[pct-l] SPOT

[Karen Lafferty]

We used SPOT on our hike from Tuolumne Meadows down to LeConte Canyon.  The SPOT we used can only be programed for a few people to receive the satelite message.    We sent messages twice a day to let our husbands know where we were and the message told them that we were ok.  There are several other buttons, one to let the receiver of the message know that we are in trouble and need help and one for a 911.
While stopped at a ranger station, the ranger was telling us of an incident in which a young man had had his appendix rupture.  By using his 911 button, after several hours of trying to locate him, he was helicoptered out.  
It took 20 to 30 minutes for the SPOT to find the satelite and send the messages back to our husbands.  Our husbands knew where we were at least twice a day.
Karen L.