Cell Phone Good – Not Only – Rescue Tool

A Georgia couple was rescued from the South Sister this weekend, after calling for help from their cell phone — the second rescue in two days assisted by a phone.

An outdoors expert talked Monday about why it’s important to not always have your cell phone, but be prepared with other basics as well.

While technology has its advantages, experts say it should be the backup plan, and “old school” items like a compass and map should be the essentials.

“People in Central Oregon, either going out to the desert or going up in the mountains, need to know that you need to be prepared for the unexpected,” said local mountaineering expert Robert Speik.

Speik said he values technology, like a device called a “spot” messenger.

“It sends a message to 911,” Speik said. “and it shows exactly where you are on the map, and it comes in an e-mail.”

But when it comes to being lost in the wilderness, Speik would always choose a compass over a high-tech device.

“You should have your traditional map and compass, and then you can add a GPS to that,” he said.

GPS coordinates came in handy for two couples over the weekend. After being lost for hours, they were rescued, once search and rescue crews got their distress call and found them on the map.

“Cell phones help us out a great deal,” said Lt. Scott Shelton with Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. “Cell phones have the ability to call in, and when they do that, there’s the ability for us to either do a triangulation, based on cell phone towers that are out there. Or if they have GPS, they can give us their coordinates that relay on satellites.”

But a phone is just one piece of gear people should have with them. Once people get that call in, the stranded hikers could be in for a long night before they are found.

The weather can change in an instant. After hours away, a hiker is bound to need food and water. Experts say everyone should always be prepared, whether it’s a hike in the wilderness or on familiar trails closer to home.

“We need to help people be prepared, because we learn from the experience of others,” Speik said.

Shelton stressed that Search and Rescue crews will come out to find lost hikers at any time, day or night. But being prepared for the unexpected is the safest way to make it home safe and sound, wherever your travels may take you.