowy ridge in early June with an approaching front need a PLB more than a low elevation thru-hiker on a well-marked trail in mid-summer? Also consider that, in Oregon, the weather can turn nasty real fast any time of year, especially above timberline, and that in the Cascades, if you are not high on a volcano ridge, you are usually in very heavy tree canopy, making compass navigation very difficult at best.

Interestingly, I took the advice of both Roger Caffin and Robert Speik with the recommendation of the Garmin eTrex H as a lightweight, non-mapping accessory to a map and compass. From what I've read, both would say the same things about the importance of relying on one's brain, and not technology, for navigation, and the importance of keeping one's attention on the terrain, not the GPS screen. I think there was a bit of misunderstanding in some of the above posts.

Again, I hope Robert doesn't mind me revealing his identity, and I know there are other posters here with decades of outdoor experience. It is these experts that add so much value to these forums. I just though it would help steer these discussions more productively, as it seems to me we are speaking in pure absolutes, when really we have two subjects going on here–backpacking and mountaineering (or do we?)…

[Robert Speik]

Hi John-
No, John, I don't mind.

You forgot the part about my being a former Chair for three years of the Basic Mountaineering Training Committee (BMTC and AMTC) of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club introducing about 1,000 new people per year with 30 classroom hours and four weekend trips to the traditions, latest practices, skills, gear, etc. of walking on the trail, walking off the trail, scrambling, climbing steep snow, rock and ice to a summit and then rappelling back from the top.

BMTC/AMTC was conducted in five areas of Southern California with a trained and tested volunteer staff of about 200 guys and girls. This is similar to the introductory classes classes put on by the Oregon Mazamas, the Washington Mountaineers and many other Outdoor Clubs.

Whew – I have a hard time saying anything short;-((
–Robert Speik

PS: John, I have ordered the Garmin to USB cable you suggested. Have you told folks here about this nifty affordable item of gear?

[Rene de bos]

ETrex H = $80
ETrex HC = $124

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Robert

I now understand where you are coming from, and why you are so keen on everyone taking care. OK, map and compass first. No argument that they are extremely desirable.

Where we diverge is on the philosophical issue of what many call the Nanny State. Saying that carrying a cell phone or a GPS is *mandatory* is too much for me. What if you don't even own a cell phone or a GPS? America is meant to be the land of the free, but all these regulations seem to be wrapping you in ever-tightening shackles.

Of course there is a conflict between personal freedom and "what's good for you". And of course fools impose a cost on society. However, I place personal freedom a bit higher up the totem pole. Such 'mandatory' rules would mean no-one could enjoy the freedom of their own environment without spending hundreds of dollars on electronic gear so the State can track them. I couldn't go walking on the local tracks near my farm without carrying hundreds of dollars of electronic gear. What will the next 'mandatory requirement' be? NO WAY!

Am I being melodramatic here? It might seem so, but we are playing out part of this battle in my own country Australia right now. A few vested interests (commercial operators of tourist adventure companies) are trying to force volunteer walking clubs to play by the same rules as are being imposed on those who sell 'adventure trips' to tourists, and some bureaucrats are buying their story. Such regulations would destroy all adult volunteer clubs, as they would prevent anyone from leading an adult club walk unless they had all the licences.

To make it quite clear: I agree and support the moves to impose regulations on those who sell their services to minors and unskilled people. They have a legal duty of care. We have seen too many cowboys in that area. The various Guides Associations in Europe and other countries around the world have a long and honourable history. But leave individuals and their friends free.

Cheers

[Robert Speik]

Hi Roger-
I agree with you!

Here is an OpEd piece I wrote for our Oregon newspaper:

OpEd: Electronic locator beacons, a mountaineer's viewpoint

Published as a Guest Editorial
The Bulletin
Robert Speik
Saturday, March 31, 2007

Bulletin Reporter James Sinks broke the news that House Bill 2509 might require “mountain climbers” and guides to carry an electronic beacon when they venture above the treeline on Mt. Hood.

A controversy erupted between experienced mountaineers and those who would reduce government costs by controlling irresponsible thrill seekers asking for expensive search and rescue efforts while endangering volunteers.

According to an Oregon State report, climbing accounts for 3.4% of rescues, mushroom picking 3.0%, hiking 13.8%, vehicle, ATVs, snowmobiles 20.5%. Enough said.

Bulletin Reporter Lily Raff wrote about the controversy in an excellent in-depth nine column front page Sunday Perspective: “Locator Beacons, Lifesavers or Unnecessary?”

