About 15 minutes later, I could hear the hum of the rotors and see the lights on the bottom of the helicopter.

but very mixed reviews online as to whether it's actually any good as a windbreak (which is more important, lol). And the entire time, the SAR Coordinator from the local sheriff’s office was incredibly responsive and clearly invested in getting me to safety. If I’m hitting that button its because my life is in danger so there’s no need to worry about money. This wind break stood up to 61kph gusts and probably saved our tent when we got caught out in a yellow weather warning for wind.Around 9:40 pm, the SAR coordinator texted me again to inform me they were hoping to try another helicopter rescue during a break in the storm after midnight. Having this little device on my adventures would provide a safety net that worked virtually anywhere.

One of the best aspects about this subscription service though is you can activate or suspend it on a monthly basis. Far too often, people assume that dramatic rescues like mine are a result of recklessness or gross negligence. I struggled to find somewhere to block the wind in the pitch-black darkness with the snow swirling around me. When everything began to spiral out of control, it really was the difference between my safety and a potentially fatal outcome. In a genuine emergency, the actual rescue MAY not cost the person anything, just in the same way you don’t pay to pay the fire department to rescue you from a burning house.And so, it was time to focus on staying dry and surviving for as long as it took to come get me out of there. I don’t take undue risks or throw caution to the wind just because I have the safety net of a SOS button. I had a family who relied on me back home, and I needed to focus on my survival, not what other hikers might think of me. After these two short adventures, I knew I really liked having the Garmin as an addition to my standard gear set-up. I’m sure I’ll be hitting the trail again soon – and I know the one gear item that definitely be coming along for the next adventure!

And, as I studied my map over and over to adjust my plan, I could see I was still nearly 20 miles for the closest trailhead.

Then I slid inside the tent like it was a bivy sack and used my backpack behind me as a backrest on the hill’s slope.

Rescue costs could, however, become reimbursable depending on the circumstances involved and what state it occurs in. Not long after it got dark, I received a message that a helicopter was en route to my location and 35 minutes out. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.g., trespassing) or while engaged in grossly negligent act, then there’s a greater likelihood the person will have to pay for their extraction – especially if it occurred in Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, and Oregon. My last big adventure of the 2020 season was a thru-hike of the Uinta Highline Trail (UHT) in northeastern Utah. An automatic message appeared on my inReach’s screen, which read, “I have an emergency, and I need you to send help. Also, don't lie having too many pegs and guylines in the vicinity of be tent as it leaves little room to sit outside behind the shelter of the windbreak. We attempted to put it up once, failed, was that frustrated with it that have never tried again since!