zen and technology on the trail.

[hikerboy57]

this isnt a criticism of people who rely on technology on the trail, i just want to express my own feelings and invite discussion.

i carry a phone with me. it is almost always turned off . many times it doesnt get a signal anyway,so i can usually wait until i can get into town.i have been backpacking since the middle seventies,have hiked thousands of miles on hundreds of trails, including about half of the at as a section hiker. up until a few years ago, i never carried a phone at all, and never felt i should have brought one.ive taken trips without a camera as well, and some of those trips were my most memorable.for me, personally, the need to stay connected would keep me from the most intimate moments the forest can give me.you cant look for the easy way out evry time it rains, snows or gets cold, and call for a shuttle at the next trailhead. the more you stay out in it, the more you know"i can do this" even when you wake up to your third or fourth consecutive day of rain, that you've done it before and it really wasnt that bad.

when you hike solo, within the first few miles, you get into a steady rhythm ,walking and breathing, and just as in meditation, your thoughts begin to fall away, and you are just walking, just being experiencing directly your environment.as you continue to put on miles, you experience an endorphin rush,"runners high" from the physical exertion of climbing up and down hills with a pack on your back.between runners high and rythmic breathing, yuo get into a zen state of being totally in the present moment.there have been many trips i didnt even bring a camera, wanting to just have the experience and keep it stored in my own memory, rather than stop every time i saw a "good shot".when you're mind stops thinking, you have some very personal moments, maybe observing a hummingbird feeding, or a broad wing hawk circling, or seeing a bald eagle soar, all without putting words to it, without affixing the label "eagle soaring". just being, just experiencing that moment.

im not saying you cant have these moments and still keep a trail journal, or read a kindle, or surf the web, or use your phone.hey hyoh, like they say, but i do feel there are some who are missing out.with their heads buried in their phones, paying no attention to all the miracles occurring all around them. i feel those that do become so reliant to use the phone as a tool to make the trail somehow easier are missing the point.its acceptance that the trail is what it is, you cant change it, you cant change the weather, you can only change your attitude as to how you deal with it. sometimes its right to cut and run, sometimes its better to fight through the suck and look back and say, wow, that was cool.
but one of the things that keeps me coming back to the trail is the ability to shut it all off, and just be here now.

how do you see technology fit into your trip and your experience?

[Hill Ape]

Headlamp and camera, nothing else with a battery for. I carried a shuffle for awhile.

[Rasty]

Very limited use

One phone call per day if I have a signal to the wife. Kindle app for 20 minutes before sleeping unless Hikerboy reads me a bedtime story. :)

[Malto]

I will always have a phone for various purposes. The one use that I have mixed emotions about is listening to music. I often do because it really gets me into a nice rythem. On the other hand I miss out on one of the senses. The compromise I made was to limit headphones to times that aren't as "noisy" and go back in nature mode in the early morning and evening.

On my thru hike I did keep a journal on postholer. I would attempt to download the entries if I had cell reception but I rarely would surf the net or talk to anyone other than my wife every few days. To me this seemed like a technogolical invasion. While I am very thankful that I have a well document thru hike, I'm not sure that I will when I do another thru.

[hikerboy57]

I will always have a phone for various purposes. The one use that I have mixed emotions about is listening to music. I often do because it really gets me into a nice rythem. On the other hand I miss out on one of the senses. The compromise I made was to limit headphones to times that aren't as "noisy" and go back in nature mode in the early morning and evening.

On my thru hike I did keep a journal on postholer. I would attempt to download the entries if I had cell reception but I rarely would surf the net or talk to anyone other than my wife every few days. To me this seemed like a technogolical invasion. While I am very thankful that I have a well document thru hike, I'm not sure that I will when I do another thru.
thats kinda whats happened to me with the camera. on a lot of my hikes i just leave it now.i just want the experience.

