Connectivity.

[Cuffs]

My friend Mags in Boulder, CO was recently blogging about connectivity and its link to the hiking community.  He's written a great article and also now been interviewed about this article.  I was chatting with him this morning about his work (he is beaming!) and I told him this would make a good topic to discuss.  With his blessing, here are links to his works... 

http://www.pmags.com/joom...w&id=91&Itemid=33

http://www.wildebeat.net/...ows/wild_places/E156.html

What is your amount of connectivity when in the wood?

I always carry, but shut off my phone.  In case I do have service, and need it, I have it with me.  I carry the GPS, but not for route finding, but instead, route tracking and then uploading the info just because Im a map and data geek!

No SPOT, no smartphone.  I go to the woods to escape all the conveniences.

What are you carrying or leaving behind?

[Magic City Matt]

We just recently got lesley the hardcore verizon waterproof phone. But we plan on turning it off unless necessary.

[MoBill122]

 I carry a cell just to call in at night and say...  I'm at mile marker so & so...then hang up

 Carry GPS, but just for tracking... haven't had to use it to find my way out !

 Get out just to be away... and actually find it hard to be with a group,  as thats what I'm trying to escape !   Guess I'm just a SOLO type basically

[McDowra]

I leave the cell phone in the car, but do take a gps and my bride with me. I love listening to a phone not ringing!

[Joshua Szulecki]

As mentioned previously...

I carry my cell phone, off, in my bag. Some people like to leave it on thinking that they might be found by the signal, but I've found leaving it on in a no-reception area spells a dead battery within a few hours, because the phone spends too much time searching for one.

I sometimes carry my 5w handheld amateur radio transceiver, which operates on the 70cm, 2m, and 6m ham bands. If I take it, I leave a note at home and with family as to which frequency to send to the authorities. I only carry it on deep solo hikes, like bushwhacks.

I always carry the GPS. I use it to find specific locations, or to mark specific locations, but not to keep myself from getting lost, because my GPS has gotten me lost, twice, and in roughly the same spot.

I'd prefer to hike with a group or at least a partner, because the pace tends to be slower, and the time passes faster while in transit through boring areas.

[PastorLarryT]

Cell phone always.  GPS sometimes.  Looking at SPOT but have not decided that I need it.
I (almost) always leave info with DW and DD about where I'm going, times, etc.

[Joshua Szulecki]

PastorLarryT,

Talk about abbreviation confusion...

Until you used it I though Flemdawg was describing his wife and kids as Dawg Wife, and just took it as a Dawgism. When I saw you using it, I figured it must be some internet/hiking abbreviation for Wife/Daughter I didn't know, kinda like the ham abbreviations for wife and kids. Looked it, and sure enough, duh, Dear Wife.

Of course, that D could stand for something less pleasant...

[PastorLarryT]

You got it!  Dear Wife and Dear Daughter...  they go with me sometimes (maybe rarely is a better word) on short hikes but usually I just go and leave them the info.

Glad I could help!

[Lesley]

It's obvious you guys don't read any female junk. When DH (darling husband) and I were planning our wedding that  (DW, DD, DS, MIL, SIL etc...) popped up, and I felt I had learned a new language.

Anyways.... My phone has a compass on it and can be used as a GPS. Madge is too cheap and I'm to vain to actually pay for these services, so I carry a real compass and map, just to prove I don't need electronic stuff, as Matt weeps over Garmin catalogs.

[Joshua Szulecki]

I mostly just use my GPS to record locations, because I've never found it all that helpful for anything else.

One thing I'd like to have with me in deep county is a Yaesu FT-817ND transceiver, which works on most of the ham bands, including the shortwave bands, from the literature: "providing coverage of of the 160-10 meter amateur bands including 60 meters, plus the 6 M, 2M and 70 cm bands, the FT-817D includes operation on the SSB, CW, AM, FM and digital modes." It also works on the Alaska Emergency Channel, and has a built in battery. A few ham friends have them, and they are great for remote transmission. If I went into the backcountry at Yellowstone, I'd carry one of these.

http://www.universal-radi...m/catalog/hamhf/1817.html

But... You'd have to be a ham to use one.

[Nalgene Ninja]

Cell phone that's off. Though I did take my Forerunner 201 GPS watch to get a plot of the Payne Creek trail.

[cwhiker]

I go to the woods to get away from the world so the only thing I take is the GPS

[earlyrisen]

I carry a cellphone when I hike solo, but when I,m with a group I don,t .

[Graceless]

Cell phone for those .25 places that might* get enough reception lol I figure I could dial 911 and then throw it hoping it might catch something