[at-l] Could I have used a cell phone here?

[NightShine@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-10-16 01:13:54 EDT, you write:

<< That's my 27 cents - and I'm outta here.  I don't have the time
 or energy to deal with this anymore.
  >>

And this is what i enjoy most about Jim's and many others' opinions. They are
HIS opinions for him without being edicts for the rest.

As i've mentioned before, i don't own a cell phone, so did not have the desire
to carry it during 455 miles in the woods this spring and 14,000 solo driving
miles (since June). However, I'd like to relate a little story that some of
you already know.

In August I was privileged to go on a 6 day backpacking trip on the upper part
of the Bruce Trail (the pretty part <G>). We were all women aged from 34 to 60
with backpacking experience of none to 2000-miles. We fell into a pattern of
hiking with a partner from the first day, just because that is how our paces
were compatible. [BTW....it was splendid to have a hiking partner slow enough
to match my 1 to 1-3/4 mph whatever the terrain with neither of us
deliberately slowing down.] 

On the sixth day a half hour and 1 mile from the campsite, the two of us
tortoises caught up to three others in the group. Had we seen L---, they
asked. L--- was the youngest and least experienced of our group and had
admitted to the idea that she'd have a difficult time being a solo hiker out
there. We searched and called in the immediate area which by its nature was a
good stopping place: a good view, place to sit. We blew whistles. We figured
out whistle signals to say if we'd found her or were just still looking. 

Finally, one person sat down in the good stopping place to wait. Two people
trekked back to the campsite. Us two tortoises proceeded on in the hope that
we'd reach L--- or our cars (9 miles away) to get help. The trail wound its
way into the woods and back out onto the beach. At one point we could no
longer hear the calls and whistles. A half hour after leaving the good
stopping place, we could again hear them calling. This attests to the fact
that the lay of the land will determine whether shouts and whistles can be
heard...or not. As we'd been searching for well over a half hour at this
point, we decided to try to find help before reaching our cars if possible.

This was a fortunate day as we soon came upon an "interpretive display"...you
know, one of those areas with signs posted about the geography, history, etc.
of the area. This meant that it must be a high-use area and that a parking lot
couldn't be far. We began to see dayhikers and asked them the way out. So,
abandoning the plan left with the other three members of our party, we decided
to opt out of continuing on to the cars or trying to head north on what seemed
a futile gesture. We left a note (at the juncture where the trail continued on
from the high-use area) for the others on what we were doing (heading toward
the ranger station 4 miles away). It was a note full of "don't touch this"
"very important" etc., etc.

Now, in retrospect this was the funniest point of the day because my partner
and I are not what you'd call the svelte model types. Picture two stout women
with fairly full packs (minus a lot of food), RUNNING and yelling "Ranger!
Ranger!" 'cause we'd been told the ranger was just up ahead in the parking
lot. "Ranger! Ranger!" We reached a clearing and i said, "Blow your whistle!"
She whipped it out and gasped and stretched out her arm to me and said:
"Can't! You! No air!" Blowing that whistle for all i was worth, did
nothing....back to running towards the parking lot.

We reached the parking lot and the ranger had left. It is a very difficult
thing to yell "HELP." We're all taught not to yell fire in a building that
isn't burning. We're taught not to make a scene for "help" unless there's
immediate danger. We had no bleeding, dying person with us....only our fear.
However, "help" works and two different families offered to give us a ride to
the ranger station which was yet another 2-3 miles down a road. 

I'd like to say that the Canadian Park Service folks were the absolute best.
They were calm, reassuring, kept us informed, involved over 50 people within
minutes. We had the following fears: she fell over the escarpment; she went
into the woods to pee and passed out; she went into the woods to pee and got
bitten by a missisauga rattler; she was attacked by marauders; she was lost
having forked left when she should have forked right. It's amazing how
unobservant you can be when filling out a missing person form. We knew her
pack and boots but couldn't tell what color her clothing was. We'd all met via
these internet lists or via one of us ON the list. We didn't know her last
name or what town she was from. We knew her age, her state, her first name. 

An hour after we arrived, a third member of our party showed up at the ranger
station to say that the other two had continued on towards the cars in the
hope of finding her somewhere on up the trail. She'd had arrived with another
plan for us to work on only to find that the Park Service folks had taken over
the search. The three of us sat while a coast guard diving training boat was
diverted to search along the shoreline of Georgian Bay along which the Niagara
Escarpment of the Bruce Trail runs. Searches were organized from our departure
points, points where she could have left the trail for the road and also from
the end point. A quick search was in progress. A brush search would be the
next major search....you know....like when the search party goes out 10 feet
from the next person to find bodies.

Well, turns out that L--- had gotten into hiker zone mode and had simply sped
ahead. Several times the Park Service had asked if this could have happened.
Emphatically the five of us felt that it wasn't possible. She was
inexperienced. She was frightened of solo hiking. "She wouldn't do that."
Well, she did. The two others who went on ahead did catch up to her....Canada
Youth Works guys working with the Park Service had hiked back from our cars
and met the three of them and escorted them to an out take road through
someone's property. We were ALL finally reunited 5-1/2 hours after she was
first noted missing. Hug her and hit her was what we wanted to do. Hug her was
all we did do. 

OK....so it wasn't a "little" story....it was verbose. Lessons to be learned:
when hiking with an informal group (one self-organized and not "led"), know
everyone's name at least and perhaps their address. Decide in advance how
you're going to buddy up or NOT buddy up if someone wishes to hike solo. In
other words, communicate. We were very low key and blase about having minimal
plans other than where to end up at the end of each day. Be observant.

Cell phones. Yes, we talked about it. Yes, we would have used it. Yes, we were
frightened by the time delay in getting out to help. In a missing person
search, the longer they're missing, the worse the end result. One person even
considered bringing hers but left it in the car. The Bruce Trail isn't 100
miles into the wilderness but even an hour or two delay in getting help feels
like an eternity when you want your "bad movie" to be over with now. And as
scared as we were, we were always sure that L---was probably more scared than
we were....even though she wasn't.  

A cell phone would have saved time and started the search faster, but we
managed to get help on our own without it. It gave us the opportunity to start
to think fast in coming up with plans and signals. Our actions in our personal
search before involving the Park Service seemed prudent in how we split the
group up to different tasks. Things just worked out using our common sense.
Could we have done better as i mentioned above? Of course. Could we have used
a cell phone? Yes. Did we NEED a cell phone? No.

That's all, folks (finally).

Second Chance
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