[pct-l] SPOT messenger vs McMurdo PLB

Mon Mar 28 13:08:16 CDT 2011

It may sound hypocritical but I agree with everyone.  In response to
Hillary, I guess my response is that I am not as hardcore (I would accept a
life saving heli) but, really the only reason why I will have it is because
my mom said, "I will be much less stressed for the next 5 months if you let
me buy you this expensive toy" given the circumstance my response was a
semi-reluctant yes.  Although I am also funding the trip by my own work and
savings, there is something to be said for helping people who got me to
where I am feel as good about it as I do.  I guess because I am 99.99% sure
I will not even touch the thing, if I do end up getting it, I'll call it my
sentimental item for the trip, maybe put an 'I <3 mom' sticker on it for
good measure.

-toby

On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 12:04 PM, <dnielsen at djmurphycompany.com> wrote:

>
>
> Nicely said.  And I bet you make it all the way to Canada if you choose to.
>
> Ps.  We were backpacking 35 years ago in Levis and 60lb packs. Cell phones,
> spots, and personal computers did not exist. Not much cash, believe me. We
> did have a map and compass and cooked over fire or a later a Svea.  We had
> a
> great time.
>
> Collin Fletcher hiked all over the place including the 1st documented
> through hike of the Grand Canyon (read Man Who Walked Through Time).  He
> did
> not have any of this stuff, he did have a bunch of stuff though so I am not
> sure if he would carry it today or not, maybe.  So completely ironic that
> he
> was hit by a car later in life which ultimately lead to his demise.
>
> I also totally understand and can relate to and respect Mendo's comments.
> I am sure I was given 9 lives and have used up about 8 1/2 so I am more
> cautious now. Youth will get you a long way.
>
> Dave
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> On Behalf Of Hillary Schwirtlich
> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 8:24 AM
> To: Paul Robison
> Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] SPOT messenger vs McMurdo PLB
>
> On money:
>
> I've had this problem on this list before. It's hard sometimes to think
> about other people's money situation, I guess. But I have saved enough
> money
> over the last year and a half to hike the trail with the amount of gear I
> feel I need, replace the stuff that gets broken, to have a reasonable
> amount
> of zero days, to feed myself and eat relatively well in town, and to donate
> to trail angels when they help me out. I'm not going to be eating at 5 star
> restaurants or staying in a hotel every time I'm in town, but I'm not
> trying
> to hike the trail for $1,000 either. I am young, however, and have not had
> enough years/experience to get an extremely well paying job, and having
> been
> an volunteer for the last two years, I haven't really had much of a paying
> job at all. So I don't have enough money to buy top of the line gear in
> everything, and I certainly don't have enough money to spend $200 (which
> was
> exactly the cost of my ULA backpack, which I am going to use every day) on
> new devices that people haven't needed for hundreds of years.
>
> As for "being in for a hard through hike," like I said, I've been a
> "professional" volunteer for the last two years - I'm used to getting a lot
> out of my money.
>
> I agree with Diane (I'm sorry, I don't know your trail name). One of the
> reasons I'm on the trail to get away from gadgets and as much as I can from
> the "buy buy buy!" mentality we're mostly surrounded with. Like she said,
> keep the helicopter if it gives me some peace and quiet. Dying in the woods
> wouldn't be too terrible of a way to go, in my opinion.
>
> So I know only a few people on the list are going to read this, but I want
> to respectfully suggest that it would be nice if we heard a little less
> "money isn't an issue! if you really wanted to do this hike, you'd spend
> $___ on this new ___." I understand if someone else wants to spend their
> money that way. But I'm not going to and I'm not going to feel bad about it
> either.
>
> On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 1:34 PM, Paul Robison
> <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
> > Hillary,
> > The spot is 100$. And sub. Is 99$
> >
> > A traditional PLB is about 500$... So I thought spot was amazingly cheap
> > for what it does.
> >
> > I certainly wouldn't say they are 'really expensive'. If 100$ is a
> stretch
> > for you;  youre in for a hard thru hike.  That's less than the cost of
> one
> > zero.
> >
> > Just talked to two couples I hiked with last year and both spent over
> > 16,000 ... That sufficiently scared me... I'm even considering skipping
> > Warner springs.
> >
> > Sent from my iPod
> >
> > On 2011-03-27, at 3:36 PM, Hillary Schwirtlich <
> > hillary.schwirtlich at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > I think this comes back to the central question of heavy trucking vs
> > light
> > > vs ultralight hiking: how do you mitigate risk? It's a question that
> > doesn't
> > > just have to do with weight though. If you are concerned about being
> > > prepared for everything, you're going to bring more options for bailing
> > > yourself out of sticky situations.
> > >
> > > I don't have a SPOT and I don't plan on getting one. That's because
> > they're
> > > really expensive and they aren't something I think is 100% necessary
> for
> > my
> > > style of hiking. Partly because I'm almost never alone, I rarely stray
> > off
> > > trail, and I always have a map. In other words, I'm usually as prepared
> > as I
> > > think I can be, I have enough experience to know how to deal with most
> > > common backcountry situations (i.e. cold, wet weather, etc), and I'm
> not
> > > like the guy was in 127 Hours - I see the need for human companionship
> > and