Lawmakers recalled the 1986 Episcopal School Tragedy where seven teens and two adults died in an unmarked snow cave while for days searchers combed the broad snow slopes of Mt. Hood. The leaders had made many common sense basic mountaineering errors. This tragedy led to the invention of the electronic Mountain Locator Unit (MLU).

For ten days in December last year, the world’s media focused on the plight of three experienced mountain climbers missing in a storm near the summit of Mt. Hood. Two of the three north face winter ice climbers may have fallen, stranding Kelly James. He called his home in Texas using his cell phone, triggering the rescue effort. Days later, when the weather cleared, searchers quickly found Kelly who had died from hypothermia shortly after his one phone call. Kelly did not call 911 for rescue.

In February, eight adventurers challenged Mt. Hood by climbing north up the snow slope from the parking lot to Illumination Saddle to camp in two snow caves. The next morning, while descending the easy slopes in a forecast snowstorm, three became separated from their five companions. Very poor navigation had led them 90 degrees east to a steeper snow slope. Three slid down uncontrolled, abandoned two of their backpacks and then hiked for forty minutes until forced to spend the night ill equipped and un-prepared. They called for rescue. Searchers found them next morning, inexcusably wet, cold, hungry and thirsty. The group committed a comedy of mountaineering errors.

Note that they called rescuers every hour by cell phone. None of the three had their personal GPS to report their exact position or to find the nearby parking lot. However, searchers easily figured out where they were from their phoned information.

By chance, one of the two rented MLUs among the eight climbers was with the group of three. Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR) used the Mountain Locator Unit system. Searchers commented that the MLU was “hard to use and not very precise”.

PMR advocates the use of electronic communications with GPS receivers but does not believe the State should require anyone to use “electronic signaling devices”. I agree.

The following is my observation, speaking from the experience of a traditionally trained mountaineer.

First, a rescue does not begin until a Responsible Person calls 911 if the adventurer does not return by an agreed time.

Second, when a person becomes stranded due to illness or injury to themselves or others, or if they become lost, or are forced to overnight or shelter from a storm, it may be better to phone for help then, rather than waiting for the Responsible Person to call 911 hours or days later. Experience tells me to have this option.

MLUs: Mt. Hood Mountain Locator Units are simple radio transmitters. They are managed by Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, which is liable for maintenance, battery replacement, rental and user instruction.

Note that MLUs require a separate radio or phone call to 911 before any search begins. They are only available on Mt. Hood.

PLBs: A better option is the Personal Locator Beacon. These strong radios broadcast a signal to satellites that is relayed to the local County Sheriff often within five minutes with GPS Latitude and Longitude coordinates. They cost about $450 at local stores and do not require a subscription. The batteries last for years. They weigh a reasonable 12 ounces. Serious backcountry adventurers may want to own one.

SAT-CELLs: A third option is a Satellite Cell Phone. These units work like a PLB, but you can verbally send your GPS coordinates and chat. They are heavy, expensive and require a monthly subscription.

FRSs: "Family Radio Service" Walkie-talkie radios are a low cost option, but someone must be listening.

Best option: Carry your own everyday Cell Phone and your simple GPS.

A good cell phone is FREE with a $20 per month, two-year subscription including 200 free monthly minutes. One can call for help and give their very accurate GPS coordinates.

My friends choose to bring their own cell phones, GPS receivers, base plate compasses, USGS topo maps, and the knowledge of how to use them together. The cost of a quality map, compass and GPS is $136.

Robert Speik pursues an active retirement while writing for TraditionalMountaineering.org

http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/News_Lost_HoodGroup.htm

[Anonymous]

"Where we diverge is on the philosophical issue of what many call the Nanny State."

Hear, hear, Roger. Your comments go straight to the heart of why many of us venture into wild places. Organizations, by their very nature, seek to impose uniformity and control.
For those so disposed, wilderness oriented organizations offer a safe, predictable "adventure", and I have no problem with that as long as participation is voluntary. But there is an increasing tendency to extend organizational writ and doctrine to all who enter the backcountry. In some cases it is justified, e.g. bear canisters, but will it stop there? I am beginning to fear that the days of those of us who choose to experience the wilderness in a "less structured" way, relying on our own wits, experience, and a bit of luck, are numbered. I hope I am mistaken.

[Ryan Jordan]

I've written here before that there is some liberty in traveling without navigation tools.

Just walk. Get lost. Find your way back.

It's not for everyone (probably not for Ken! :) but it's a pretty fascinating way to travel the wilds.

We intentionally hamper navigation to a great degree on our WT3-EXT course and I don't think our students would have it any other way. Generally, we don't really use "maps".

