View Full Version : How can family contact me on the trail?
I will be taking a phone with me and staying in touch with family at least once a week. I do not however, anticipate using the phone too often, and understand it will probably not get service in many areas. In the event that there is some sort of emergency on the homefront and I need to be contacted immeadiately, how should I advise my family to do this?
Jack Tarlin
01-25-2008, 14:40
Assuming your family has your rough itinerary/schedule, they'll always have a pretty good idea about where you're supposed to be.
In the case of a true emergency (illness or death at home, the house has burned down, etc.) your family should contact the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy at www.appalachiantrail.org) and find out from them who the Ranger or Law Enforcement person is in the section that you're hiking. The Rangers are VERY good at finding people in a hurry if they have to.
You might also want to make sure you sign Trail Registers regularly so if anyone (Rangers, etc.) is looking for you, they'll have a good idea, or other hikers who have read the registers might be able to "pass along" where you were last located.
And if deviate seriously from your schedule, i.e. take lots of time off somewhere or leave the Trail for a bit, make sure your family knows, so they don't panic a few days later if you're "overdue" at a place they expected to hear from you.
saimyoji
01-25-2008, 15:34
Take some carrier pigeons. ;)
also, when signing the register, be sure to sign your real name or make sure your family knows your trail name.
Blissful
01-25-2008, 16:27
Best cell phone service I found on the trail is Verizon.
wrongway_08
01-25-2008, 16:32
Smoke Signals...
Seriously, it is something to plan for. As people above said:
1) Make sure your family knows your trail name because a lot of the other hikers won't know your real name.
2) When you talk to people in your family, let them know the names of people you're hiking with. If any of them have up-to-date Trail Journals, tell your family, so they will have a better idea of roughly where you are.
3) If you're hiking with someone for a while, and that person has a phone, ask if you can give the phone number to your family members for emergency use.
4) It helps for someone at home to have a guidebook of some sort, which will list the names and phone numbers of popular hostels, as well as the ATC contact data.
I was involved in trying to locate a young hiker who had a serious family emergency. He was a couple of weeks ahead of me by then, but my email address was the only contact information his family had. By Trail grapevine and help from the local AT maintaining club, we were able to find him within 24 hours. If he had done #3 or #4 of the above, he would have been found much sooner.
Take some carrier pigeons. ;)
mmmmm... I'll bet they would be good with fresh ramps on a bed of rice.:D
Thanks for the info everyone, just trying to get everything situated at home.
dixicritter
01-25-2008, 16:52
If you are taking a phone with you, won't your family have the phone number? And won't you have voicemail where they can leave you a message? Would it not be feasible to check it more than once a week for messages? Just seems like a no brainer to me.
SGT Rock
01-25-2008, 16:53
Use Verison or US Cellular and turn it on once a day in a high spot. You should be able to check voicemail.
Use Verison or US Cellular and turn it on once a day in a high spot. You should be able to check voicemail.
I was about to add this as a PS. It's what I did.
SGT Rock
01-25-2008, 17:10
Really, it would probably be the fastest way to get a message while out on the trail. If yer expectin' someone to come out and figure out about where you should be, hunt up where you probably are, and then to actually walk out and maybe find you it would take a while - but if you just check your voicemail once a day on the high spots and have a map where you can make a bail plan to get to the closest town then you are likely to be able to efficiently get contact and get home in an emergency.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-25-2008, 17:17
What Rock just said. A map plus once or twice a day check of voice mail. Text messages also work and are easier to send with a limited signal.
SGT Rock
01-25-2008, 17:24
Ditto what FD said about Text. I have been in places where it said I have no signal at all but I still send and recive text.
Ditto what FD said about Text. I have been in places where it said I have no signal at all but I still send and recive text.
So I can feasibly send my dad a text message once a day, or once every couple of days, telling him I am safe and that I will call him when I have a good signal?
I have had a tough time with Sprint as far as being able to send a text message with little or no signal, maybe it's just Sprint.
