Cell phones prove critical in the backcountry

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Op Ed to The Bulletin: “Cell Phones Prove to be Critical in the Wilderness”
By Robert Speik, published on September 15, 2000

The Bulletin’s September 7, 2000 front page article: Cell Phones Prove to be Critical in the Wilderness by Leon Pantenburg was excellent as far as it went.

Leon’s article (on cell phones) did not cover the wilderness traveler’s or hunter’s Basic Safety Responsibility that is always emphasized by Sgt. Wayne Inman, coordinator of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Volunteer Unit: Tell a Reliable Person where you are going, what you are going to do and when you will be back. This Person also needs to know where you plan to park your rig and the description and license number, what gear you have, the names and experience level of individuals in your group and that you will call the Reliable Person when you return to town.

The Reliable Person must accept the responsibility to call Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue at 911 with the above information if you do not check in by an agreed-upon specific time. The two young men who lay in agony with broken legs for three days at the foot of a cliff on Mt. Washington had told friends of their plans, but when they did not meet as planned it just never occurred to their friends that they were in trouble.

The Second Responsibility of the wilderness traveler or hunter is to be equipped with a daypack and enough extra clothing, water and food to handle an emergency stop for several hours or overnight. This gear is seasonal and should focus on staying hydrated, dry and in one place. If you are lost, mark your location with colored tape and stay still or move around the taped position to warm up; don’t wander aimlessly until you are exhausted. Experienced mountaineers carry a traditional basic “Ten Essentials”.

The Third Responsibility is to have a map of the area, a compass corrected for seventeen degrees declination and, for today’s serious mountain adventure travelers and hunters, a GPS. A small simple twelve-channel GPS receiver costs from $85 to $120 locally. No, you can’t get by with GPS alone – you need a map and adjusted compass and some new skills.

The Fourth Responsibility is to carry a cell phone. The two young men who fell more than 100 feet from the Mt. Washington climb had left their cell phone behind in the mistaken belief that it would not work in the Wilderness. In our experience, there are very few areas in the Oregon Cascades Wilderness where a cell phone is out of contact.

The quote from Conservationist Tom Lillebo, “there are times when you should just shut them off” does a disservice to your readers.

Carry an emergency cell phone shut off in your pack, but always have one to turn on!