[Dogwood]

I understand what you said, share your perspective, hike much the same way, and for the same reasons you do Hikerboy. It may be hard for some but just having technology on the trail doesn't necessarily mean you(I) have to let it dominate or intrude on your(my) hike from a personally carrying it perspective. Now, what technology other's carry and do with it definitely can affect another hiker's experience. I try to be mindful of that if and when I carry a cell ph, Mp3 player, and/or small digital camera on trail, and when or if I'm using these devices. I'm finding it more and more to my liking though to not carry a camera. I figure I really can't fully express what I'm experiencing by trying to share it with others when I take photos anyhow. It's more for myself. On my last hike my camera was stolen from my backpack when I was resupplying at a grocery store anyhow. I thought that would drastically negatively impact the rest of that hike but I quickly found it helped in some ways. On my last 500 mile hike I used my TracPhone 3-4 times all when getting off/back onto the trail. My mp3 player music in many ways is not a distraction though as I think it helps me hike at times(in the rain and heat, when it's buggy, going steeply up hill, on cruise control going downhill or when on flatter terrain, etc). When I think it detracts from the hike, like when I'm at a stream, waterfall, I spot wildlife, I stop at an overlook, I hear birds singing, I'm doing cloud surveys, etc I turn it off. I'm really NOT into staying within myself when I hike. If, for a moment, I think technology is detracting from the hiking experience it gets put away pronto. I feel many hikers, perhaps even myself at times, having technology can ABSOLUTELY detract from connecting with nature, ourselves, others, etc REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT EACH WANTS TO ADMIT IT TO OURSELVES though. That can be telling in itself. People are sometimes not into being honest with themselves when it comes to what we're possibly addicted to. It's easier to get defensive, explain away, justify, rationalize, and pt fingers at others rather than being honest with ourselves and getting sober. IMHO technology and electronics can definitely be addictive. Often we aren't aware of it to the chagrin of the technological and electronics drug dealers.

[hikerboy57]

dogwood a lot of this holds true off the trail as well as on it.i see couples at dinner tables,typing instead of enjoying each others company. i see people whos lives are controlled by their devices. theres nothing wrong with all these tools, they are tools, though. they have their place.many kids today have never known another way to live than being wired 24/7. i would just like to suggest that leaving the toys at home for a while can be extremely liberating.
and when i get bored i talk to myself. as evidenced by over 10000 posts here in just over 3 years, i have a lot to say.
and im a good listener

[MuddyWaters]

I carry a dumb phone, might use it to send a text at night to family if I can get a signal, if not no big deal.
14 days this summer in the mountains, 100% charge when I came out.

I also carry a camera, I take very few pics. A single battery charge in it will last me a couple weeks.

I have carried a small MP3 player(sansa clip) a few times. When it can get a FM station, its good for picking up weather forecast from a nearby station. Much of the time, not much reception.

I dont really care what anyone else brings. On the trail or not, I think too many people are addicted to having their stupid toy in their hand every waking minute today.

[Old Boots]

I'm with you HB. Part of the joy of being in the wilderness is getting in touch with and celebrating the primitive side of me.

[hikerboy57]

im hoping the primitive side is facing away from me

[shelterbuilder]

I, too, carry a cell phone, but it's turned off most of the day. It's mostly a concession to my wife (in the aftermath of vocal cord cancer that robbed me of my voice). We can text each other several times a day, and she is lots less worried about me going out "alone in the big, bad woods"!:) But HB is right when he talks about the Zen of hiking - the rhythm of breathing, walking, being "in the moment", the music of the wind in the trees, the birds, water racing downhill. The phone, the camera, and the flashlight are the only "powered" intrusions that I allow.

[Theosus]

I keep my phone in its ziplock bag in my packs dome, turned off. I do keep a camera clipped to my shoulder strap, and love to take pictures, but I don't rush to get them posted at night or anything, that can wait until I'm back. My other toy is a GPS, because I Geocache while I hike. Some of my fellow hikers don't understand my sudden need to "pee" 120 feet west of the trail, at the base of the multi-trunked tree, but they put up with me.
And to the "your phone will do all that!" crowd... I've yet to see a phone that will last for two days in navigation mode without a battery change, or a phone camera with a real (optical, not digital) zoom. Plus, I'd rather dunk my $150 camera in the creek than my phone. The gps? Meh, it's waterproof, as two days in the pouring rain proved.

