Cell Phones on the trail

“I'm wondering.

Would they have sent a chopper if his name was Gates?”

“Gate could call his own chopper.”

“I'm with you Rad.

I HATE THEM. It is the worst when people are at a great view/summit and they are on the phone. I hate the sound of them, I hate that people are STUPID enough to rely on them.

Now with that said, Yes I have brought one with me Backpacking once. To apease the STUPID (scouting) parents that cannot comprehend that their children could actually have aquired skills to take care of themselves and/or the group.

I never turned it on.”

“Worse view of a cell phone in Philmont Scout camp on top of Mt Baldy calling his wife just because he could.”

“Now for a balancing point of view: I don't need to leave my cell phone, GPS, or anything other high tech gear behind to enjoy the wilderness.

I carry a cell phone (turned off) for emergencies (if I know I can get reception). Otherwise I leave it behind.

I enjoy calling my family from a major summit if I can. It is sort of a celebration/fantasy. My dad gets a kick out of it. I tried to call my sister in Turkey from on top of Mt. Whitney, but the call didn't go thru.

twofootdrive - I was on top of Baldy Mountain in 1993. Awesome view!”

“I'm with you Phil. I carry a cell phone too. It's turned off. You really never know when you might need it. Someone in your party or someone else could have a medical emergency or meet up with some trail kook. Ned Beatty would have been happy to have had one.

My wife worries I will die on the trail. I tell her it?s safer than my daily commute but she worries just the same. A daily call (if there is reception) lets her get a little bit of sleep and the kids love to hear from Daddy.

I wouldn't whip out the phone in front of other hikers. I think that's rude in a restaurant let alone in the 'wilderness'. I even walk a distance from my friends to make a call. Who needs them to hear me repeating "yes dear, yes dear"?”

“Yep, the phone goes with me too (with an extra battery), but I keep it discrete as well. The Worldphone also manages to get better reception in pretty remote areas of the Sierra, but it can't be counted on. It's not a SAT phone.

I could go without it too, but take it for the benefit of those at home. If it's clear someone else has one, then it's left behind.”

“technology is a wonderful thing

all the same crap could be said about computers”

“I was talking to some friends once and we all finally came to the conclusion we wanted high tech jobs, but wanted to live in log cabins somewhere. Go figure.”

“I have brought it before, but normally it's just and extra pound and I never have reception, if I bother to check. Actually, when I think back, there has never been a situation where I could conceivably need it. There would have always been another option.

There is always the "What if?" scenario, but shucks, if you go for that, you just might be able to justify a fully equipped ambulance following you up the trail (taken to the extreme, obviously).”

“We had just arrived at the summit of Guadalupe Peak on an perfect day when we encountered some tech. guy making call after call proclaiming loudly (HEY, SO AN SO, GUESS WHERE I,M AT? I,M AT THE TOP OF TEXAS. HOWABOUT THAT!!) This went on for some 15 minutes before we and some other hikers could not resist mouthing his entire shpeel to the amusement of all but this rude person. It amazes me how oblivious this guy was to the fact he was spoiling an otherwise awesome moment. I don't have a problem with cell phones on the trail, if the owner uses some discretion in it's use and respects others desire to a natural outdoor experience. But the pictures of this guy always provide some good laughs.”

“Cell phones are the bane of today's society. You'd think people could have never survived without them now that every Tom,. Dick and Harry has one at their disposal and feels compelled to use it everywhere and all the time. It just help to confirm what I've known all along: that the majority of people in today's society are morons. Listening to their inane conversations proves this. (Disclaimer: TTers are the exception to the rule.) Invariably, once a week, I almost get mowed over by some jackass in their car who's too busy yapping to pay attention to the road. It's only a matter of time before I smash out some driver's car window with my bike pump. I'll admit I've taken one twice on solo treks. And guess what. No reception, ever. 14,000 ft peaks tend to block everything and guess what. Even if I had a fracturred ankle, I wouldn't able to climb anywhere to call for help. But there is no way to stop technological progress. I am just really sad about it impacting my wilderness experience in particular, that's all.”