> > > letting someone know where I'm going.
> > >
> > > What happened to your friend's uncle was definitely unexpected and very
> > sad.
> > > But that was also a very rare case. Maybe it's foolhardy of me to say
> > that I
> > > doubt I will be having a heart attack soon (I'm 23, female, have always
> > been
> > > active and eaten well, and have no family history of heart problems).
> But
> > I
> > > feel that the risk of that or something else like it happening to me,
> > where
> > > I don't have someone who can go hike for help, is small enough not to
> > > warrant needing a SPOT. Just like the likelihood of me developing an
> > > allergic reaction to a bee sting on the trail when I've never had an
> > > allergic reaction to one before is possible, but unlikely, and so I'm
> not
> > > going to go get a prescription for an EpiPen just in case.
> > >
> > > That being said, I don't think you're over prepared if you do decide to
> > get
> > > a SPOT device or something like it. I can see that having that extra
> > safety
> > > would make someone feel much more comfortable, especially if they spent
> a
> > > lot of time alone. But I certainly don't think that you're a terrible
> > person
> > > for not having one. If everyone who every went hiking absolutely needed
> a
> > > signaling device, 1. people wouldn't have gone hiking until the last
> > however
> > > many years since those signaling devices were invented, and 2. only
> > people
> > > who could afford the device would experience outdoor sports. And I'm
> all
> > for
> > > as many people as possible exploring and appreciating the natural
> world.
> > >
> > > I guess it's also a question of HYOH. :)
> > >
> > > On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 12:00 PM, Edward Anderson <
> > mendoridered at yahoo.com>wrote:
> > >
> > >> Jim,
> > >> I always advise people to "expect the unexpected"- and try to be
> > prepared
> > >> for
> > >> it. Trees can fall unexpectedly, for no obvious reason - even on a
> nice
> > day
> > >> with
> > >> little or no breeze. Boulders can come down, starting slides, as snow
> > and
> > >> ice melt from high above the trail. Anyone who has spent a lot of
> time,
> > >> hiking,
> > >> climbing, and riding, in the back country, as I have, has experienced
> > the
> > >> unexpected. You don't have to be taking foolish risks to have the
> > >> unexpected happen. While I lived in Mendocino an uncle of a close
> friend
> > >> tragically died while hiking in the Yola Bolies alone.  He was a
> healthy
> > >> and fit
> > >> guy and knew the area well. He died of a Cardiac Arrest. he had no way
> > >> of summoning help. This happened about 15 years ago. If he had along a
> > way
> > >> of
> > >> summoning help he might have survived. Now that the technology has
> > become
> > >> available I hold that it is foolish not to take advantage of it. It
> > might
> > >> be the
> > >> life of someone else that you save.
> > >>
> > >> MendoRider
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ________________________________
> > >> From: "enyapjr at comcast.net" <enyapjr at comcast.net>
> > >> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > >> Sent: Sun, March 27, 2011 11:12:17 AM
> > >> Subject: [pct-l] SPOT messenger vs McMurdo PLB
> > >>
> > >>> ...only a fool would not bring one, or some other reliable rescue
> > >> signaling
> > >>> device.
> > >>
> > >> Sorry, MendoRider, but I definitely have to disagree with that
> > statement!
> > >> With a moderate amount of experience, sufficient or adequate gear for
> > the
> > >> conditions
> > >> expected or possible, and the common sense to know when to hunker down
> > or
> > >> bail
> > >> out or
> > >>
> > >> not try something too 'extreme' - one wouldn't have any need for
> > >> "rescue"...
> > >> Not having a SPOT or PLB does not necessarily mean that one is stupid
> or
> > a
> > >> fool!
> > >>
> > >>> The successful TV program "I Shouldn't be Alive" would not exist if
> all
> > >> of
> > >>> those
> > >>>
> > >>> people had had a way of calling for rescue.
> > >>
> > >> And how did many of those people get into such 'situations' that they
> > >> needed
> > >> 'rescue'?
> > >> Sometimes it's the opposite - one goes ahead and does something one
> > >> normally
> > >> wouldn't
> > >> because they do have a rescue device with them...  Plus ask some SAR
> > folks
> > >> what
> > >> they
> > >> honestly think of these rescue devices - too many times that 'rescue'
> > >> button is
> > >> pushed
> > >> without THINKING over the situation first - or developing skills
> needed
> > >> ahead of
> > >> time...
> > >> The most important piece of 'gear' one carries? - the gray matter in
> > one's
> > >> skull
> > >> - it's
> > >> seems amazing that so many people nowadays don't use it (but makes for
> > >> "successful TV"
> > >> programs, however)...
> > >>
> > >> There's also another 'popular' TV program - "A 1,000 Ways to Die"; and
> > >> let's not
> > >> forget
> > >> about the annual "Darwin Awards", either...  I doubt a rescue device
> > would
> > >> have
> > >> helped
> > >> the majority of those people...
> > >>
> > >> What was my 'rescue device' carried many years ago (before
> > 'electronics') &
> > >> never once
> > >>
> > >> used as such - the mirror in my small sighting compass...
> > >> All that said - I'll probably carry a SPOT - but as a COMMUNICATION
> > device,
> > >> NOT
> > >> as a
> > >>
> > >> 'rescue' device...  It will be for the family & friends 'peace of
> mind',
> > >> and for
> > >> me in
> > >> the sense of 'sharing' my trek with them daily...
> > >> YMMV, HYOH, ad infinitum etceteras......
> > >>
> > >> Happy trails!!!
> > >> Jim (PITA)
> > >> _______________________________________________
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> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
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