[Feral Bill]

As to electronic technology, I carry a watch and a camera. Neither needs to be electronic, but they are, and they suit me.

[Wise Old Owl]

Hb they are tools - some carry a screwdriver others have a battery operated multi tool... its your choice... no need for justification or understanding.. There are a few here who will continue to rub two sticks together to start a fire and use smoke signals to communicate.

[hikerboy57]

Hb they are tools - some carry a screwdriver others have a battery operated multi tool... its your choice... no need for justification or understanding.. There are a few here who will continue to rub two sticks together to start a fire and use smoke signals to communicate.
of course they are tools, thats my point.
do your tools take away from the direct experience i described?do you feel they accentuate your experience?how frequently do you use your devices on the trail?

[tiptoe]

I carried a "stupid" cell phone hiking for the first time last spring, a concession to family worries about a broken ankle two years ago. It was off mostly, and I texted my probable evening location when I had service. I do carry a camera, but use it sparingly. Hikerboy57, I share your feelings about electronic devices. Hiking is a wonderful opportunity to be "in the moment, and I treasure the opportunity to focus without distractions.

[Old Hiker]

"when you hike solo, within the first few miles, you get into a steady rhythm ,walking and breathing, and just as in meditation, your thoughts begin to fall away, and you are just walking, just being experiencing directly your environment.as you continue to put on miles, you experience an endorphin rush,"runners high" from the physical exertion of climbing up and down hills with a pack on your back.between runners high and rhythmic breathing, you get into a zen state of being totally in the present moment."

And then someone behind you says, "Hi." You suddenly find you CAN jump 3 feet with 45 pounds on your back.

Cell phone is turned off until contact time. Camera is a true blessing - 2-8 gig cards, never filled up. I can look back through the photos and suddenly remember the area, the smells, the sights, sounds, feel of the place(s) I was at. My memory is such that I can't really recall things unless prompted. I take pills, but they don't work. I think I forget to take them, not sure.

I'm thinking of some sort of music next time. I have over 400 songs in a constantly added to list to record. Everything from "25 or 6 to 4 " to "Youth gone wild ". Alphabetically, of course.

I like looking at other people's videos and photos as well. I like seeing the places I missed or got another angle of.

[garlic08]

I met a guy on the Wonderland Trail with a camera in his hands, exclaiming, "Good--my battery just died. Now I can enjoy the hike." That was a curious sentiment, one I agree with because I don't carry a camera.

I met one bicycle tourist who was blogging so intensively he felt he had a find a motel with internet every night to stay in touch with his "audience". I looked up his blog at the end of my trip and it was horrible--poorly written, poorly spelled, mediocre photos. His "hit count" was fairly low, too, compared to others on the same trip (including mine, with no photos and bi-weekly updates from public libraries.

Good point above about tools--not everyone uses tools to their capacity. You don't give a power saw to a child.

I feel pretty good about not carrying any chargers or spare batteries when I travel. My watch and headlamp have batteries, but they last years and I can wait until the next town to replace batteries if needed.

And one of the greatest joys in backcountry travel, for me, is getting away from the #$%@ phone!

[Mags]

re: Camera

At least for me, I find much enjoyment in the results of schlepping my camera on trips. I love photography as a hobby, and taking photos enhances my trips. I love composing the photo in such a way that it captures how I felt when I took the photo at that particular time.

Speaking of which, I'll be schlepping the DSLR on the Uintas trip so Garlic won't have to. ;)

(Being serious, Garlic, myself and another friend are going to be on a trip together for about a week. Should be awesome!)

[Wise Old Owl]

of course they are tools, thats my point.
do your tools take away from the direct experience i described?do you feel they accentuate your experience?how frequently do you use your devices on the trail?


Kind of an odd discussion when I am sitting here with my fiber optic steroidal Computer and TV.



