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View Full Version : Is Spot Satellite Messenger Necessary/Recommended for Solitary CT Hike???



q-tip
04-27-2012, 19:41
I am hiking the CT from July 4-Aug. 15. I am going alone, and have fairly extensive experience Alpine Climbing, Mountain Trekking and long distance backpacking. Is it worth carrying the Spot Satellite Messenger on the trip---how much trouble can I get in given all of my equipment is top of the line,lightweight and very safe????????

Wise Old Owl
04-27-2012, 20:10
Well lets take an examination to best answer your question - do you have relatives you want to contact?

Connecticut's cell phone coverage according to some old cell maps is still spotty. But, spending is going forward to fill in the blanks... its up to you... Spot is the least expense to solving the information barrier. There is a lot of stuff on the internet - insurance and service you should review prior to purchase.

q-tip
04-27-2012, 20:12
Sorry for the confusion-I mean the COLORADO TRAIL--OOOPPPSSS...

Shutterbug
04-27-2012, 22:17
I am hiking the CT from July 4-Aug. 15. I am going alone, and have fairly extensive experience Alpine Climbing, Mountain Trekking and long distance backpacking. Is it worth carrying the Spot Satellite Messenger on the trip---how much trouble can I get in given all of my equipment is top of the line,lightweight and very safe????????

You probably won't need it, but when I hiked the CT, I would have used the SPOT if I had one. A kidney stone started moving. It was the most painful experience of my life. I hiked three days without seeing another person. During that three days, there were several places someone could have reached me if I had a way to call them. After three days, I finaly reached a road where I flagged down a car to take me to a place where I could get help. It took surgery to remove the stone.

I now carry the SPOT version that allows me to send text messages. I have not used it for emergency situations, but it gives my loved ones piece of mind, knowing that I can get help if I need it.

Kerosene
04-28-2012, 09:11
If you feel that the additional "insurance" is needed, then I'd seriously look at a SPOT device, but only for emergency messaging, and even then you have to realize that there are situations where it may not work. I would avoid using for regular status reporting to friends and family, in that any missed status message can dramatically increase anxiety and even trigger a search. You might use it to check in periodically just to let people know where you are, but they shouldn't expect to see a message every night or from designated points. I wouldn't use it for their peace-of-mind as much as to inform someone of your last known location.

Finally, if you do decide to go this route, make sure that you clearly understand how to use the device in different conditions before you head out. It still sounds as if a number of users don't really know how to use the device for even basic status messaging. In addition, remember that the device doesn't do you much good if you wander away from camp without it and encounter an emergency situation.

Wise Old Owl
04-28-2012, 09:34
I misread it - but looks like you have your answer.

StubbleJumper
04-28-2012, 09:42
I am hiking the CT from July 4-Aug. 15. I am going alone, and have fairly extensive experience Alpine Climbing, Mountain Trekking and long distance backpacking. Is it worth carrying the Spot Satellite Messenger on the trip---how much trouble can I get in given all of my equipment is top of the line,lightweight and very safe????????

Personally, I didn't find that there was much trouble that I could get into where a Spot would help. I had a few nervous experiences with lightning storms, an encounter with some aggressive sheep dogs, and ended up swimming across a rapidly flowing creek instead of fording it when I took the Hope Pass alternate. But, a Spot would not have really helped for any of those situations.

If you are worried about being injured and immobile on the trail, IMO it's not that much of an issue. If you are right on the trail, just sit tight and eventually another hiker will come by and either help you or summon help at the next trail head. The CT is not exactly deserted, so you can expect other hikers within a matter of hours. As long as you are able to set up a tent and get into your sleeping bag while you wait, help will eventually arrive.

The bigger issue is that families worry far more than they probably should. I told my wife that I would periodically send her a text message when I had service, but that she shouldn't panic if I go offline for 3 or 4 days in a row because cell-service is spotty in the south. In most cases, I sent her a quick text once per day...and I missed only a couple of days north of Salida. South of Salida, I missed several days due to lack of service. This worked pretty well for us, but she was certainly happy when I finally sent her a note from Silverton....

If your wife is a bit of a worry-wart and absolutely needs a message every day, then the Spot is a great option.

bfayer
04-28-2012, 17:10
I don't carry the Spot for me, I carry it for my wife. If if was just about a safety net for me, I would get an actual PLB like the ARC resQlink. No monthly or annual fees and a much better tool for getting found in an emergency.

Being able to send notes home keeps the wife happy when I am out with the kids. I am looking at upgrading to the DeLorme inReach so my wife can text me back.

Highway Man
04-28-2012, 22:17
I am hiking the CT from July 4-Aug. 15. I am going alone, and have fairly extensive experience Alpine Climbing, Mountain Trekking and long distance backpacking. Is it worth carrying the Spot Satellite Messenger on the trip---how much trouble can I get in given all of my equipment is top of the line,lightweight and very safe????????