“Don't have one, don't need one, don't want one. don't particularly want to be around one.

In this golden age of communication we all talk at the same time and no one really listens. End result-nothing gets communicated that matters.”

“The most bizare cell phone user I ever saw was at a Parkway rest stop. A guy was standing at the urinal talking on a hands free phone to someone! I overheard "this thing is great. I can walk around and, blah, blah, blah...". He even flushed while talking!

Freakin bizare!”

“similar story violin, I was in a restroom once and heard one ringing. Some guy sitting on the can actually answered it. HAHAHAHA
Where will it end?”

“Is anybody reading this thread??

-zzzzz-”

“You are nimrod. And by the way, do you live in Montana?”

“LIFE! No I don't Chief, what's it 2 ya??”

“I carry my cell phone but I leave it turned off. I really don't even know why I bother because the majority of the places that I hike are out of range and getting a signal is next to impossible. Talk about a false sence of security!

My last climb up to the summit of Mt. Bierstadt was completely ruined by a bunch of idiots talking on their cells. It was so annoying to hear these freaks calling their wives, brothers, dogs, etc. . .telling them, "Hey. I'm at the top of a 14'er".

For those of you who have never been up that way, the view is breathtaking, however, the cell phone junkies caused me to only stay on the summit for about 10 minutes before I decided I couldn't take it any more. The chatting was so loud that I felt as if I was in a crowded room.”

“You've all raised valid points about the use of cell phones and I think the key word here is discretion.

I carry mine in my pack (off) to use in an emergency (used it twice, so far) and to check on my kids.

As a single mom, I get real paranoid that something is going to happen to them while I am gone and they won't be able to reach me for days.

I know they're perfectly safe with their dad, but still, I worry.

If anything really bad ever happened to one of my kids while I was in the woods, I'd probably never get over the guilt.”

“Ahem,
Summarizing the major points of our little discussion to date:
1. Hardly anyone likes the IDEA of cell phones on the trail,but
2. Many of us carry them: a) turned off, b) for emergency, c) and a [false] sense of security. and,
3. Most of us have had pleasant, even ecstatic, wildnerness experiences ruined by others using c-phones, BUT,
4. the best we can come up with is the faint hope that others will use discretion.
Come on, there must be a more proactive stance that doesn't involve a potential jail sentence. How about a little TT creativity here!”

“leave them home”

“Microwaves”

“Had a scout dad bring a laptop hooked to a cell phone and used speaker phone so we could hear both sides. He wasn't invited on next trip.”

“Don't we take off to the middle of nowhere so that we can get away from that kind of crap?”

“So why would anyone want to bring it with them?”

“Guess he didn't know any better. I like the Nature Merit badge requirement when the kids have to sit still and observe nature and write about it. I've come across some wearing headphones....”

“I'm afraid cellphones are too much a part of some folks lives today,,I have no use for them but do keep a HELP type CB in the car for emergencies. I trunk it in case the car gets broken into at the trailhead( it hasn't happened to me yet, but I have only had beaters with nothing of value showing).I guess it just shows how good and bat folks are getting these days.”

“I haven't had the opertunity to cary mine on the trail because I just reciently purchased. I think I would probably take it along if I was going to be in cell range for the majority of the trip. I wouldn't make calls unless for an absolute emergency, but I would still leave it on so that I could recieve sever weather notification.”

“Ever notice the people that don't like cell phones are the ones who buy the latest in titanium gear, high tech synthetic fiber parkas, GPS with all the bells and whistles, etc?

I'll wager some of the biggest whiners of cell phones hike with a walkman stuck in their ear.”

“I was on a weekend patrol with the Forest Service this past weekend. We were at Halfway Camp on the Vivian Creek Trail over 8000 ft. elev). Saturday night around 8:30 p.m. a group of adults reported a missing hiker to us. My forest service radio would reach my supervisor...BUT MY CELL PHONE WORKED. I called the Barton Flats Station and he answered the phone.