I will say that my 4 ounce phone/gps/planetarium/backup flashlight/newspaper/bad weather app/police/fire scanner/Kindle books/music player/radio/notepad/audio recorder/sunset finder/Camera/ enhances the UL experiences..

In the books there is bird identification and other books on the trail, when there is down time.... Don't need a signal for most of that... just the phone...

[hikerboy57]

Kind of an odd discussion when I am sitting here with my fiber optic steroidal Computer and TV.



I will say that my 4 ounce phone/gps/planetarium/backup flashlight/newspaper/bad weather app/police/fire scanner/Kindle books/music player/radio/notepad/audio recorder/sunset finder/Camera/ enhances the UL experiences.
yes, but can it core a apple?


i like to practice non-identifying things. not putting names and labels on things i observe, but simply observe.i do enjoy reading the shelter registers, and ill read my guide to see whats up ahead,side trails, etc. but otherwise i enjoy being way from it. i love to play the guitar, but would never bring one on the trail. i had a few opportunities to play while i was out this spring and they were special to me,mainly because i had been away from it.

[hikerboy57]

one of the highlights of my spring trip was slackpacking 20 miles back to erwin over unaka mtn, and coming to beauty spot. iwas hiking with homebrew and starfail and it was a spectacular crisp morning. we got to beauty spot around 1 in the afternoon and we've got a 360 view of nothing but mountains all around us.i started to sing "the hills are alive with the sound of music",we laughed and starfail pulled out her iphone and played the original.it was one of the most special joyous moments of my trip. we sat around with pepe listening to beatles and just enjoying life!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap6kSV_U45o


http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/8/4/8/1/dscn0735_original.jpg

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/2/8/4/8/1/dscn0738_original.jpg

[Another Kevin]

i like to practice non-identifying things. not putting names and labels on things i observe, but simply observe.i do enjoy reading the shelter registers, and ill read my guide to see whats up ahead,side trails, etc. but otherwise i enjoy being way from it.

That's where we part ways, I think. I bring my smartphone, not so much as a communication device (it's in airplane mode all the time anyway), but because I can use it as a reference to see what something is. I like identifying things, and learning their stories and how they connect. At a view of mountains, I will likely pull out the phone and start up Peakfinder, because I like to know which mountains they are, and whether I have climbed them (or might be about to). I might pull out a bird or wildflower information key, or fire up my GPS, or even just launch a note-taking app. Because, like you, I go out to see, but I have a deep need to try to understand what I'm seeing - a need that, apparently, you don't feel.

I don't think that destroys the increased awareness that being out brings. For me, it underscores it. For a butterfly to land on me, that's cool. Knowing that he's a male, doing the butterfly equivalent of shopping for a box of chocolates, a dozen roses and a bottle of wine, that's even cooler. But how would I have known that, if my daughter hadn't pulled out her phone and snagged a picture, and if we then hadn't identified the species and read up on its behaviour? (OK, we did that after we got back to the car and into a good 3G signal...)

And I try not to mess with the electronics in front of others. I know it offends some. It puzzles me, but I respect it.

[hikerboy57]

there have been numerous times where ive seen a bird for the first time, and my first thought would be i dont know what its called. my next thought was always,"doesnt matter, its cool.",smile and sometimes try to look it up when i get home.still not sure what pterodactyl i saw in the gunks that day.too big for a turkey vulture.i'll always wonder.

[Rasty]

there have been numerous times where ive seen a bird for the first time, and my first thought would be i dont know what its called. my next thought was always,"doesnt matter, its cool.",smile and sometimes try to look it up when i get home.still not sure what pterodactyl i saw in the gunks that day.too big for a turkey vulture.i'll always wonder.

Turkey Vultures are huge near my house.

[DandT40]

re: Camera

At least for me, I find much enjoyment in the results of schlepping my camera on trips. I love photography as a hobby, and taking photos enhances my trips. I love composing the photo in such a way that it captures how I felt when I took the photo at that particular time.

