[pct-l] Couples Thru Hiking

[Jay Bruins]

I believe the intent was to communicate within the couple, not outside. Two InReach devices would be expensive. A radio with defined check-in times would fit the bill. Unfortunately, radios don’t usually charge at the 5V of a USB device, so you’d be carrying the extra weight of a dedicated charger just to keep them charged.

It’s really hard to lose the trail. If you follow the stopping and waiting tactics already discussed, radios shouldn’t be necessary at all.

That said, I’d be strategic about splitting gear. IMO, two Sawyer Minis is better than one shared Squeeze: you’re more independent and carrying a system with redundancy baked in. Planning for the worst case navigation scenario, whoever is carrying the quilt should carry the ground cloth (can be pitched as a tarp if necessary) and whoever is carrying the tarp should carry extra insulation (in case they spend the night out without the quilt). On days you might have to stop early due to an emergency (eg it’s raining and you have a gear failure), don’t split up at all.

The challenge will be day in and day out with the faster person stopping at all the right places. 5, 5-minute breaks in two hours is really challenging: you never hit your groove or get a good rest. The temptation to push through a few junctions or crossings to consolidate into a larger break in a better location will be high. Know your partner and what they’re capable of (both physically and emotionally) and talk it out. Some gear redundancy prevents catastrophe as well as making separation for longer periods mentally okay for the trailing person.

Cheers,
Armstrong

PS If you leave notes (please don’t), date them! An un-dated note is trash and should be removed.
PPS Don’t build cairns. If you really want to move rocks, join a trail maintenance crew.

>> On Sep 10, 2018, at 9:39 AM, Luce Cruz <lucecruz13 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 2:46 AM John Papini <jtpapini at icloud.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> What else? Should we look into some kind of two way radio?
> 
> 
> So many couples, and larger groups, have gone hiking in wilderness without
> the need for a radio for instant communications between hikers that I just
> don't think anyone really needs one now. Instead, I'd look into a Garmin
> InReach which will serve you much better if you have an emergency far away
> from communications and others that can go summon help. It will also give
> family and friends a tremendous amount of peace of mind. You might have
> questions about "what if we get seperated and the other person needs the
> InReach?" or "What if the battery goes dead?", but it would be more useful
> in an emergency than the radios would be, because the radios only work to
> reach out to someone if someone you can reach is listening on the same
> channel/frequency and the other settings you might be using at the moment.
> The InReach will almost always get a message out in an emergency (i can
> only authoritatively say "almost always" because we cannot plan our
> emergencies, can we?).
> 
> I am a licensed amateur radio operator, and I'm not gonna tell someone not
> to being a radio? I personally think a good whistle for each of you in case
> you get seperated and/or lost is an essential thing, and no batteries to
> worry about.
> 
> Just my opinion. Worth less than you paid for it.
> 
> -- 
> Luce Cruz
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