Walked out of the mountains Xmas Eve

[frock]

Directions made sense, I know where you guys were now.

The area where the memorial sign is located is called the Pub Sign. Not sure if it's still there, but Murray's Pub from Chetwynd has/had a big 4x8 sign there for years.

That's a hell of a walk outta there. Your trucks were at 45 km right?

 

[m8sandman]

one thing people don't think about when buying boots is can you spend a day walking in them??? have a few buds who ride with the stiff snowboard type boots and always ask them if they think they could walk for hours in them. if your boots make your feet sore from just riding think of what walking 10 plus miles in snow will do...


always tell my family if i don't make it back not to give up. i carry what i need to survive for at least a week, might be a little hungry and cold but am smart enough to bring along what i need to survive. we do a lot of backcountry riding, most of the places we go we are the only ones, not another sole around for miles. another thing is make sure somebody at home knows your riding plan, always call my wife just before we leave the truck and give her my flight plan for the day. she has the numbers to most of my riding buddies to call if there ever is a problem.

 

[Ox]

she has the numbers to most of my riding buddies to call if there ever is a problem.

MUCH better than knowing the # to S&R!

Your chumms know where, and even if not where, but maybe "HOW" you ride, and what kind of stuff you might git yourself into.

And also - they work cheaper than S&R. :face-icon-small-win


My chumm has already called me when leaving for a remote ride - even tho I was 400 miles away. He knows that I know the area better than most any local, and could navigate even in the worst weather. If I didn't hear from him by sun-up, I would be down the road. He would only be waiting in a snowbank for 24 hrs. (Better than the 3 days we have previously waited.)

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[dhoward]

GPS Tracking

I've been thinking for the past few months about a GPS tracking system. Not a full on tracking system that tracks every little move like our hand held GPS, but a system that you can hit a button on a small GPS device and it would save your coordinates at some sort of server somewhere. Make sense?

Everytime you stop for a break or stop and contimplate whether to drop into that canyon or not, you hit the button, your coordinates are stored somewhere and S&R or family or whomever can see where your last stored coordinate is at. In the event that you do get lost or stranded, someone has the last closest coordinate to your position and can start a search from there.

They already have the emergency device that sends a message out with your coordinates...why not take it one step further and add a full on database using the serial number on your device to store your locations?

 

[Ox]

Already out there. They call it SPOT.

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[dhoward]

Already out there. They call it SPOT.

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I thought SPOT was just an emergency thing...it appears it does exactly what I was thinking. Cool. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[longtrack156]

I thought SPOT was just an emergency thing...it appears it does exactly what I was thinking. Cool. Thanks for the heads up.

Unless the new ones are better I have heard the older ones sometimes would not send a reliable signal. Apparently it cannot see the satellite in the tall trees or behind a mountain. I was prepared to buy one a few years ago, I asked around and was told the tracking feature only worked about 70% of the time. Apparently it will send out the 911 signal even if it doesn't see the satellite but won't send any other signal such as I'm "O"K or "need help".
I would still like to buy one if I can be told otherwise.

 

[bretton_s]

Yeah, Frock - parked at KM 45.

Have you seen that SPOT plus GPS paired unit? I can't find it anymore on the net or even remember the name, but I know you could then send custom messages from the GPS via the SPOT gizmo. Good idea. Plus the GPS had aerial photos to download. I want one!

Edit: I found it. It's a Delorme.

 

[Ox]

....and didn't bother to link it here...

.

 

[jacmmaxwell]

I carry a first generation spot and it can take some time to transmit but it always has for me. I use the "I'm OK" feature all the time. One is for the wife, just removes the thoughts. The other is for when you find that sweet bowl back in the timber and your pretty sure you'll never find it again. See it will mark it on the map and you can view it ( and print ) the maps.

I did not pay for the bread crumb feature to track me... it broadcasts every 10 mins and stores it in your account and you can set it up so your freinds and family can track you in real time.

One thing to remember, the "I need help" feature should be sent to somene who is not in your riding group but has the ability to get to you or get in touch with someone who can. This is not the same as the 911 feature that's when they send the choppers.

They even offer an insurance to cover any rescue cost.


I got one before I took my 10 year old son out for his first ride... not for me but for him. If I'm hurt or god forbid dead at least he can use it to rescue himself. I also made sure he and all the guys I ride with know how to use it. The service is not cheap, but the piece of mind and the added safety are 100% worth it to me.

 

[Ox]

I got one before I took my 10 year old son out for his first ride... not for me but for him. If I'm hurt or god forbid dead at least he can use it to rescue himself.

Yeah - my poor kid... I was always asking him - "How doo you git to the truck from here" all the time.

He's pert'near 20 now, so if he kant find it on his own by now, his sorry assets can freeze out there too. LOL!

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[dhoward]

The service is not cheap, but the piece of mind and the added safety are 100% worth it to me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the the basic service which allows the SOS, Help, Check-in/OK, and Custom Message only costs $99.99 per year. That seams very inexpensive considering when I go for a weekend of snowmobiling, I will easily spend $200 for a day of riding...that's vehicle fuel, food/drinks, snowmobile fuel/oil, dinner at the end of the day, etc. I go at least 2 dozen times a year so for the spot service that comes out to an extra $4 for a day of snowmobiling. Add in the hunting, hiking, and other outdoor activities I do and the price is negligible/priceless.