Same here. I actually started hiking/backpacking as a result of my photography hobby. Wanted to get to better locations, get more interesting shots, be out in the best light and it gradually just became natural to just backpack instead of hiking in and out everyday.

The technology itself is not the problem but rather how (often) people use it. I carry the camera all the time, but for the majority of time on the trail its tucked away waiting for a break in the trees or the next waterfall or the next peak - the same places everyone stops to take a break and enjoy. But it helps so much to look back on the pictures to remember the trips. I mostly hike with my kids too so it's great to see and remember them experiencing it all at a young age. But we were looking at pictures from a trip in March of this year and had forgotten some things! We have been on 4-5 trips since and it all kind of blends together after awhile. The pictures are a great way to bring those memories back and appreciate it all over again.

As far as the phone and internet - I carry a smartphone cause thats all I have but it stays off unless there is an emergency or if I want to video record something (I think that might have happened once in my life...). I too enjoy getting disconnected from it all and don't miss not being able to check in at all.

[hikerboy57]

i bring my own camera along more often than not,i agree its a great way to remember special moments, and in some ways it can increase your intimacy with your surroundings as you look for the right light, and frame a pic properly.
i have boxes of pictures that i hardly ever look at , and started leaving my camera home when i was going to hike in an area id already had crazy numbers of pictures of, and felt kind of liberating when i stopped thinking "what a great shot this would make."
last year i accidentally deleted all of my 150+ pictures the day before i left for home from my maine section hike. i was pretty upset for a while, as i had some beautiful shots of the 100 mile, katahdin and so forth, but i still have the memories of that trip, clear as day.
when im going to hike someplace ive never been , i take the camera.i agree its a great way to document a trip and relive some of the memories

[Lone Wolf-NJ]

I carry a camera because I like photography and memories. A phone to let my wife know I am on schedule. She occasionally picks me up at the end. I hate to see the I phones on the trail. However I like the wise old owls post regarding APPS. I am a birdwatcher, plant IDer and rock hound and on occasion would like a quick reference. The I phones allow this.

[Hot Flash]

If you don't want "technology on the trail" then I suggest that you leave behind all your modern, lightweight gear made of technologically advanced fabrics. I suggest that you leave behind your stove and cook only over an open fire. I suggest that you carry a tent made of canvas and wood. I suggest that you use animal furs for your sleeping gear. Leave behind your GPS and carry maps and a compass. Don't carry any food that is packaged in anything plastic or foil. I could go on and on.

The point is, all of us carry technology on the trail. There is no difference between carrying a cell phone than there is carrying anything else that I mentioned.

[hikerboy57]

If you don't want "technology on the trail" then I suggest that you leave behind all your modern, lightweight gear made of technologically advanced fabrics. I suggest that you leave behind your stove and cook only over an open fire. I suggest that you carry a tent made of canvas and wood. I suggest that you use animal furs for your sleeping gear. Leave behind your GPS and carry maps and a compass. Don't carry any food that is packaged in anything plastic or foil. I could go on and on.

The point is, all of us carry technology on the trail. There is no difference between carrying a cell phone than there is carrying anything else that I mentioned.huh? I think you missed the entire point of the thread. It's about having to be connected 24 /7. I've even given examples using technology on the trail myself. I am not anti technology I am against an obsessive need to stay connected all the time.

[Hot Flash]

huh? I think you missed the entire point of the thread. It's about having to be connected 24 /7. I've even given examples using technology on the trail myself. I am not anti technology I am against an obsessive need to stay connected all the time.

Whatever happened to "hike your own hike"?

You call carrying a phone an "obsessive need" to stay connected? If you don't like phones, don't carry one, but you have no business judging anyone who does carry one. You don't know why they have it.

Seriously, I won't criticize YOUR way of hiking if you give me the same courtesy. I carry "technology" not only because I enjoy music on the trail, but there are circumstances in my life that force me to have some way of contacting the world away from the trail.

