Cell phones (again...)

“There's a pretty good, well-balanced article about wilderness cell phone use in today's Washington Post. It's worth checking out whatever you think of cell phones (and I happen to believe they're a tool of Satan, and anyone who uses one in any context is damned to hell for all eternity) because it gives a clear summary of all the issues involved--solitude vs. rescue potential vs. false confidence, etc.”

“"...in any context..."

give me a freaking break. i have a cell phone that i always carry on road trips, but never on the trail. you seriously cannot think of any situation that a cellphone is useful?”

“Cell phones are the devil. the deviiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllll!

If I get sent to hell, it will probably be my job to answer hundreds of ringing cell phones, none of which I will know how to work.”

“ah! i see the 'hate the rich' mentality surfacing again...”

“I'm no techno geek but I do have a cell phone. It lives mostly unused in my bag. I have carried it on backpacking trips. Not really for security but so I can (try to) call home to check in on my teenage son. For the most part I hate the things but they do have their uses.
Honey recently bought a bumper sticker that says, "Hang up and drive!"”

“We make it a ritual whenever we get into the car to start the bp'ing trip, all watches go into the glove compartment not to be worn again 'til the trip is over.

I guess it never dawned on me to bring a cell phone.”

“If you are close enough to a cell tower to use a cell phone you are not in the wilderness. It may be in the ?back country? or a park of some type but not protected wilderness.”

“tommy, i do the same with my watch. they both have their place.”

“'Sides, who wants a tan line on their wrist?”

“Well...I have to say that certain tan lines are cool. Like when I got the 'wristwatch' tanlines from biking gloves. I thought that was too cool, and I have fond memories of my bro, ya know. He always had 'em.

I like that! No watches allowed on hiking trips! I loooove it when I have days that I don't keep track of manmade time.”

“Time does not exist.”

“Rad, I do believe tehipite was speaking in jest, I seriously doubt he actually believes cell phone users will be damned to hell for all eternity. They'll prolly just have to spend August in Florida.”

“The secret is to not give out your cell number to too many people and to leave it behind while hiking. Works like a charm.”

“I used to do the "no watch" thing years ago. I found that I grew tired of it.

It's handy if you're hiking with several others to be able to agree on rendezvous times. Or when on the trail, estimating distance is often a function of elapsed time. Just because I wear one, doesn't mean that I'm a prisoner to it. It's just a convenience item that I choose to take along.”

“My sister insisted that I take her phone on my maiden trip to Cumberland - and I obliged. I must admit that it was kinda cool to lie under the netting of my tent, and use the phone to describe to her the distant nighttime thunderstorm that I was watching. Never taken one since, tho.

My watch, however - never leave home without it. Hey, what if I busted my compass - what would I use then?”

“My buddy had a freak accident; fell and broke his hip. He then spent the next few minutes (I can't remeber how long but it was signaificant) yelling for help. I'm sure he wishes he had a cell phone. I also love my phone because on slow days I can tell my boss I'm going for a walk in the woods around my office and she can call me if I need to come back. I never wear a watch, though.”

“>Rad, I do believe tehipite was speaking in jest, I seriously doubt he actually believes cell phone users will be damned to hell for all eternity. They'll prolly just have to spend August in Florida.

Kleetn, isn't that the same thing? ;-)

(But yes...it looks like someone did have a little irony impairment there.)”

“hey! august in florida is great!”

“So seriously...yes, there are cases where a cell phone can be useful (e.g., when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere). Unfortunately, a lot of cell phone users have no idea how to distinguish those cases from cases where cell phone use is inappropriate or even dangerous.

For example, look at the idiot who calls his work buddies from Half Dome. This guy clearly has no idea just how obnoxious he's being. There's also the guy who called in an 'equipment failure' when his backpack strap broke. (Both of these are in the Washington Post article.)

Then there's the drivers. Driving while using a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk, and not only be illegal but should carry the same penalty as driving drunk. No one's job is so important that it overrides the safety of others.”

“I own a cell phone, but I don't take it hiking or backpacking. My reasons are selfish... I feel much freer without them. I'd tale a cell phone if there was some critically important principle.

BTW: I can verify that cell phones are a tool of Satan. Ole Goat Face(as his drinking buddies call him) gave me my cell phone when he bought some of those new hands free models (with the little head sets)for himself and his minions.”

“Make that "...and should not only be illegal..."”

“i agree, i tried to talk while driving about twice. what a pain in the ass. i don't see how they do it all the freakin' time.”

“LOL!!!! pedxing, now those things make ya look REALLY ridiculous!! all these dudes, walking around, talking to themselves, what a hoot!!”

“Here's the link to article The Call from the Wild in the Washington Post. Good Article.”

“Thanks, Skiracer. Someone e-mailed it to me, so I didn't have the url.”

“Found the Washington Post website and did a search for the words cell phone wilderness. No problemo.”

“I just took the time to read the article. OMYGOSH! I've been sheltered. I've yet to encounter that kind of stupidity and incompetence on the trail. Granted, I'm stupid and incompetent but that's why I hike with more experienced folks. No wonder some of you can't be convinced that cell phones are anything but evil.”

“I would take my cell phone if I could but there is no reception where I hike. If I could use one I would not turn it on except to make a call. Fer sure no one needs to get hold of me when I am out.”

“I don't have a cell phone, nor do I want one. But, we all have our little technological vices. I like to carry a small AM/FM headphone radio with me for weather reports and talk radio.

The key, however, is to use tact. If it bothers someone, don't do it.

