Lamest call for rescue ever

[Chip]

Man, it's folks like this that give unprepared and irresponsible hikers a bad name.

Craig, I'm confused. Unprepared and irresponsible hikers should have a bad name, right ? Or were you referring to Sierra whipping fixed blades around at cell phone carriers ?

 

[Craig]

Man, it's folks like this that give unprepared and irresponsible hikers a bad name.

Craig, I'm confused. Unprepared and irresponsible hikers should have a bad name, right ? Or were you referring to Sierra whipping fixed blades around at cell phone carriers ?

I can see how that would be confusing.

This situation is easy to label these folks as irresponsible and/or unprepared, seems cut & dry.

Most of the rescue stories we talk about in the northeast don’t seem to be so cut & dry although most of those hikers get labeled as irresponsible or unprepared.

Does that make sense?

 

[Arthur Dent]

Mike Pelchat has some interesting stories about similar requests for rescue. I may not have all the details correct but I remember one where he said 2 women called from the top of Tuckermans and wanted someone to carry them the rest of the way to the summit because they were too tired.

Sierra-"I could eliminate 95% of rescues right off the top. Ban cell phones in the backcountry. "

Oh, and cell phones aren't the problem, irresponsible use of cell phones is the problem. A cell phone is like any other tool and isn't evil.

 

[Paradox]

I could eliminate 95% of rescues right off the top. Ban cell phones in the backcountry. That would also eliminate the need for people to call someone from the summit to say " honey I made it" I mean unless your on Everest, stop trying to impress people with your mountain conquest. Everytime I see cell phone in use in the backcountry I want to throw my fixed blade right at them.

We all have our pet peaves. One of mine: people that use their cell phones to hash out a divorce at an airport gate, etc.. I usually call from a summit to let my wife know I'm okay and to see if any patients have called. I've called in prescriptions from a few summits. Please don't break any laws...I'm not.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

We all have our pet peaves. One of mine: people that use their cell phones to hash out a divorse at an airport gate, etc.. I usually call from a summit to let my wife know I'm okay and to see if any patients have called. I've called in prescriptions from a few summits. Please don't break any laws...I'm not.

I basically cannot stomach cell phones. When I'm on a trail or summit I can't stand it when someone pulls out a cell phone and makes it sound like that 4,000 foot (or less) summit was like climbing Mt. Everast.

With that being said, the only time I will use a cell phone at the summit is to call my wife and inform her that our son and I made it to the summit and that all is well and that I'll call her again when we get back to the trailhead. All that takes about 30 seconds.

As for the topic of this thread, I really hope to find a follow-up story to see if these two YUPPIES are forced to pay for this "rescue mission".

 

[cbcbd]

Ok, so let's make a list for when it is ok to use a cell phone on a summit:

-You are talking to your family
-When you are on a 8000m+ peak
-Drug dealing
-A "real" emergency
-You are already considered to be an unprepared and irresponsible hiker
-When sierra is not around or forgot his fixed blade at home

 

[amstony]

Ok, so let's make a list for when it is ok to use a cell phone on a summit:

-You are talking to your family
-When you are on a 8000m+ peak
-Drug dealing
-A "real" emergency
-You are already considered to be an unprepared and irresponsible hiker
-When sierra is not around or forgot his fixed blade at home

Add when your on call 24 x 7, and work calls. You take the call, thats the way it is for some of us folks! But move off trail and don't make an issue of it and bother people. Not everyone calling on a cell is calling their friend or wife. I'd throw mine away if I could!

 

[TCD]

Cell phone use is just like anything else. Use it politely, and don't bother anyone else. AND, don't get all in a huff about what someone else is doing, as long as they are not bothering you. Their conversation is their business.

 

[sardog1]

We're close to hijack territory here, folks . . .

 

[carla]

comments section

If you look at readers' comments it seems that maybe they weren't really rescued after all (some calls there for more accurate reporting).

That said, it does sound a bit lame-o to me.

More interesting, but off-topic, the link to "more crime stories" in the area shows some appalling stories. Alaska is a hard place to live, it seems--kind of alarming....

 

[sardog1]

If you look at readers' comments it seems that maybe they weren't really rescued after all (some calls there for more accurate reporting).

It has never been stated by the troopers or the ADN or here that these two were actually rescued. What happened is the dispatch of SAR resources to respond to an activated beacon because someone didn't want to be out in the sun any longer. (And the comments reek of disguised self-interest, not to mention the same apparent ignorance of conditions in the Interior as these two adventurers displayed.) I'm waiting breathlessly for either of these two guys to contact the ADN and correct the facts that the troopers reported.