[Symba]

this isnt a criticism of people who rely on technology on the trail, i just want to express my own feelings and invite discussion.

i carry a phone with me. it is almost always turned off . many times it doesnt get a signal anyway,so i can usually wait until i can get into town.i have been backpacking since the middle seventies,have hiked thousands of miles on hundreds of trails, including about half of the at as a section hiker. up until a few years ago, i never carried a phone at all, and never felt i should have brought one.ive taken trips without a camera as well, and some of those trips were my most memorable.for me, personally, the need to stay connected would keep me from the most intimate moments the forest can give me.you cant look for the easy way out evry time it rains, snows or gets cold, and call for a shuttle at the next trailhead. the more you stay out in it, the more you know"i can do this" even when you wake up to your third or fourth consecutive day of rain, that you've done it before and it really wasnt that bad.

when you hike solo, within the first few miles, you get into a steady rhythm ,walking and breathing, and just as in meditation, your thoughts begin to fall away, and you are just walking, just being experiencing directly your environment.as you continue to put on miles, you experience an endorphin rush,"runners high" from the physical exertion of climbing up and down hills with a pack on your back.between runners high and rythmic breathing, yuo get into a zen state of being totally in the present moment.there have been many trips i didnt even bring a camera, wanting to just have the experience and keep it stored in my own memory, rather than stop every time i saw a "good shot".when you're mind stops thinking, you have some very personal moments, maybe observing a hummingbird feeding, or a broad wing hawk circling, or seeing a bald eagle soar, all without putting words to it, without affixing the label "eagle soaring". just being, just experiencing that moment.

im not saying you cant have these moments and still keep a trail journal, or read a kindle, or surf the web, or use your phone.hey hyoh, like they say, but i do feel there are some who are missing out.with their heads buried in their phones, paying no attention to all the miracles occurring all around them. i feel those that do become so reliant to use the phone as a tool to make the trail somehow easier are missing the point.its acceptance that the trail is what it is, you cant change it, you cant change the weather, you can only change your attitude as to how you deal with it. sometimes its right to cut and run, sometimes its better to fight through the suck and look back and say, wow, that was cool.
but one of the things that keeps me coming back to the trail is the ability to shut it all off, and just be here now.

how do you see technology fit into your trip and your experience?

Great thread. I too keep my phone in my pack turned off unless needed; it is a safety thing that everyone should do. I do hate when I see people impeding on my own style (seen as: talking loud on phones, phone ringing until it goes into a different mode, someone at a summit chain smoking causing a cloud for me to walk thru, etc.) This happened to me yesterday, on the AT, near the culver's lake fire tower in NJ. At the trail head there was a couple fighting in a car, they used the lot as a private place to scream, halfway up the approach to the ridge on the AT I heard a baby crying, it got louder as I went higher up, there was a man with a newborn strapped to his chest and two young boys picking up rocks on the trail and throwing them. What to do? I waited in the parking lot until the fighting ended, ruined an hour of my day hike but the guy was punching the car and yelling, so I made sure the woman didn't get hurt. The baby crying? Well, as I passed them I smiled and the guy said he thought it was a good idea before, I said "Nature heals all things," I got a smile out of all of them. At the fire tower I got pissed off. It was a group of 14 NOBO hikers from the British Army Police on a ten day hike. One of them was chain smoking and throwing butts on the ground. I picked up the but, handed it to him, and told him to please be kind to our beautiful country. I hiked on to the Glen Anderson shelter and rested with my dog, my dog is always on a leash. Then, my peacefulness got interrupted, a group of SOBO hikers arrived. Whipped out their phones and started texting. Well, I see it like this, they are a generation that are addicted to the internet. It is as simple as that. They were born with the internet and instantaneous gratification from having it at their finger tips. Nothing can be done. Ignore it and move on. Does it bother me? Hell yeah it does. I said hello to one girl and she turned her back to me and continued her texting. I said hello to another, a guy, he looked at me like I was Satan interrupting his masturbation session. So, what do we do? Let it go. Hike on. I moved on. 23533

[hikerboy57]

Whatever happened to "hike your own hike"?