I didn't have any maps with me when thru hiked CT in 2010. The trail is well marked and treaded. I never had any navigational problems except a few times I made bad decisions to go astray, but soon realized, or corrected it, never wondered too far off the trail. The chance to get injured is pretty minimal as long as you pay attention to the weather, mostly the early afternoon thunder storms. In that case, you can either wait under the tree lines, or get down from the ridge quickly. I met brownish black bears at two different ocassions. They just ran away as they saw me. So basically, hiking CT is very safe. I don't recall I had low temperatures below the freezing point till late August and early September. A 20F sleeping bag will be sufficient. You may want to bring a down sweater or so with you while doing some camp chores.

q-tip
04-29-2012, 17:14
thanks to all--I will pass on the Spot and I considered a GPS, but will pass again. My pack weight is around 14 lbs without Food-water, it just starts to creep up the closed I get to the trip. Testing all of my Colorado gear this week in a 5-day training hike at Bear Mtn. NY. This should get me finalized and ready.

Thanks Again...

jbsbestfan
04-29-2012, 20:34
FWIW....I agree with bfayer....I carry the spot part for safety and part for entertainment for the rest of my family. (My wife knows I am hiking instead of hooking up in Argentina with soome hot latin woman, like my former Governor). I have thought about switching so I could send more detailed messages, but probably won't. About 90% of our signals went thru on sections 20-21 of the CT last year....I had a little bit less luck on my AT section hikes.

Cookerhiker
04-29-2012, 20:52
I didn't have any maps with me when thru hiked CT in 2010. The trail is well marked and treaded. I never had any navigational problems except a few times I made bad decisions to go astray, but soon realized, or corrected it, never wondered too far off the trail. The chance to get injured is pretty minimal as long as you pay attention to the weather, mostly the early afternoon thunder storms. In that case, you can either wait under the tree lines, or get down from the ridge quickly. I met brownish black bears at two different ocassions. They just ran away as they saw me. So basically, hiking CT is very safe. I don't recall I had low temperatures below the freezing point till late August and early September. A 20F sleeping bag will be sufficient. You may want to bring a down sweater or so with you while doing some camp chores.

+1 to this - very similar to my perspective from the 2011 thruhike.

Busker
05-07-2012, 13:23
Hi,
I am diabetic and walk by myself. I have never had a problem but the last couple of years I have taken to carrying a Personal Location Beacon as its very light (just a bit heavier than a mobile phone) and its fairly cheap - you just pull a lever and out pops an antenna and hey presto help arrives. It has its own battery which lasts for 5 years so no maintenance at all.
Not the same as calling on a phone I know (which I have as well) but a good backup if things really go wrong.

SunnyWalker
05-07-2012, 22:04
IMO, if you are hiking alone, on CT a Spot device would be a mature decision. You are taking care of yourself should the unforseen happen. Will it happen? That's the question. Probably not, however everyone who has got hurt did not think it would be them.

Busker
05-08-2012, 03:56
A PLB is the number one choice for an emergency as it transmits directly to a satellite and has no charging problems - my one also transmits my position. I had a quick look at Spot (having never hearing of it before) but I could not gleam enough information about how it works and what the reliability is.
So no doubt about it in my mind that the choice has to be a tried and tested system thats 100% reliable in every situation.

kgottshalk
05-08-2012, 06:29
I carried a Spot and hiked alone about half of my hike. I pressed the OK button every morning, usually at lunch, and always when we set up camp. As far as I know all of my check in's went through. I usually just punched the button and left it on for a while. My family loved knowing I was OK. An added bonus is that all of your check in's can show up on a map on Postholer.com if you have a journal there and people can follow your progress there. When I first got my Spot I set it up to send a message to my cell phone, so when I hiked locally I knew if my message went through and what conditions worked best. Karl

bearcreek
05-08-2012, 10:03
We carried a Spot in tracking mode on our CDT hike. It worked most of the time, but it was not 100%. It may be a good idea for a solo hiker, but the CT is not nearly as solo as you might imagine. People do not see a lot of others because 95% of the trail users are traveling in the same direction. (Southbound) The last time I thru hiked was in 2007 and did it northbound. We saw people every day, usually quite a few of them. Considering that traffic is higher now than it was five years ago, I would think that in an emergency one could set up camp on the trail and help would be there fairly soon.

RichardD
05-13-2012, 15:22
I use the SPOT on all of my hikes, not for my own benefit but to keep family happy knowing where I am and that I am OK, its primarily for those at home. Of course should you ever have a true emergency it likely would be invaluable.
Folks at home need to know that sometimes the "I'm here and OK" message might not get through but if they know an SOS would get through they should not worry too much.
Also I find it to be a contented reassuring feeling when the message sends when I am alone on a mountain in the wilderness, knowing that my wife and family know where I am.