taylorhunt•1mo agoProlific Poster

PSA: My $400 satellite messenger felt like a waste until a wrong turn in the Wind River Range last fall.

I was off my planned route by about two miles in thick timber, and hitting that SOS button to get a simple GPS coordinate check from the rescue center saved me hours of bushwhacking and real worry.

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_chen61mo ago

Wait, you were only two miles off? That's it? I pictured you being totally lost in some canyon for days. Two miles in thick trees does sound awful to get turned around in though, I guess that's still a long way to be wrong. Makes sense you'd want a check-in before it got worse. Still, for some reason I thought these things were only for, like, broken leg emergencies.

lilycraig1mo ago

Yeah spencer_chen6, two miles in dense bush is no joke. Better to call before you're actually screwed.

the_karen12d ago

Start with the SOS button not as a last resort but as a tool, you know? I've used mine more for a quick "hey am I going the right way" check than for any real emergency. Two miles off in thick timber can feel like twenty when you're pushing through deadfall and losing light. The rescue center can give you a coordinate check and even point you back to the trail without sending anyone out. It's smart to call before you're actually hurt or out of food, saves everyone a lot of hassle.