/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#1
It could happen to any of us.
This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
- Thread starter Jstpssng
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It could happen to any of us.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#2
scootr
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It happens all the time. Elderly couple perished in Death Valley, CA this year after running out of gas.
As a youth I was guilty of venturing off horseback with a little food and water never telling anybody how where in the wilderness I was going.
Luckily we never broke a leg or such out there.
As a youth I was guilty of venturing off horseback with a little food and water never telling anybody how where in the wilderness I was going.
Luckily we never broke a leg or such out there.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#3
tradosaurus
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I think about this and won't go into my woods on tractor to do work unless my wife is at home.
Won't go on my roof to blow leaves off either unless my wife is at home.
Won't go on my roof to blow leaves off either unless my wife is at home.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#4
Wakey
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What a way to go for the old guy. OP's thread title was more helpful than anything in that stupid article.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#5
MossRoad
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When I was just out of high school, some friends and I went on a day canoe trip. One of us was diabetic, and he forgot to bring any food. Once he realized he was in trouble, we were about 2 hours from a car or phone. I made him lie down in the canoe and paddled for all I was worth. I had food in the car and we got him stabilized fortunately. But things can go south pretty quick through your own fault, or, no fault of your own.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#6
One reason I stopped working for myself was because I would leave town on a Monday for some other state, and not be seen for weeks at a time. Even if somebody wondered where I was, they had no way of knowing where to look, who to contact or even who I was working for. I miss those days for the independence and the money, as well as seeing new places and meeting new people; yet it was just a matter of time before it caught up to me.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#7
kenmbz
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We used to wander into the woods, sometimes staying overnight when we were kids.
The forest is about 10,000 acres and surrounded by open space and farms.
Luckily none of us ever got seriously hurt.
No one out side of us knew where we were, lots of trails, many old logging paths etc.
We never seemed to get too lost though, even though we would be many miles in.
Miss that. Where I am now only a few hundred yards from another house.
No cell phones back then, probably no signal there even today.
The locals all went out in groups.
I work alone a lot, but always carry my phone and try to do a lot of it when I know someone will be around or my neighbors are home.
The forest is about 10,000 acres and surrounded by open space and farms.
Luckily none of us ever got seriously hurt.
No one out side of us knew where we were, lots of trails, many old logging paths etc.
We never seemed to get too lost though, even though we would be many miles in.
Miss that. Where I am now only a few hundred yards from another house.
No cell phones back then, probably no signal there even today.
The locals all went out in groups.
I work alone a lot, but always carry my phone and try to do a lot of it when I know someone will be around or my neighbors are home.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#8
scootr
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There were no cell phones when I was young. I traveled across the US 3 times alone visiting parks, camping out, days and days of zero contact with friends and family... we didn't know we were in danger in those days... heck a stranger would help a fellow man back then. Today I won't go to town without a phone. Sheesh
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#9
kenmbz
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We hitchhiked from Boston back to my uncles once. That's most of MA lengthwise.
Never had an issue, was a great adventure.
Wouldn't try that on a bet today, even if armed and in a group....
Never had an issue, was a great adventure.
Wouldn't try that on a bet today, even if armed and in a group....
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#10
We've tried many different emergency devices over the years. Most of them turned out to be gimmicks. At one time we were issued Emergency Locator devices which were supposed to notify NOAA if they were activated. One day a coworker received an email from that entity stating that they had gotten an SOS from his device the previous week, and asked if he was OK. Needless to say, we abandoned them.
Everybody since has been issued an InReach. They have some short comings, such as needing a clear shot to a satellite to work. However, at least it's something. At the end of the day though, the biggest safety device is stored right under your hat. About 20 years ago I was first on the scene after a hiker had fallen 100 feet onto the ice. When I got there it was obvious he had passed away; it took me the longest time to realize that was because he'd stopped bleeding. That experience really made me think, going forward. If I was trying to do something a bit risky his face would appear before me, and I would think "I guess that I will try another way."
It's easy to say "it'll never happen to me", yet there have been many people disappear over the years, never to be found again.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#11
scootr
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It was a safer world when we were young. I hitch-hiked at night from NY to CT alone. Today that would net you a memorial.
Maybe it was because we had nothing of real value on us. Today every kid has $1k phone and $200 sneakers on em - lol
Maybe it was because we had nothing of real value on us. Today every kid has $1k phone and $200 sneakers on em - lol
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/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#12
When I retired in 2019 I started bicycling on the Wabash trace (a lot, over 4,000 miles this year) Since I leave early, I write a note with my departure time, distance planned, and what I am wearing. I just got my first iPhone and we thought the "find my phone" feature would work. Turns out that the cell coverage on the trail is pretty spotty, but it was an improvement over just the note.
