Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Six Day Ordeal in the Sierra

This article is worth a read for anyone who travels in the back country.
Six Day Ordeal in the Sierra

It looks like he:
a) did not leave a detailed itinerary with anyone and
b) did not have any signalling devices with him

That's not to try to rip him to shreds (he did a danged good job with what he had; I'd probably be dead right now), but rather to encourage people to think about safety.

Waiting THREE DAYS for someone to even notice you're not back yet is no fun. A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) works anywhere in the world and notifies Search and Rescue that you're in distress immediately. It also takes the "Search" out of "Search and Rescue". A tremendous amount of resources are expended just looking for someone. The article states that 80 people were out looking for him. A PLB sends out both your GPS coordinates *and* sends out a homing beacon. Search and Rescue can proceed to your location directly and little time is spent looking for the victim.

HJ

So true... have had a Spot Messenger for several years- never had a problem with it... $99 initial purchase and $125 a year for being able to send out my location, send for friends help, or send an SOS for Search & Rescue... worth it.

Dont be selfish get a locator.

McMurdo PLB. $229 to buy. No frills -- does one thing only: summon help if you need it. No contracts or monthly charge. Battery has to be replaced every 5 years ($100).

That article is food for thought, I think its about time I got myself a spot device. Question, is the "Spot" the device where your movements in the field can be monitored on your computer back home. Now I think of it does'nt Richard P use that device?

For some reason I always seem to be the last person to get new technology.

Phil

PS Glad it turned out OK for Greg.

I think this is a valid point. The article mentions that 80 people were involved in the search, presumably the majority volunteers. It took a couple of days for Mr. Hein to be found.

If he had had a PLB (or similar), then the "Search" would have been removed from "Search and Rescue". A team could have been dispatched straight to his location.

HJ

There are two types of devices out there: A SPOT which is a commercial service, and a PLB which is run by the US (and other) governments.

A PLB is cheaper and is more reliable but has pretty basic functionality ("on" and "off"). A SPOT has a good deal more functionality including reporting your position as you hike via a website and on some models custom messaging ("I'll be at XYZ trail head at 4:30 PM; come pick me up"), but is quite a bit more expensive over time and is less reliable.

Take your pick.

A whistle and a signal mirror aren't such a bad idea either. A headlamp can be used at night.

HJ