GPS
Esson Family (esson@CYBERTOURS.COM)
Fri, 24 Jul 1998 22:40:50 -0400
The Appalachian Mountain Club's accident reports in the last few years
have included a steadily growing number which involve hikers equipped
with GPS and/or cell phones. While in a few cases, these devices have
clearly saved lives, the trend is unfortunately toward an over-reliance
on technology which leads to overconfidence in the unprepared.
Classic case: Lost hikers in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Had both
GPS and cell phone, but no map or compass. Eventually connected to
County Sheriff's office, but did not know what mountain they were on or
what trail they had lost (insert appropriate language for Sheriff
here!) NH Fish & Game officers were able to pinpoint the location
sufficiently to advise the hikers to climb uphill in a particular
direction to cross the nearest trail, but the hikers refused to go
uphill when they wanted to get down the mountain... Eventually, when
they did go uphill and arrived at the summit, they were unable to figure
out which trail to take back to the valley. Two volunteer rescuers had
to hike in and escort them down after dark in heavy thundershowers. A
reporter who later spoke to the hikers found that they blamed Fish &
Game's "inefficiency" for their need to be rescued and didn't feel any
remorse for their own lack of preparation. See the AMC=92s APPALACHIA
June 15, 1997 p113 for details and analysis.
A person who buys a piece of equipment, but doesn=92t take the time to
learn its capabilities and limitations, would be better off without it.
In many remote parts of New England, hikers will be under thick foliage,
making it difficult or impossible to get good GPS readings. Batteries
may run down or fail. A hiker who believes that he can be quickly
rescued in the event of trouble, is far too often a hiker who takes
extra risks, and then does not exhaust his own options before calling
for help. Even if rescuers know exactly where an injured person is,
evacuating that person is often a many-hour process requiring dozens of
(mostly) volunteers. Helicopter removal is often simply impossible,
whether due to weather or terrain.
By all means make use of technology, but BE PREPARED for potential
problems before leading Scouts into the wilderness.\
YiS Bev Esson T356 / P360 Wells, ME
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