You call carrying a phone an "obsessive need" to stay connected? If you don't like phones, don't carry one, but you have no business judging anyone who does carry one. You don't know why they have it.

Seriously, I won't criticize YOUR way of hiking if you give me the same courtesy. I carry "technology" not only because I enjoy music on the trail, but there are circumstances in my life that force me to have some way of contacting the world away from the trail.
you really havent read the thread, have you?i carry a phone.i carry a camera most of the time. i even posted to whiteblaze from the trail this spring.and i listened to music on starfails iphone, if you're too lazy to read the whole thread.where did you come up with this stuff?all i did was express my feelings. i also asked for replies regarding how you feel your devices might even enhance your outdoor experience. if you want to carry a tv with dvr, i could care less.
i havent criticized anyones way of hiking, and dont know why you want to start an argument.you'll get none from me.

[Symba]

you really havent read the thread, have you?i carry a phone.i carry a camera most of the time. i even posted to whiteblaze from the trail this spring.and i listened to music on starfails iphone, if you're too lazy to read the whole thread.where did you come up with this stuff?all i did was express my feelings. i also asked for replies regarding how you feel your devices might even enhance your outdoor experience. if you want to carry a tv with dvr, i could care less.
i havent criticized anyones way of hiking, and dont know why you want to start an argument.you'll get none from me.

Treading on thin ice LOL, I wouldn't argue with someone who goes by Hot Flash :D From my experience with a few good friends.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Cablevision, the major Internet provider in southwestern Connecticut has had intermittent Internet outages today.

Apparently people are so panicked about not being able to screw around on the web that the Town of Fairfield's police department had to issue this reminder on their Facebook page:


Fairfield Police Department

NOTICE: We are receiving numerous 911 calls regarding the Cablevison outage. This is neither an emergency or a police related concern. Please direct your inquiries to Cablevision.

911 should only be called for Life Threatening Emergencies ONLY.

Incidents that are not of an emergency nature may be reported to the Fairfield Police Department at (203) 254-4800.

Misuse of the 911 system may result in an arrest.

[Hill Ape]

If the internet was down, what good would posting that notice on FB do?

[Sarcasm the elf]

If the internet was down, what good would posting that notice on FB do?

Folks still have their smartphones for emergencies, such as checking Facebook when wifi isn't working.

[hikerboy57]

maybe the fpd doesnt have a twitter account

[Dogwood]

.....I will say that my 4 ounce phone/gps/planetarium/backup flashlight/newspaper/bad weather app/police/fire scanner/Kindle books/music player/radio/notepad/audio recorder/sunset finder/Camera/ enhances the UL experiences.....

You're such an electronics dinosaur. That's old school technology. You must have bought that 6 months ago. I bet it doesn't even have an intergalactic megabyte universal translator, incorporate beryllium superconductor nanotechnolgy, or a cuben/graphite/titanium morphable case. I bet your GPS receivership range is only 300 parsecs too.

I see why they call it Beauty Spot. Usually stinks up there though Pepe.

[Dogwood]

Hot Flash, is from northern Cali. Probably a liberal vegetarian feminist.:D

Relax, I'm named after a tree, live in a palm tree nursery in Hawaii, am currently sleeping on my sister's couch, and enjoy talking to plants as seen in The Celestine Prophecy.

[russb]

Depends on why I am in the woods in the first place. Most of the time when I am on a solo trip it IS to disconnect from the Borg. It usually takes a good 24-hrs to be mentally free; not feeling the need to check email, etc... After a few days I get to the point where I seldom think about the outside world. At which point I am finally, "in the woods". This won't happen for me when I am with others or regularly run into others, only on a solo trip when it is just me and woods for days on end.

[coach lou]

Even though Nema had service in the Tower, I could not(both Verizon). I tried to be the good husband and check in but no service. I did get to talk to my son on the way home. Otherwise it is off. My camera is a must. I need to go back when I'm not out.

[Tom Murphy]

headlamp and camera