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"It's really easy to depend on your phone for lots of things and then not to have a backup plan if it fails." We see this so often in search and rescue. People
by jonah 3y ago
"It's really easy to depend on your phone for lots of things and then not to have a backup plan if it fails."
We see this so often in search and rescue. People take off on some random hike they found on an app without charging their battery and without knowing how long the hike will take them. So, sooner or later, it gets dark and they start using their phone as a flashlight which kills the battery on their only navigation device. But, ehh, since they probably don't know how to read a map or orient themselves on it or find their way back to the trail which they invariably deviated from as some point and went ahead instead of turning back. (Also, not a lot of cell coverage in the backcountry anyway and probably didn't cache the maps.)
/Rant
- ghaff 3y agoI'll take shortcuts on very familiar easy local trails. But anything else, I'll have map, compass, headlight, water, some extra clothing, at least a minimal first aid kit, etc. re: getting dark. I so often see people heading up a trail at 3pm or whatever. Maybe they're just planning to go up a ways but I wouldn't count on it. I've observed that even fairly experienced people can be pretty bad about establishing a sensible timeline.
- tekla 3y agoPeople are so used to the luxuries of modern life, that even a minor inconvenience becomes life threatening. People go on hikes with no food, a single bottle of water, and its a 13 mile hike up this mountain. Blank looks when I ask "do you know where you might get more water????"