Note, the lost hiker had a cell phone with him, but his service (Singular) wouldn't work there. My service (Verizon) works many places on that side of the mountain, so I took it along just in case.

Anyway, we were just initiating the Search and Rescue procedure when he showed up. He was hiking alone without a map and took the wrong trail on the way back from the summit. HE HIKED OVER FOUR MILES DOWNHILL THE WRONG WAY BEFORE HE REALIZED HE HAD TAKEN THE WRONG TRAIL! We think that the altitude (11,000 ft.) fuzzed his thinking.

Anyway, cell phones used with discretion can be a good thing.

Side note: Don't leave your map in the car!”

“Phil, I think the disclaimer "with discretion" cannot be overstated.”

“this last weekend, i put my NEW phone in my pack, so we could have a clock (i never wear a watch, but my partner wanted a clock). it is the newest little nokia, and i got cingular. i turned off the ringer and the vibrate and all of that junk, and never noticed it, but i got full reception, when i checked the time, at camp. plus, on the way home, we called 411 and asked where a pizza joint was, in the town that we were in!

ahh, yeah!”

“i took it to cumby, too. walkindude and i needed an alarm, so we wouldnt miss the ferry.

without the clock and the alarm, i think i'd leave it.”

“Well, they are multi-use now.”

“did you order one?”

“Just as a gift for you.”

“well thank you!”

“Dub you really were tickled with that weren't you!”

“tickled?”

“Cell Phone Call Saves Girls From Rattlesnakes

POSTED: 2:47 pm EDT July 8, 2004

LIVINGSTON, Mont. AP -- Two Colorado girls vacationing in Montana used a cell phone to cry for help after finding themselves on a hillside infested with rattlesnakes.

Thirteen-year-old Izzy Effler and 12-year-old Morgan Beadwell climbed the hill Tuesday to try to get cell phone reception.

Izzy said a rattlesnake struck at her -- but didn't bite -- after her dog sniffed out a hole. Morgan then stepped on another snake, ran away and saw another appear.

The girls were soon surrounded by six rattlers, and they used the phone to call Izzy's father.

Brian Effler and his teenage nephew ran up the hill with a pellet gun, shooting two rattlers before reaching the girls, who weren't hurt.

A rattlesnake trapper said he saw 25 to 30 snakes in the area.”

“eeeeek. I once camped at Ricketts Glen State Park next to Lake Jean and the site I had was infested with Copper Heads. I saw about 7 of them. They were real timid though. I almost stepped on 2 of them and they just slithered away.”

“Geez, a scatter gun would have been more effective than a cell phone in this case.

Before someone rags on me about how snakes control the rodent population.....yeah, I know.”

“They must've had a Ton of rats up there, LOL”

“past tense!”

“Ask earthNsky about cell phones on the trail.

We were in the middle of nowhere this past weekend when his rang. After we all laughed at him it started making this strange beep. Turns out that when he answered it, he let just enough rain fall on it that it got fried.”

“A British chef bitten by the world's deadliest arachnid was saved after snapping a photo of it with his camera phone.

According to a story in the Times Online, Matthew Stevens was bitten twice on the hand by a Brazilian Wandering Spider as he cleaned behind the freezer of his pub. The creature, not generally associated with life in England, is believed to have arrived as a stowaway in a box of bananas.

Before the swelling and dizziness hit, the 23-year-old snapped a picture of his assailant to prove to friends just how big it was (very big--about 5 inches).

Later, as Stevens' condition deteriorated and doctors fought to save his life, they were able to send the picture to experts at the Bristol Zoo, who identified the spider and told doctors which type of anti-venom was needed.

The Brazilian Wandering Spider, or Phoneutria fer, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most poisonous spider, with venom glands up to 10mm long (just under half an inch) containing enough poison to kill 225 mice.

http://news.com.com/2061-10786_3-5690575.html?part=rss&tag=5690575&subj=news”

“Wow, cool news item.

Too bad the man didn't turn into Spiderman.”

“Acceptable?
Unacceptable?

Discuss...........”