Kirby
If you are taking a phone with you, won't your family have the phone number? And won't you have voicemail where they can leave you a message? Would it not be feasible to check it more than once a week for messages? Just seems like a no brainer to me.
Yes my family will have the phone number, and I will check the voice mail daily. I will also be leaving a guide book at home, and I will be carrying maps should I need to get off the trail quickly. They will have a copy of my itenerary and I will be updating them on my progress frequently. That being said, I do understand that technology fails, batteries die, phones break, or any other number of things. My goal is to give my family every option possible to find me in the event that they need me and are having difficulty finding me.
Jack Tarlin
01-25-2008, 18:39
Like I said, if all else fails, if your family has a good idea of your itinerary and pace, and assuming you haven't gotten off the Trail somewhere without letting folks know, in a real emergency, Rangers or local law enforcement will find you. This is something they're actually quite good at.
Lone Wolf
01-25-2008, 18:44
I will be taking a phone with me and staying in touch with family at least once a week. I do not however, anticipate using the phone too often, and understand it will probably not get service in many areas. In the event that there is some sort of emergency on the homefront and I need to be contacted immeadiately, how should I advise my family to do this?
have them call the ATC and tell them where they last heard from you. you'll be easy to find
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-25-2008, 18:46
So I can feasibly send my dad a text message once a day, or once every couple of days, telling him I am safe and that I will call him when I have a good signal?
I have had a tough time with Sprint as far as being able to send a text message with little or no signal, maybe it's just Sprint.I have Verizon and rarely am unable to text. I had Cingular before and it was not as reliable, but I could get a text message out most of the time. Before that I had US Cellular and the coverage was really bad. Not sure about Sprint
I set up the family with the State Police phone number for the state or states I am messing around in.
When in Canada, RCMP for the province.
I also do a front and profile photo, with five or so days growth of beard.
Keeps everyone chilled, and I like calm.
To be used in crisis, not what does the dog get for meds the first of the month.
AT-HITMAN2005
01-25-2008, 19:00
i just told my family no dying while i'm gone.
Lone Wolf
01-25-2008, 19:02
i just told my family no dying while i'm gone.
if someone dies it's not an emergency
There are places where you will not be able to get a signal once a day. Other times, your battery might die between town stops. What often happened to me is that I'd walk right through a place where I could probably get a signal without thinking about calling, then in the evening, when I'd think of it, I was down in a notch where there wasn't a signal.
If you set up a once-a-day phone call agreement, your home folks may panic when you are unable to get through to them. I would suggest, instead, setting up a date by which you will definitely contact them, come hell or high water. They don't have permission to panic and call out the law until that date. In turn, you will do everything in your power to contact them before then.
Sure, try to call every day, especially when you're first starting out and everyone's anxiety level is pretty high. But don't promise to call until your next town stop. Extra calls/text messages will be a bonus gift, but the requirement of making calls won't run/ruin your trip.
Also, if you do call too much, it can keep you too connected to home. For example, you're sitting down having lunch in a lovely spot. You call home for a chat and learn that your uncle has just died suddenly. You can in no way extract yourself from where you are until you reach the next town anyway.
PS--My husband and I do this when I'm hiking, but we also do it when he travels on business. IMO, it's better to concentrate on where you are and not spend a lot of time worrying about and trying to manage where you are not.
SGT Rock
01-25-2008, 19:44
So I can feasibly send my dad a text message once a day, or once every couple of days, telling him I am safe and that I will call him when I have a good signal?
I have had a tough time with Sprint as far as being able to send a text message with little or no signal, maybe it's just Sprint.
KirbyWell I cannot guarentee it will always work. I have had the oposite happen where I could call but couldn't get an e-mail out, but that has only happened once. But others like Chief will tell you the same thing. A couple of years back when they had a huricane down south no cell coverage or rare cell coverage - but folks could text one another for some reason. It was discussed as to why a few months ago and I think the answer was a pure text message requires very little data transfer so a very short weak signal (one that wouldn't register a bar on your phone) might be enough to get a text through.
