I'd have thought you'd have used smoke signals

You know Stu's feelings on fires!

thenorthwind wrote:

I'd have thought you'd have used smoke signals

You know Stu's feelings on fires!

Oh Yes!

A good job he and Dee don't have a telly, he'd have been apoplectic at this week's Countryfile

Yes I always make sure someone knows our intended route and destination. I usually send this in a great long text to a friend so that they have it on record. I know that barring serious injury, we can survive fine for at least an extra two days so I always add this to the time that needs to elapse before anyone starts alerting rescue services. I hope that would give us time to walk out or fix any mechanical issues if needs be, without calling rescue folk out unnecessarily. It feels very irresponsible not to leave some idea of where you are going though, if only to help mountain rescue narrow things down a bit so they are not faced with 360 degrees of search area.

It feels very irresponsible not to leave some idea of where you are going though

I often don't know from one hour to the next.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

It feels very irresponsible not to leave some idea of where you are going though

I often don't know from one hour to the next.

Guess a route card depends on how much of a free spirit you are.

If you're the kind of person to plot the route onto GPS and follow a red line, then yes, a route card is fine.

If you're the kind of person who thinks, where does that lead to, then a route card can/would be useless

voodoo_simon wrote: If you're the kind of person who thinks, where does that lead to, then a route card can/would be useless

This works for 'free spirits' too

Trail-rat wrote:its rare that i have a route i just move

if i drove there , ill text where i parked the car , besides that ill text where i am , what direction I'm heading in , if known - where im aiming for and then when ill likely be in touch again.

I am not talking about restricting your freedom in the great outdoors. I am fairly sure most of us know at least whether we are intending to go north, east, south or west when we go out. Mountain rescue won't know that. My route plan texts usually contain alternatives in case we change our minds once we are out. I don't feel obliged to stick religiously to all my stated options, but I do think it gives mountain rescue something to go on at least.

I used to do a lot of solo riding around mid Wales when I was recceing Trailquest events that I organised. This was well before mobiles, not that they'd have been any use anyway. I was barrelling down a little track near Nant y Moch which strangely was on this years BB200 and went over the bars, the bike following me and chainring cutting a nice groove right through my helmet. I'd still have been there now if I'd not been wearing it. Its all about balancing risk I guess.

Sure, but I go out in the hills with a 13 year old, so I have to be responsible, or at least try to be.

When I got a spot tracker I gave my folks the link to my map page. Cue frantic text one trip when the spot inevitably lost a signal for a few hours worrying about where I was. Subsequently I made apoint of not switching it on.....

I never tell anyone as I figure if that bloke could extricate himself from a crevasse on an Andean mountain and crawl back to his base camp in 5 days with a mashed leg, I can extricate myself back to civilisation from anywhere in Scotland that I'm likely to have biked to.

I'd still have been there now if I'd not been wearing it.

No, they'd have found you this October

Sure, but I go out in the hills with a 13 year old, so I have to be responsible, or at least try to be.

Absolutely Bridget. My attitude changes considerably when I put my 'professional' hat on and I become responsible for other people rather than just my simple self

At the risk of overcooking my point here - when you go out alone you are responsible for others - because others will have to find you if you don't come back. I read somewhere (correct me if I'm wrong here) that it takes something like 20 people to carry out a mountain rescue in the Scottish hills. We bikepackers are a pretty responsible bunch in lots of ways - ie we go out with the proper kit to survive if things don't go to plan, so just taking the time to offer some indication as to route seems an extension of that to me. Besides which, I don't want to be the subject of one of those 'we rescued a numpty today' type posts the mountain rescue boys put up sometimes.

Search for GPS messenger in an app store. There are loads of em.

I've found a few that simply text your location when you press a button which is helpful, but not massively easier than reading a map/a navigation app and writing it a text message.

There's one called "GPS Messenger" that does it automatically when you get to set locations, which is quite good.

What I really want is one that, on receiving a message from your partner or whoever, with a certain message (let's say "where are you?" or "send location" or a code) automatically replies with my current location, telling them exactly which ditch I'm lying unconscious in.

At the risk of overcooking my point here - when you go out alone you are responsible for others - because others will have to find you if you don't come back. I read somewhere (correct me if I'm wrong here) that it takes something like 20 people to carry out a mountain rescue in the Scottish hills. We bikepackers are a pretty responsible bunch in lots of ways - ie we go out with the proper kit to survive if things don't go to plan, so just taking the time to offer some indication as to route seems an extension of that to me. Besides which, I don't want to be the subject of one of those 'we rescued a numpty today' type posts the mountain rescue boys put up sometimes.

