Can Technology save a life?

Lets say you and a friend are out hiking, on a nice Arizona summer day.

The trail is good there are other hikers coming and going. You have gone about 3 miles, when you come around a bend, and find another couple, the man has slipped and fallen his leg is broken and he has other cuts and bruises, you happen to know some first aid, you get him stable, now you must get help.

You remember you are 3 miles from the trailhead and it has taken you 6 hours to get where you are now, so you start back down the trail. It takes you 6 hours to reach the trailhead and call 911 to get help. Search and Rescue arrives and now you must take them back in to the injured party. That’s 6 plus hours the injured party has been lying out there. You get the picture!

Now lets say you come upon the injured party and you have a GPS and a

Cell phone you get a fix on your position, you call 911 and relay the info including your position, 911 relays this info to search and rescue, in about 30 min. you hear a helicopter overhead.

Ok, now you decide, 6 plus hours on foot, or 30 minutes with a GPS and cell phone? A small GPS unit cost about 100 dollars and you can buy a small-prepaid cell phone for about 50 dollars.

So could having a GPS and Cell Phone save a life?

Remember if you pack it in, pack it out and enjoy the outdoors

R L Gray

Team AZOD Other Outdoor Articles here