I have always been a cautious, risk-averse outdoorsman. As an Eagle
Scout, I was taught to “Be Prepared” and to always have a “Buddy.”
Trying to “Be Prepared” usually seems easier than finding a “Buddy” –
particularly when coordinating the hectic schedules of two ore more
fellow backpackers. In the back of my mind, I have periodic concerns
that most of my treks seem to be solo hikes out of cell phone range and
off the beaten path – and if something happens to me, the outcome may be
grim. My family tells me their concerns are not just periodic – they are
always worried until they receive my phone call at the end of each solo
trip.
Beginning in 2005, I began searching for ideal solo backpacker emergency
solutions. A whistle, a signal mirror, flares, rescue markers, a space
blanket – they are all at the top of the list, and I believe essential
for their own unique purpose. Something new to me, though, was the
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). The PLB seemed to possibly be the perfect
answer to my question. “What if I am so far away from civilization that
there is no one to receive the signal of my whistle, mirror or flare?
What if I am in such bad shape that I can’t blow the whistle, flash the
mirror or fire the flare?
A January 2006 mountain lion encounter drove home to me the need for
something that truly could “call for help,” and reach beyond traditional
emergency signaling. After spending over a year contemplating its
purchase – I made the crucial decision in September 2006 to buy an ACR
Electronics’ PLB. That decision saved my life on New Year’s Eve 2006.
I was on a day hike as part of a three-day trek in Big Bend National
Park, Texas, one of the largest and most remote of America’s national
parks. While climbing 5,249-foot Elephant Tusk, I got “cliffed out” on
an interior ramp at 4,860 feet near the summit, and could not climb
down.
After spending four hours unsuccessfully attempting to locate an
alternate descent route, I knew I was stuck and realized that it could
be a long time before I saw anyone else in this desolate corner of the
Chihuahuan desert. As the sun disappeared, I knew temperatures would
soon drop around freezing. I concluded that my condition was grave, and
my life was in imminent danger unless I received assistance. Thus, I
decided I must activate my ACR AeroFix™ 406 GPS Interface/Onboard PLB.
What I did not expect was that a 50 plus mph gale would blow in at 10
p.m. and continue until 4 a.m. When the gale hit, I used some cord to
tie my PLB to a small bush on a ledge that opened to the sky because I
was concerned that the winds would blow the PLB off of the ledge. Then,
I wrapped up in my space blanket, and hunkered down for a bone-chilling
night that seemed would never end. Temperatures dropped into the 20s.
Twice during the night, I saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel
but I mustered the strength, through some real serious prayer to remain
on this end of the tunnel.
Later, I learned that within an hour after I activated my PLB, the U.S.
Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) in Langley, Virginia,
received notice of my satellite-detectable distress signal and
communicated my location to the Big Bend park rangers.
Upon receiving the call from the AFRCC, park rangers traveled almost two
hours over backcountry roads to the Elephant Tusk area. Rangers found my
vehicle registered with a solo hiker permit on Black Gap Road, and
immediately commenced a ground search. They scoured the desert floor
until 4:00 a.m. At sunrise the next morning, the Texas Department of
Public Safety (DPS) joined the search with its search and rescue
helicopter.
Around 10:30 a.m., the aircrew spotted me waving my space blanket, up on
the ramp near the Elephant Tusk summit. Then, two park rangers climbed
up the peak, confirmed that I was fatigued, but uninjured and called in
climbing gear from the DPS helicopter. By mid-afternoon they helped me
rappel down from my perch. Six park rangers and I then trekked five
miles arriving at Black Gap Road around sundown.
Other than being exhausted by the night’s hypothermic conditions, I was
assessed to be good condition. The PLB definitely helped save my life.
I’m afraid that if I had to spend another night up there, I would not
have made it.
My encounter with the mountain lion in the Chisos Mountains was a major
impetus in purchasing the ACR PLB. I was literally a split second from
being attacked before I saw the mountain lion and scared it away. If I
had been attacked, it is very possibly that I would have been severely
incapacitated. To continue my treks into the wilderness, I felt like I
had to get a PLB. Thus, I acquired my PLB just before an October 2006
solo trek through the Aldo Leopold Wilderness in southwestern New
Mexico, and I carried it throughout that journey. I chose the ACR PLB
based on the on-line source “Equipped to Survive.”
The next time I venture on a backcountry trek, I will try much harder to
find a “Buddy” to go with me. But either way, I can assure you I will be
wearing my PLB. I’m all for these devices. They save lives and keep
people from dying. My ACR PLB will always be on my body when I’m in the
wilderness.