View Full Version : Being found in case of emergency?
My father is 75 years old and has named me as his health proxy and I have legal POA in case if incapacitation. He has valid concerns about my brothers and sisters being able to reach me in case something awful happens.
How reliable are cell phone signals (hate the idea of taking one but, what can you do?) and other methods of reaching someone out on the trail? Assuming I call them once a week or so to let them know where I am and where I expect to be?
max patch
11-12-2010, 19:16
The obvious answer is to grant said power to one of your siblings.
handlebar
11-12-2010, 19:38
I found that AT&T was very poor relative to Verizon. YMMV.
Appointing alternate health care proxy and POA for period of your visit seems a good solution. However, should something awful happen wouldn't you want to know about it? Although the message might be delayed, a voice mail on your cell phone line and/or email might serve that purpose. You can check email when you're in town and whenever you get to a mountaintop you can check for cell phone signal.
Also, frequently a text message will go thru when you can't make an ordinary cell phone call.
Blissful
11-12-2010, 19:44
The obvious answer is to grant said power to one of your siblings.
Seems logical to me if there is a real concern about this.
Verizon worked very good for me on the trail
Rain Man
11-12-2010, 20:05
I find cell phone service so poor that I keep my cell phone turned off to avoid running the battery down as it constantly searches for service. I only turn it on specifically to make calls.
I agree on giving someone else a POA in your absence. An alternative is to take a true satellite phone.
Of course, there is no assurance that any medical personnel or facility would take your telephone instructions anyway.
Rain:sunMan
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garlic08
11-12-2010, 20:32
Keep in touch as often as you can in town (they're pretty frequent) and change your immediate plans accordingly. People traveled remotely long before there were cell phones.
My parents are still alive and missing something happening to them is one of my greatest fears at the start of every trip. Last year on the AZT I happened to glance back at plywood message board as I hiked past a remote trailhead in the middle of the Coconino NF and saw my name printed on a manila folder, with a message to come to the NF office. I had to go there anyway since it had the only water in about 30 miles. There I found out my mother had taken very ill. My sister sent out the troops to locate me, and it worked. No cell service up there anyway. They can find you if they need to.
For a variety of reasons, granting POA and healthcare proxy to a sibling is not an option.
mweinstone
11-13-2010, 04:44
the network of hikers is in fact supported by human brains. much better that cells. humans walk and run well. cells dont. lets say your dead. and off trail . and grampos is worried. pops. whatever. no prob. when your found, we will call with our phones and a whole network of hikers will reach your peeps faster than a speeding hiker. cause calls are fast. and the word of a lost or dead hiker spreads fast. no worrys here. we are your com link. welcome. would you like to play a game?
oh, and if you use a uridium sat link phone you can call him and tell him you need help but he dosnt know how we know how to help. see , we flood the mountain looking for you whilst he can only worry and call silly numbers. numbers are needed for going to the moon. but not to hike to maine.
You could always get one of the Spot Messengers. My mom wants me to carry it to track me. I want to carry it to have a link where people can track my progress and I can have a record of where I went.
Rainman has an excellent point - it would be a good idea to see if you can even give directives via telephone.
northernstorm
11-13-2010, 09:57
save the phone calls for the towns mate. i use the spot satellite personal tracker. its 100 bucks and service isnt exactly cheap either. i paid 180 for a years service. however i did include a few extra features. you can get the 6 month plan for around 50 i think. i have field tested it it shelters, ravines, rainy weather, etc. it sent my messages everytime. you can have 10 people in your contacts when you send the "i'm ok" message. they all receive it in their email. and last but not least, if something bad happens to you, there is a 911 beacon on it that will send your exact coordinates to local search and rescue. it does not have topo maps or any of that fancy crap. its just a gps beacon that takes care of your immediate necessities.
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101
hopefully this gives you another idea.
They can find you if they need to.
Quite true. The Vermont State Police once tracked me down on the Green Mountain National Forest to notify me of a death in my family.
robmurphy
11-13-2010, 18:20
Satellite phones have come down in price and weight and that's the only reliable way to address your situation. They're available for rent. Check out globalcomsatphone.com or just search on satellite phone rental. You can manage battery life by calling in a few times a day and just keeping it off otherwise. Of course, you still might find yourself a few days from the nearest road.