I downloaded a free app called STRAVA. It has a feature where you can send a safety text to up to three people. Then they can track your location very accurately in real time. I don't know the official resolution, but based on the progress that shows on my phone, I think it is less than 10 feet. The app is kind of like facebook for jocks. You can post, follow, etc... You can also subscribe and get a lot of analytical information on activity. I don't subscribe and have mine locked down. It gives my wife and I both a little peace of mind.
I do realize that if the worst were to happen, say a cardiac event, by the time she would realize something is up, it is all over.
The only downside is, she can tell when I sidetrack 30 feet to the ice cream shop on my rides.
Doug in SW IA
I downloaded a free app called STRAVA. It has a feature where you can send a safety text to up to three people. Then they can track your location very accurately in real time. I don't know the official resolution, but based on the progress that shows on my phone, I think it is less than 10 feet. The app is kind of like facebook for jocks. You can post, follow, etc... You can also subscribe and get a lot of analytical information on activity. I don't subscribe and have mine locked down. It gives my wife and I both a little peace of mind.
I do realize that if the worst were to happen, say a cardiac event, by the time she would realize something is up, it is all over.
The only downside is, she can tell when I sidetrack 30 feet to the ice cream shop on my rides.
Doug in SW IA
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#13
MossRoad
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Gotta have that ice cream. 
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#14
The Wall St. Journal today has a story about how the current version of the IPhone 14 brings with it a satellite texting function for emergencies. Unlike the Garmin and other devices people carry in the woods where I live the IPhone carries no monthly fee for having that satellite capability. It is only a device for emergencies however so far as that function.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#15
not2old
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I once rode a dirt bike 40 miles through the desert in Baja, alone at night. I'm still amazed at how easily I got separated from the other guys. You don't know whether to go back, stay where you are until they catch up, or keep going forward. This stays in my mind when I'm out on my snowmobile as I will only ride with guys that make a point of staying together. I also carry an Inreach.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#16
I once took my snowsled about 40 miles to my sister’s camp, including about 12 miles down the lake. The first 10 miles or so was fresh snow, and hadn’t been broken out all winter. I GPSed the spot where I got onto the lake, and headed to camp.
They tried to get me to spend the night but her boyfriend was a d-head and I could only handle him in small doses. I headed down the lake at about 10:30 at night and quickly realized that it wasn’t a straight shot to where I had entered it. I finally got back to my truck, loaded up… and my ignition switch was frozen. I messed with it for a while, heating the key with my lighter before unloading the sled and running it about 10 miles down plowed roads to get home. I have driven around a million miles in all sorts of weather yet that was the only time that I’ve experienced a frozen lock. The next day I walked back to the truck and it started right up. Yet that made me realize how foolish I’d been.
They tried to get me to spend the night but her boyfriend was a d-head and I could only handle him in small doses. I headed down the lake at about 10:30 at night and quickly realized that it wasn’t a straight shot to where I had entered it. I finally got back to my truck, loaded up… and my ignition switch was frozen. I messed with it for a while, heating the key with my lighter before unloading the sled and running it about 10 miles down plowed roads to get home. I have driven around a million miles in all sorts of weather yet that was the only time that I’ve experienced a frozen lock. The next day I walked back to the truck and it started right up. Yet that made me realize how foolish I’d been.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#17
ovrszd
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Great story of a tragic event. That man is a man. No sissy boy there. Wife and I watched the movie. Very well done.
www.theguardian.com
The extraordinary story behind Danny Boyle's 127 Hours
Danny Boyle's new film, 127 Hours, tells how climber Aron Ralston found himself trapped alone in a canyon and had to perform DIY surgery to save his life. Patrick Barkham talks to him
www.theguardian.com
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#18
newbury
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Talk about hitch hiking! Just after I got out of College I hitched from Vermont to Ny, Ny, then to LA, up to Santa Cruz, then back to Vermont. No security.
What a long strange trip it's been.
What a long strange trip it's been.
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#19
/ This is from Australia...always let somebody know where you are going and when you expect to be back
#20
scaredychicken
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I'm of the view that ... it could happen to me
i have a physical disability, and my balance / falling is always an issue. I tend to be cautious with almost anything re physical work, especially if i am on my own. i have a cell phone in my pocket. I walk around the property with a shovel, so that I can pick myself up when i fall. I can do basic snowplowing, general chores, with the tractor when i am on my own. I manage, but i do plan a bit.
i have a physical disability, and my balance / falling is always an issue. I tend to be cautious with almost anything re physical work, especially if i am on my own. i have a cell phone in my pocket. I walk around the property with a shovel, so that I can pick myself up when i fall. I can do basic snowplowing, general chores, with the tractor when i am on my own. I manage, but i do plan a bit.
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