Very valid point Bridget. Although, in my defence I would say that unlike many of the numpties, I never go out under prepared or ill advised and hopefully carry the skills and experience that allow me to make good calls of judgement and deal with the less so good . I sometimes wonder whether the ever increasing reliance on 'communications' could be eroding our connection with the ourdoor world and presenting people with an excuse not to aquire the skills that some of us perhaps take for granted and maybe even helping to build a certain 'fear' of the outside and a partial disconnect from it ... sorry, rambling now.

Thenorthwind, if you have an android phone on you, then someone at home can use the. "android device manager" either as an app or online. In that you can look for a missing phone, so it gives your last location with a mobile signal.

There's a post-it note on our fridge saying "find Paul" with the website and my password written on it. Seems a nice simple solution to me, but does rely on some mobile signal.

Excellent thread, both Bridget and Stu (and others of course) making some cracking points.

Shan't join in and at the risk of adding unwanted flippancy to a 'serious' subject I'd just like to thank Stu for two belly-laughs already today:

'Dont know from one hour to the next' - story of my whole life possibly :)

'No theyd have found you this October'

And one excellent point:

'Professional hat when responsible with others [ v anything goes on your own]'. Which I guess is what Borderer's saying anyway, so all's well that ends well.

I often leave my wife with a rough idea of where I going and when I'll be back, but rarely more than that. i.e. last trip it was Peak District and I'll be home on Sunday early evening

On that trip I met a family of numpties caught out in the dark, without a torch or any form of nav apart from the drawing in the book of walks. 2 adults and 3 kids. I showed them a map of where to go and pointed them in the right way. No kit to give them unfortunately as I needed it all.

If I have signal i'll check in but won't worry if I don't, probably works out as once per trip or so. Only have my phone with me to take pics and for emergencies. I turn data off to save battery and most alerts/things are data linked.

That said, I haven't been on a trip on my own in a while (to somewhere hilly/mountainous), so if something was to happen the other person can always go for help. I'd have all my bikepacking kit with me anyway

Thenorthwind, if you have an android phone on you, then someone at home can use the. "android device manager" either as an app or online. In that you can look for a missing phone, so it gives your last location with a mobile signal.

There's a post-it note on our fridge saying "find Paul" with the website and my password written on it. Seems a nice simple solution to me, but does rely on some mobile signal.

I never thought of using that function for that purpose, even though I once used it to locate, secure and find (by making it ring) my phone when I dropped it in a layby an hour from home. Unfortunately, the phone needs to have wifi or data signal, which limits its usefulness. I'd also rather not leave my Google password lying around!

thenorthwind wrote:

Thenorthwind, if you have an android phone on you, then someone at home can use the. "android device manager" either as an app or online. In that you can look for a missing phone, so it gives your last location with a mobile signal.

There's a post-it note on our fridge saying "find Paul" with the website and my password written on it. Seems a nice simple solution to me, but does rely on some mobile signal.

I never thought of using that function for that purpose, even though I once used it to locate, secure and find (by making it ring) my phone when I dropped it in a layby an hour from home. Unfortunately, the phone needs to have wifi or data signal, which limits its usefulness. I'd also rather not leave my Google password lying around!

If you're away from signal, i think it gives your last known location. True about the Google password, but my kids are too young to do much with it and I think my wife is trustworthy!

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

I sometimes wonder whether the ever increasing reliance on 'communications' could be eroding our connection with the ourdoor world and presenting people with an excuse not to aquire the skills that some of us perhaps take for granted and maybe even helping to build a certain 'fear' of the outside and a partial disconnect from it ... sorry, rambling now.

I think this is a pertinent point. I'm sure a lot of people venture out with the opinion that if it all goes 'Pete Tong' then they can just call the cavalry. Equally people often don't do the groundwork and rely purely on being given a gpx route and expect to find an easily followed path along with good visibility and zero expectation of problems.

Personally, I am very irresponsible in this area and this thread is making me realise how selfish I am/have been. I will regularly go out deliberately without a 'phone, simply to 'leave that sort of stuff behind'. I rarely leave details other than rough area when I venture out for a few days. I'll quite often not even tell people I'm going away! Plus, if I did leave a route I would have to keep updating it out in the field every time I change plans on a whim!

psling wrote: if I did leave a route I would have to keep updating it out in the field every time I change plans on a whim!

There have been a number of incidents caused or exacerbated by folk sticking to their planned route, even though an alternative would have been better/quicker/safer, just because they'd told someone in advance.

Things can happen, circumstances change. It's best to have some flexibility.

There's a post-it note on our fridge saying "find Paul" with the website and my password written on it.

In my case the post-it would have to be stuck to a bottle of champagne.

Alpinum wrote:

thenorthwind wrote: What I'd really like is an app that could ping back (possibly on request) a GPS location via text (when there is network coverage of course)

Search for GPS messenger in an app store. There are loads of em.

I'd make sure the app works on sms service (too).

And a Manx Telecom PAYG Simcard, roams onto all UK networks.