Re:[at-l] My Dirty Little Secret, Cell Phones

["Jim Sneed" <hkrtrash@mindspring.com>]

>I know few who have thought of whqat happens if????  The
>trail heads may be far apart and you may not see another person the rest
>of the day.  A cell [phom\ne would be a viable option in such a
>situation.

Only if you happen to be hurt on top of a mountain or ridgeline.  Otherwise,
no service and you're just as screwed as if you had no phone.  Better would
be proper preparation and first aid knowledge.
I do most of my hiking solo, in remote areas, and even then I usually stay
off of the trails.  I often go a week at a time without seeing so much as
another footprint, much less a person.  I carried a cellphone on one trip
just after I got it and soon realized that it was just an extra 6 useless
ounces in my pack.  Needless to say, it never went on another trip.
Instead, I leave a detailed itinery with friends or family, with a couple of
days cushion so that authorities are not notified needlessly if I am late
hiking out of the woods.  I carry extra food, a good first aid kit w/ the
knowledge of how to use it's contents, and most importantly, knowledge of my
own limitations and skills peppered with a healthy dose of common sense.
Could something happen that I am not able to deal with?  Certainly!  But if
you want to live without risk, stay at home or do your hiking in the Smokies
during the height of thruhiker season when you will see 50 people per day.
Just my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good Hiking,
Jim

"Visit my world at  http://www.mindspring.net/~hkrtrash/ "

...nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a
secure future.  The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion
for adventure.  The joy of life comes from our encounters with new
experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly
changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.



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