Mongoose2
11-13-2010, 20:34
I have Sprint and have had good luck with coverage from Georgia to Damascus. There of course have been areas with spotty coverage. Some people claim Verizon is better. Rain man is correct, you should leave the cell phone "off" when not being used as the roaming function will suck the battery dry.
I like the SAT phone idea. Thanks folks.
Old Grouse
11-14-2010, 11:44
This can certainly be a problem, since in an emergency the person with the health care proxy or POA may be called upon to act at once, and often in person. Being located is obviously the first step, but may not be sufficient. I'd say that if it's possible to consult your father, perhaps you and he can settle on someone else to also have POA, etc.
Being notified of a death is naturally important, but not as regards a power of attorney or health care proxy, since both terminate with the demise of the principal.
So if your dad has some kind of sudden illness or accident you are the one who gets to decide whether to pull the plug or whatever, right?
Let's say you weren't out hiking but instead you were flying in a plane to Europe or god forbid, China for a business trip. Would this be all that much different? Wouldn't you still be beyond reach for about a day and unable to be at the hospital to make those decisions for at least 24-36 hours? I would say that's not that much different from being on the trail. Nobody would bat an eye if you took a business trip so they should just put the trail into perspective here.
When I hiked the PCT it was possible to get off the trail and back to civilization in 24 hours or less most days. From what I've heard, the AT is even closer to civilization than the PCT. I wouldn't worry too much about this issue.
The obvious answer is to grant said power to one of your siblings.
For a variety of reasons, granting POA and healthcare proxy to a sibling is not an option.
Rainman has an excellent point - it would be a good idea to see if you can even give directives via telephone.
You do need to address this issue. For various reasons, even minor ones, a signature may be required.
The poa I am familiar with has two named individuals. One is secondary.
TheYoungOne
11-16-2010, 16:56
Seems logical to me if there is a real concern about this.
Verizon worked very good for me on the trail
Ditto with me. I have a wife and two young kids, and fortunately/unfortunately I have had no problems getting a signal anywhere along the AT in PA.
Carry a cell phone and maybe a crank or solar charge as a backup.
beakerman
11-16-2010, 17:35
....Let's say you weren't out hiking but instead you were flying in a plane to Europe or god forbid, China for a business trip. Would this be all that much different? Wouldn't you still be beyond reach for about a day and unable to be at the hospital to make those decisions for at least 24-36 hours? I would say that's not that much different from being on the trail. Nobody would bat an eye if you took a business trip so they should just put the trail into perspective here....
I would think the fundimental difference is the shear length of time involved and the likelihood of an unfortunate event actually happening.
A trip to China is two weeks maybe a month on the outside but a through hike is a six month endevour. That is a significant difference in the odds. To give an example of this predicting Pittsburgh will win this weekend is significantly different than predicting they will win every game this year. While the former is somewhat likely the later has a very high probablity of failure.
You are right though nobody would bat an eye over a short trip but an extended trip could be an issue.
I would talk it over and find someone outside the family to handle this during my absence. Failing that and depending on how dire the health ofthe individual is I would hold off and then do the hike in memorial to him. Especially if he enjoyed that sort of thing himself...but that's just me.
I hike with a group and what we do is assign one person to activate their cell phone each day. Me one day. Another person the next day and so on. We give our families the cell contact list and approximate camping areas and towns. We all have the potential for family emergencies and this system works for us. If there is a serious emergency,I think rangers and trail people would be pretty helpful. As bad as cell service was,our system worked.
In the days before cell phones, I just provided a trip iteniary when I traveled overseas for extended periods.
Think about a power of attorney to someone else on your trip if it is an issue. If not a family member, then an attorney who specializes in guardianship issues.
Jayboflavin04
11-17-2010, 07:59
be it a valid discussion....Is your father even in poor health? If not make the arrangements and stick to em...and enjoy your hike.
Appalachian Tater
11-17-2010, 08:34
Someone else needs to be a health care proxy while you are gone, even if it is not a relative. Sometimes a decision needs to be made promptly.
He can give written, specific instructions in the form of advance directives. All the information can be on file at the local hospital and with the primary health care provider.
Most anything requiring POA could wait a few days.