Traveling the landscape and not your maps, there's something to it.

My point is not to leave the map at home (the compass is nice, though), but rather to drive home the point that navigation devices of any sort probably are not as "essential" to one's survival as we think they are down here in the CONUS, where the point at a furthest distance from a road is only 22 miles.

What they do offer you is efficiency. They allow you to get back to the car when you plan to get back to the car.

But if you have the experience, light gear, some extra food, and the flexibility (and a sat phone to let your wife know that you're not … quite … sure when you'll be home), try navigating the landscape without a map … and see where you end up.

I don't recommend this practice for the casual walker.

But a lot of folks here have no issues hiking 15-20 miles a day, and are experienced traveling off trail. This might be something fun to do for you.

Last year on WT3 our maps contained shaded relief, but no data, no topography, no trails, etc., and we managed to cross 70 miles of the Absaroka Range in 4.5 days, with the last few days in a blizzard, in October. We were pretty comfortable the whole trip, and it was really fun.

Don't sanitize your experience out there too much.

[Ashley Brown]

Hi Robert,

The Easy Showily does give you position info whilst on the trail… but I didn't realise that it doesn't give you UTM coordinates. Back to the drawing board I guess.

I will probably end up with an eTrex H. But I would really prefer to find something lighter, such as the Easy Showily or the Holux M-241 which only weigh an ounce or a half (but unfortunately don't seem to report in UTM coordinates). All I need is something that will give my current position, as a backup/confirmation of my compass. Don't need any other fancy features. Is there nothing out there for under 2oz which will give me a UTM coordinate?

It must be possible, because I was under the impression that you can transform between UTM and lat/long coordinates (through some fairly complex forumla).

Whilst I can get around and "locate" myself using a compass and map, a GPS would be a welcome backup. On a number of occasions I have found myself completely mistaken in my position on a map… the confusion only lifting, or making itself apparent when I come across a feature in the environment which does not make sense according to where I thought I was. I've always been able to work it out in the end, but a GPS would have made life a hell of a lot easier. And if I were ever completely lost with limited vision (due to fog, snow) I would be extremely thankful to have it there with me.

[Robert Speik]

Hi Ashley-
Golly gee whiz! Questions! I am wearing out;-))

The only way I know of to go from lat-lon to UTM is to change the Units preference in your GPS.

Why do you want UTMs? Because with ten minutes of explanation, you will be able to find your UTM coordinates on your Quad or equal map by just looking at it.

Lat-lon coordinates require a special ruler and more sophistication to find a location. Only pilots and mariners know how to plot it on a chart.

You must match the Datum preference in your GPS to your map – NAD 27 for USGS Quad maps or equal, or you may be as much as 600 feet off the trail or intersection.

Remember, use your map first, then add your declination adjusted compass and then consult your GPS.

(One degree of declination error is about 92 feet in one mile. But 10 degrees is 920 feet in one mile. The declination error in Bend, OR is about 17 degrees. Oh my goodness!)

A local outdoor writer friend told me "I don't need a GPS. I have never been lost for more than 2 days in my life!"

Two good reads on long distance backpacking: "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson and a PCT book, "Journey on the Crest", by Cindy Ross. Both books, written in the 1980s, are hilarious and give a look at both the good and the bad sides of life on the trail.
–trad_guy

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Robert

It would seem that we are not very far apart at all. Your OpEd piece was very good. :-)

My experience from many years bushwalking is that it is not the experienced walker who has to be rescued. I suspect this may be your experience as well.

It is the novice who goes quite unprepared, and I cannot see that saddling experienced walkers and climbers with legal requirements will solve that problem. The inexperienced (young males) won't carry any of that gear: they are "far too tough to need any of that stuff". Or "it is too dear and they don't need it anyhow". Well, Darwin rules.

Another class who gives us (including the SAR) grief here in Oz are the know-it-all adults who cheerfully volunteer to take groups of kids (church groups, school groups, etc) into the wild. They assume a duty of care with no training, experience or skill. They feature highly in the SAR statistics. This is where we do need serious regulation.

I support the idea that anyone who takes a party of unskilled children or adults into the wild, whether on a paid adventure trip or as an unpaid leader, has a legal duty of care. They should be legally required to have some assessed skills and should carry some means of yelling for help. A GPS is good but not enough: they should be carrying either a cell phone (IF they know there will be cover), a sat phone, or a PLB.

In our nearby Blue Mountains (where we get a lot of SAR), the local police station has PLBs for LOAN. They reckon it is cheaper to cover the cost of the PLBs. But I gather that the uptake has not been great.

Cheers

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