Yes my family will have the phone number, and I will check the voice mail daily. I will also be leaving a guide book at home, and I will be carrying maps should I need to get off the trail quickly. They will have a copy of my itenerary and I will be updating them on my progress frequently. That being said, I do understand that technology fails, batteries die, phones break, or any other number of things. My goal is to give my family every option possible to find me in the event that they need me and are having difficulty finding me.
I've gone for many days on one battery. I keep it off unless I want to use it and then keep it short. Chargers that can get you going off AA batteries are available and you can get AAs all over the place.
A grumpy observation aimed at no one in particular (or rather it's aimed at some people I work with, who neither hike nor read Whiteblaze): Phones can be used as an electronic bracelet. It's not love, it's control. Resist doing that to other people; resist letting them do it to you.
dixicritter
01-25-2008, 21:46
A grumpy observation aimed at no one in particular (or rather it's aimed at some people I work with, who neither hike nor read Whiteblaze): Phones can be used as an electronic bracelet. It's not love, it's control. Resist doing that to other people; resist letting them do it to you.
LOL... get em Marta! :D
LOL... get em Marta! :D
Frankly, when I'm at work I'd rather work than take 157 personal phone calls. I have to answer the phone enough as part of the job.
If I have any spare time at work, I'd rather be on Whiteblaze...
I will be taking a phone with me and staying in touch with family at least once a week. I do not however, anticipate using the phone too often, and understand it will probably not get service in many areas. In the event that there is some sort of emergency on the homefront and I need to be contacted immeadiately, how should I advise my family to do this?Once a week? CHeck your voice mail every day. If there is a problem, cell phone is the faster way to get hold of you. THey leave a message on your voice mail, telling you to phone home. You turn on your phone on every summit, every road crossing, every town. No messages? Turn it back off.
My phone lasted me from Monson to the hostel in Millinocket, 8 days, by keeping it off and turning it on when I thought I could get a signal.
Kirby
minnesotasmith
01-25-2008, 23:55
1) Before leaving, give them a good AT map.
2) When you call/email them re where you are when you have cell signal or are in towns, relate where you are to a location they can see on the map.
3) Leave them a copy of your guidebook (Companion, Wingfoot, etc.) and do the same as in #2 with it.
4) Make sure they have the phone #s for several people highly connected to the Trail community (Miss Janet, the premier hostel operators for each state, etc.)
5) Make sure they have the URL for Whiteblaze.net.
6) Have more than one person you call re your location, and have all the people you call have each other's phone #s, so they can cross-reference. You will often only have time in a town to briefly try to reach someone by phone, so often won't reach everyone you call.
It's been hinted at here, but I'll post this anyhow. Make sure you turn your cell phone off when not in use in the mountains. Your phone will automatically search for a signal when there is none, thus using up the battery even faster. I've never had my phone go dead on me using this practice. When I get to a high place, I check for a signal and message, then turn it off. I can relate to Marta talking about it being an electronic bracelet. If you're talking on your cell phone every other day or more, that's too much. Stash it at the bottom of your pack and forget about it.
d'shadow
01-26-2008, 14:51
verizon is a great company, and I can usually get a signal or text message in higher places. Rangers are very responsive to any kind of emergency.
Make sure your family knows what kind of equipment you carry. Many people will remember what kind of backpack you have, what color it is, what type of stove, etc. Really, during the season, someone is always around, day hikers, thruhikers, rangers, bears, Oh:eek: did I say something?:p
Patrickjd9
01-28-2008, 22:11
It's been hinted at here, but I'll post this anyhow. Make sure you turn your cell phone off when not in use in the mountains. Your phone will automatically search for a signal when there is none, thus using up the battery even faster.
I'll second this.
Keeping the phone off most of the time also keeps you from getting calls that are just plain annoying and out of spirit with the trail. Mostly a problem for section and weekend hikers--I've had my boss call while I was hiking in SNP.
