[pct-l] To SPOT or not to SPOT

[I Discovered That By Going Out I Had Really Gone In]

Speaking of my own experience, I was extremely grateful to have a Spot. Not only was my ankle fractured in three places, but the accident occurred in such a remote area that the first helicopter had to call in a Blackhawk with a hoist. Even with the Spot it required over seven hours before I received medical treatment, including pain relievers. Under no circumstances would I forego a Spot. Bad things do happen. You are gambling if you think otherwise.

Gourmet 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Rod Belshee <rbelshee at hotmail.com> wrote:

>Here's way to think about the need for an rescue device, such as a SPOT.
>
>There are levels of safety protection, each providing a backstop if the one 
>above it fails.
>
>LEVEL 1 - prevention.  Know enough to avoid trouble.  E.g. skills in reading 
>weather, in assessing stream crossings, ... or skills in knowing where to 
>pitch a tent impervious to wind or running water during a storm, ... or 
>navigation skills in snow, ... or ...
>
>LEVEL 2 - keep it from getting worse.  Know how to handle the situation 
>independently.  E.g. ability to self recognize and treat early hypothermia 
>or dehydration, knowing what pain to hike through and which to not, treating 
>blisters, keeping inner clothes and sleeping bag dry through days of 
>rainstorms, ...
>
>LEVEL 3 - fix a bad situation.  Know how to handle serious stuff 
>independently.  E.g. serious hypothermia or dehydration, or hiking out on a 
>sprained ankle, or broken collarbone or rib, ...
>
>LEVEL 4 - friends fix a bad situation.  Other hikers (or possibly angels) 
>handle the situation.
>
>LEVEL 5 - call SAR for help.  Search and Rescue.
>
>
>RISK Profile for the PCT
>   -  On the PCT there are very few situations that can't be handled at 
>LEVEL 1 or LEVEL 2.  The absolute most effective thing to do to keep 
>yourself safe is to increase your knowledge and skills.
>   -  I've helped out on several LEVEL 4 situations on the PCT including 
>heat stroke, severe altitude sickness, and many cases of wet and 
>hypothermic.  I've also seen plenty of near-misses, such as folks hiking 
>onto long barren ridges when thunderstorms approached and having lightning 
>hit all around them, or unplanned swims at dodgy stream crossings.  All of 
>those trace back to failures of safety protection at LEVEL 1 or LEVEL 2.
>   -  Very rarely, incidents can still happen that jump straight to LEVEL 5 
>(e.g. a slip and serious fall off a steep edge, or a cardiac event).
>
>Should you carry a rescue device?
>   - You might if you want to provide a sense of comfort for loved ones
>   - You might if you want to provide a sense of comfort for those very rare 
>incidents that jump straight to LEVEL 5
>
>What if you are not confident in your LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2 skills?  Should 
>you carry a rescue device?
>   -  A rescue device could provide a false sense of confidence leading you 
>into unsafe situations.
>   -  As folks who have served on SAR will tell you, sometimes SAR incidents 
>are rescues, sometimes they are recoveries.  Recoveries are devastating for 
>everyone involved.  SAR cannot really make up for mistakes at LEVEL 1 and 
>LEVEL 2.
>   - SAR is not without hazards, risks and costs for the SAR team.  SAR 
>folks have privately shared their infuriation at being put in the position 
>of taking risks and the emotional trauma of bailing out folks with 
>inadequate LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2 skills.
>   - You'd increasing your security much more by supplanting your LEVEL 1 
>and LEVEL 2 skills than carrying a rescue device.  That may come from hiking 
>with experienced hikers while you learn, or training hikes, or 
>classes/workshops, or whatever.  There are lots of options, including some 
>on-the-job training by pairing up with skilled hikers.
>
>So, should you carry a rescue device?  It all depends.... but considering 
>the levels of safety protection might help you to think it through.
>
>Steady, Sr.
>
>_______________________________________________
>Pct-L mailing list
>Pct-L at backcountry.net
>To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
>http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>List Archives:
>http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
>All content is copyrighted by the respective authors. 
>Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.