I suppose I should have looked into SPOT earlier I will be getting one for my wife and me...I especially like the "Adventures" portion of the SPOT service. I already do what that does with my own GPS...it's just not online and takes up hard-drive space.

 

[jacmmaxwell]

Yep it's right around that, I think I pay 112.00 a year with added insurance. I carry it on my dual-sport, my boat, in my hunting pack... pretty much anytime I'm in the backcounty or some place were no person is going to find me if I'm hurt.


THIS DEVICE DOES NOT MAKE IT SAFE TO TRAVEL SOLO INTO THE BACKCOUNTY.

Figure most of you are smart enough to figure it out but you still need to at least take one buddy along. I find that at least once a year a friend will get a free ride cause I want to ride but there broke so I throw down the coin for fuel ( well till this season, now me and the boy just go )

 

[snobyrd]

i was talkin to aarons dad a few days ago, he told me the story, including the recovery, wow, ive learned from my own experiences , to never explore from top to bottom, u never know what lies below,and also groups of 3 to 4 are better for strength reasons, with 1 -2 advancing and the rest waiting for clearance , and a SPOT is mandatory

 

[modsledr]

having spent a considerable amount of time in the woods most of my life, I consider myself a pretty good fire starter regardless of the conditions...BUT...a couple of seasons ago I attempted to start a fire when the conditions were WET after a driving snow storm (just practice, non emergency) and even the normally dry/dead tender at the base of Fir/Hemlock trees was coated with a layer of ice/snow.

here's what I learned...there are conditions where building a fire is next to impossible...period. The amount of energy and effort it would have taken to gather enough fuel for a fire that day would have been monumental. There are probably those who will read this and scoff, and good for you...but in a true emergency situation, I want to expend as little energy as possible to survive as long as I can.

After that, I went home and did a little experiment. Took a soup can, filled with fuel, and lit it on fire like a candle. Set the timer and waited. It burned for over 3 hours!!

I now carry a siphon tube (with the one way check valve so no sucking) and a Progresso soup can (large opening and stainless).

With this, 2-3 fill-ups will burn all night with NO need to collect firewood and keep it burning. I can use branches to keep me off the snow, my survival tarp, and bivy sac, and have a heat/fire source with little/no effort.

 

[Ox]

Did the soup can provide much heat / light?

How about fumes? If you scurried down in a tree well and lit it up, would it bother you too much doo you think?

I'm guessing that you tried this in a more open setting?

2-3 hrs from how big'a can? Single serving? Maybe a good idea instead to take a FULL can of something that can be ate as is (beans maybe?) and then start the fire later? (Bean's'd prolly be froze tho...)


The can should pack for free. Just put your small items in it. Doo these come with rubber lids anymore?


Of course this doesn't werk if you ran out of gas. I have spent nights in the bush. Once we were out of gas. The next time we were just too pooped to pop, and LOW on gas, and not sure which way to go. Would not have wanted to burn gas that time either.

Almost had two sleds out of gas about 10 miles of trail from the cabin on a nice clear night once too. Daggum-it, I told him I was low and only had a few miles left in it!

But if you are just stuck in a rutt like these fellas - then sure - it would help.

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[modsledr]

Ox,

We Did the experiment during the day, so not sure on the "light" factor.
Surprising amount of heat, though...again, thinking surviving the night...probably not enough to bring you back from hypothermia if you've gotten that cold (at that point, you're not building a fire, either).

The fumes from gas would be an issue in an enclosure...again, thinking about being bundled up in a survival tarp and bivy sack.

You are correct that it packs for free...I rolled up my spare socks and put inside...good fit.

Progresso Soup can...I think they are 16oz...We tried with a soda can first, and the aluminum melts as the fuel burns down, so only a 1 time use.

Again, thinking survival when building fire and keeping it stocked is not practical or would expend too much energy and put you at further risk.

 

[bretton_s]

Here's the link to the Delorme setup: http://blog.delorme.com/2010/01/06/delorme-and-spot-handheld-gps-meets-satellite-communication/

Snowbyrd - it's funny you heard it from his dad. Small world up in this area. Everytime I talk to someone around here it seems they say "I heard you had a bit of an adventure...". Good old small communities. At least we would have had a packed funeral! (sick joke I know)

modsledr, I know what you mean about lighting a fire in a snow storm. It is a monumental job getting wood even if you do light it eventually, especially if you are sinking to your waist at each step. I will keep in mind that can trick. Might work well for fire starting at the very least.

 

[Ox]

Again, thinking survival when building fire and keeping it stocked is not practical or would expend too much energy and put you at further risk.

Couldn't agree more.


Since this is a guys sport for the most part - this doesn't bode well, but two or more people can stay a lot warmer by cozying up! If one of your group is in trouble, you can almost lay on top of them and pack heat in. If there is a third person you could git on either side and really close the deal in.

All of you would be warmer than you will git from that fire when outside. You can dig a snow cave and pile in there to spend the night or hide from a big storm. Not quite as much fun as playing cards, but...

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[harper]

there's some great information in this post, this should be a must read for anyone going out riding.
All learned from experience.

Thanks all for the info, Ive redone my pack to make sure ive got enough for a night or 2

tampons, did the girlfriend look at me strange...