Oh my god, absolutely don't take a cell phone. You want to get in touch with your family every day? Text your dad? No, dude. Hiking the AT with a cell phone is like paying $100 bucks to see a broadway musical and sitting there the whole time with an iPod on.
Take some carrier pigeons. ;)
naw....cause you'd have to feed them. Take some balloons and a tank of helium on a dolly. Then, put messages in the balloons and blow them up and let them go..... :eek:
Oh my god, absolutely don't take a cell phone. You want to get in touch with your family every day? Text your dad? No, dude. Hiking the AT with a cell phone is like paying $100 bucks to see a broadway musical and sitting there the whole time with an iPod on.
I really don't want to take a cell phone. After a discussion with my family, they were pretty insistent that I take one for emergencies. So, if by me taking a cell phone they feel a little more comfortable, then I will carry a cell phone.
On a similar note, I have recieved some very sound advice from people here who took my question seriously, but also some feel that the original question was silly, and I have no hard feelings. So here is some background info that may put this in perspective. In 2002 my mother passed away. On her last day, my Dad tried to get ahold of me, and for some unknown reason the ringer on the phone was turned off. My uncle was sent forty minutes to my house to tell me that I needed to be at my parents house. This happened at home where I could be easily located. If I were 500 miles from home and in the woods, it may be a bit harder to get ahold of me. Now, about a week ago, I was talking to my Dad and he asked how he could locate me in the event of an emergency. I told him that I wold find out, so I started this thread and emailed the link to him. So far my family has only requested two things in regards to my hike. 1. That I carry a cell phone. 2. That I give them information to contact me in the event of an emergency. I feel that it would be rude, irresponsible and disrespectful for me not to honor these two small requests. Thank you to everyone who provided information to me and my family.
OSUBCS#1:
I understand; don't take my post that seriously, I'm 90% kidding. It's easier for me to say that because my whole family is in good health, thank god.
DawnTreader
01-29-2008, 13:57
Cluered is right on......town stops every 3 0r 4 days for most... no need for a phone every day.. Unless you've got ALOT going on at home before you leave for your trip, It kinda seems like a downer (for me anyway,) to worry about high spots every day to check your voicemail incase of emergency.. Every day you check your voicemail praying that there is no emergency for that particular day?? seriously???
That said, I did take a phone on a group section hike once.. It was a satalite phone and it came in handy for an emergency (no pick up)..
OSUBCS#1:
I understand; don't take my post that seriously, I'm 90% kidding. It's easier for me to say that because my whole family is in good health, thank god.
I'm not salty or anything, I actually agree with you about phones, but in reality I will have one anyway. I was just giving a little background info so people could see where I was coming from.
I'm taking a cell as my wife asked me to.
I'm planning to be away from home on a 6 week vacation doing something I love. She'll be here working.
I think it's the least I can do. I've told her not to expect a call but I'll text her every so often so she knows where I am and can follow along on her map.
Our (my) goal is to get to Damascus about the same time she begins her summer break. She'll drive over, pick me up and take me to the coast for another vacation.
Does it get any better?
TWS
Bob Anderson
01-29-2008, 21:09
Use a cell phone - turn it on once a day and check VM. My guess is that anyone who thinks other ways are more efficient has not done any long distance hiking.
Important reminder: you will learn more after a few weeks on trail than all your training and research combined.
Wise Old Owl
01-29-2008, 21:16
This was posted in an earlier thread and I found it valuable, some of you might have missed it, The system is up and running and I know my family will use it. Kudos for all that posted here, very good advice
http://trailphone.net/
d'shadow
01-31-2008, 14:45
You do whatever you need to do for yourself and keep your family happy.
"Hike your own hike" Nothing wrong with taking a phone, and most of us keep it off, but, handy for emergencies, and they do happen from time to time. As a friend of mine says, "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have." Let your family know that there are many people on the trail in season, thruhikers, day hikers, boy scouts, clubs, rangers...enjoy the journey.