 

[Chip]

If you look at readers' comments it seems that maybe they weren't really rescued after all (some calls there for more accurate reporting).

....

Troopers alerted the Alaska Air National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard and then diverted their own Dillingham-based floatplane that was in the area to head to the scene and check things out.

The floatplane touched down about 10:30 p.m. to find there was no emergency. A day in the wilds had just taken its toll and the men were ready to leave, troopers said.

They had activated the beacon in an effort to get extracted ahead of schedule."

Troopers passed a message to the air taxi service in Dillingham that the men were requesting an early departure and told them to wait at the pickup point, where they were recovered the next day, troopers said.

They activated an emergency PLB and consumed the resources of the State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard before the pre-paid air taxi service was finally contacted. They should be prepared to pay the bill for the use of those emergency resources.

 

[Craig]

I wonder how something so egregious could have happened.

After getting dropped off at the lake and getting set, perhaps their conversation went something like this:

Camper 1 – “Hey Charlie, don’t bogart that thing you pig”

Camper 2 – “Hey Harry, this stuff you got is killah”

Camper 1 – “Bought it just for this trip, Afgan don’t ya know”

Camper 2 – “Cool man, now I know why bin laden is hiding over there”

Camper 1 – “Think we ought to do some fish’n, seens that why we came?”

Camper 2 – “Screw that, I think I’ll just party till I pass out here in the sun. Come on man, twist up another one”

Camper 1 – “Wicked Man”

 

[Chip]

People can do whatever they want, as far as I'm concerned, as long as they are able and willing to pay for services rendered. (Caveat: Ideally as long as no SAR personnel were endangered.)

Most Guide Services, Air Taxis, Outfitters, etc will take ANYBODY willing to pay as they couldn't stay in business without doing so. I was amazed by the number of people we ran across who attempted Rainier without, apparently, ever having tried on their gear, let alone train for the hike. So much the better for us who did, the Guides and Ashford, WA.

 

[Craig]

I generally try not to judge folks without overwhelming evidence that all the facts have been presented. We all know how folks (media included) like to sensationalize things.

Having said that, after reading this obviously one side account, I would have to agree it appears these two did a pretty dumb thing. But let’s face it; people do dumb things all the time.

If it’s not this story, it’ll be one just like it in a couple of days.

Here’s another possible dumb one…..from Sunday

Here’s another possible dumb one…..from Monday

It only early afternoon on Tuesday…..give it a little more time and I’ll give you one from today.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…..This stuff happens all the time.

 

[Little Rickie]

We're close to hijack territory here, folks . . .

You're right. What they did is far worse than chatting on a cell phone on a mountain.

 

[DougPaul]

I generally try not to judge folks without overwhelming evidence that all the facts have been presented. We all know how folks (media included) like to sensationalize things.

Having said that, after reading this obviously one side account, I would have to agree it appears these two did a pretty dumb thing. But let’s face it; people do dumb things all the time.

One would hope that people needing a non-emergency early trip out would use a regular radio. But it is possible that they didn't have one, it failed, or they were unable to contact anyone. Not quite what the PLB/EPIRB system was designed for...

Still one wonders how much of the report was fact and how much was scorn for tenderfoot outsiders...

Doug

 

[Jay H]

When I was out in the backcountry in Wrangell St Elias, (we did a fly in, about 5 day backpacking trip to the interior there), we carried a satellite phone, rented from a place in florida. We were supposed to do a point A to point B trip but because of weather and time issues, we decided to do a loop around a mountain there (Mt Wolverine) and wound up going back to Point A. I used my Sat. phone the night before to tell the air taxi to pick us up at Point A rather than point B and it all worked out fine. When I contacted the air taxi from the sat. phone I was quick to point out that it is not an emergency and were just updating them our location for the pickup. I reckon these guys didn't have any other means of communication other than the PLB.

Jay

 

[cbcbd]

To tie in with what Jay said...
I just talked to a climber yesterday who did a weekend trip up to Alaska for a FA on a peak. He said that he has a SPOT and when he pressed the help button his girlfriend would know that they were done with the climb and she would call the air taxi to pick them up.
Anyway, different circumstances, but an interesting controlled way of using such an emergency device.

 

[Drumhaggart]

Hmmm...

To tie in with what Jay said...
I just talked to a climber yesterday who did a weekend trip up to Alaska for a FA on a peak. He said that he has a SPOT and when he pressed the help button his girlfriend would know that they were done with the climb and she would call the air taxi to pick them up.
Anyway, different circumstances, but an interesting controlled way of using such an emergency device.

So what button does he push if he's really in trouble?


Steve