As much as we like the wilderness, we are part of the world.”

“I can't seem to get the article up. Could someone post a working link? Thanks.”

“Now that I have had my phone for a while I will most honestly say I love the thing. Best of all I can store up to 200 numbers in it so it acts as my phone book too. It is nothing more than another convenience. Plain and simple. It?s not a status thing, it doesn?t make one cool (high school kids can get one), it just makes things more convenient. I have ditched my long distance all together because I get free long distance. When I can pick up my phone and call a friend in Cali. for the same price as calling across the street and it sounds just as good all I can say is?[singing] GOD BLESS AMERICA!! I?m sure this same kind of flap was made when they put radios in cars for the first time. Does it make me a yuppie? No, yuppie is in the eye of the beholder.

BTW- I don?t own an SUV either. I own TWO! =)

Oh yeah, I don?t take it into the back country because it doesn?t even work there. Shhhh! Don?t tell Mrs.Nigal.”

“Moderation is the key to life.

Of course I have a cell phone, but I usually keep it in the truck. It has come in handy reporting wrecks, fires, drunk drivers and notifying people when I am running late. Other than that the phone is off.

How bout a list of places where phones should be turned off?

1. Golf Courses
2. Resturants
3. Seminars/meetings
4. Trails
5. Courtrooms
6. Bedrooms


What else?”

“Ditto! Movies too.”

“ROFLMAO

Damm, Bacpac! How much are you paying that girlfriend that gets calls in the bedroom?!?! ;)”

“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63634-2000Jul28.html

Thats the URL”

“OK I read it. Some people are really clueless. I sincerely doubt if the phone makes you any dumber.”

“sunshine,

Men don't take the time to calculate how much a piece of ass costs. If we did we would never get married.”

“Can't do with out my watch. It just feels wierd, and it also has a built in baramoter. It's also kind of nice to be able to somewhat predict rain”

“Nigal, does the cell phone still work even after your SUV rolls over?
;-)”

“Take away my cell phone? NEVER! Heck, you do that, how will people get hold of me? Hmm...maybe there's something to that. Someone wanna hand me a hammer. Can't bust that damn pager, but I the phone's mine to destroy!

Seriously, I really don't have a problem with them. I do have a headset for mine, and only take incoming calls when I drive (just punch any button to answer, don't have to pay atention to the phone). If I gotta dial out, I stop.

Like anything, they do get abused. I've heard of sheriff departments telling callers that a rescue wasn't on the way because the caller didn't really have an emergency (just too damn tired to walk). I've also seen more of the other side. Calling in for a rescue for an injured hiker and letting family members know a party would be in late, thus preventing needless SAR callouts.

I also saw one case where somone may have survived a fall climbing, had his partners been carrying a cell phone. It took over two hours to get to the car to call in the rescue. By the time teams were on scene, it was dark, air evac was impossible. The subject died on scene, not long after the first team arrived. He would have also died during ground evac. I'll take the extra few ounces, thank you (of course, I wouldn't dream of turning it on in the backcountry unless it were an emergency!) To me, if there's a possibility I can hit a cell site if I need it, what does it hurt? Besides, if it's in my pack and off, what does it hurt?”

“?Nigal, does the cell phone still work even after your SUV rolls over?
;-)?

My Jeep (There?s only one!) doesn?t roll. I drive it like a Jeep and not a car. I try not to talk and drive but sometimes I do (and then usually only on the interstate. I can select a number from my address book without even looking at the phone and the phone doesn?t impede my vision.”

“Bacpac, i think you forgot one place where cell phones should be off...CHURCH!”

“Mine doesn't evn go in with me at church. If God wants to talk to me he'll have to use some other means. International calls are WAY too expensive!”

“The Call From the Wild

...one too many " in the first link.”

“One more time....

The Call From the Wild”

“People who use cell phones are idiots. If you have any doubt just watch a baseball game on tv and you will always see some obnoxious idiot behind homeplate waving to his buddies on tv.”

“Cell phones? Dang! Ain?t technology great? ?Round where I come from they got like one special room for the phones where they take ya out and take ya to the phone room so you can call. And that?s evn only on the last Sunday of the month. But ya?ll got ?em right there in yer cell huh? What?ll they do next? Toilets in every cell?

That was you Spock? I was wonderin? who that was behind home plate at the Cincinnati Redlegs game!”

“You'll never find me at a Cincinnati Reds game so long as Griffey Jr. plays for them. Junior is a traitor and jerk for the way he treated the Seattle fans and club when he left.”

“I just wish he?d hit something! I refer to him as Ken ?Wiffy? Jr. on his bad days. And the Homerun Derby? How many Cubans does it take to screw Griffy Jr.? One?Sammy! LOL! I love Jr. because he wanted to come home to Cincinnati and he even took a pay cut to do it. When they were going to let Barry Larkin go he said, ?Here take some of my salary to make up the difference so he can stay.? He?s aces with me. =) Are you a Mariners fan? I bet you were sorry to see Randy Johnson go too, huh? I can say without shame that?yes, I love the Big Unit!

Oh yeah, staying on topic, I bet he owns a cell phone too. =)”

“Mariners fan and critic, I am. Griffey's departure was a blessing in disguise. Randy's was too, since the club got better players in return. Hell, the Mariners had Griffey, Randy, A-Rod, and Tino at one time and still couldn't get to the world series. Hey Mets fans, A-Rod is heading your way after the end of the season. We Mariners fans will get our yucks watching the roof get stuck open and the lights going out.”