I Hit SOS On My Garmin InReach. Here's What Happened.

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  • bwframe

    Loneranger
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
    113
    Btown Rural
    I would like to point out, since my son works for Garmin and sells a fair amount of those widgets, the hardware and the service Garmin provides seems to have functioned flawlessly.

    That is a very good point. If there is fault to be had here, it lies not with the communication service, but with the taxpayer funded rescuers. Rescuers who are tasked to pull these dumbasses out of places that they used bad judgment going to.

    Rescuers who also are responsible to the local population for anything and everything from traffic accidents to fire fighting to narcan shots. :n00b:


    .
     

    MRockwell

    Just Me
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Oct 4, 2010
    2,804
    129
    Noblesfield
    I agree with @ghuns , a little of each.

    I watched the whole video, and in it he showed topo maps of the trail he was hiking. I'm no orienteering expert, but even I could see that the trail after the lake gained a lot of elevation in a short distance.

    I also went out to the ICSO's FB page. Looks like equal heat is being applied to the Sheriff's office and the hiker.


    It is good to see that the Garmin InReach Mini did what is was supposed to do.
     

    freekforge

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Jul 20, 2012
    2,731
    113
    marion
    What a baby no one says first responders need to be bubbly and happy to see you, he should have been better prepared and rescuers asking you to walk to them is completely normal. The freeze dried food he had could have been consumed and that cliff bar was probably paid for by the deputy and given to him out of kindness. And was he really doxed? Hot sheets are published every day here that lists way more information than they gave on that post. He wasn't prepared and got embarrassed when called out.
     

    rosejm

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    Nov 28, 2013
    1,773
    129
    NWI
    Yeah, really poor performance on the hiker. This is the difference between GPS and the ability to read and understand a map.

    Unrealistic expectations, lack of planning and consumables. This is wintertime in one of the wildest mountain ranges in the country. When things were looking down on the 1st day into the woods (halfway through the trip), pressing on was a terrible decision. Then, after giving up and feeling helpless he wants a helicopter ride. Decides he's not moving any further. Help arrives and the situation is not nearly as bad as it seemed, just an hours walk up the hill.

    I'm actually surprised that he wasn't billed for the resources used to guide him (and all of his gear) up the hill and give him a ride to his car.
     
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    tackdriver

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 20, 2010
    481
    93
    Is this guy alive? Well, I guess everything worked! It's SOS, NOT A CONCIERGE SERVICE!

    I couldn't make it past the first couple of minutes, and I'm confident:

    +1 for self centered, clueless, whiner!

    (... and I wouldn't be shocked to learn that he staged this little adventure to get hits online.)

    HE planned the trip. HE chose to do it. HE got himself into a bad situation that HE couldn't handle (but a 16 year old boyscout from 40 years ago could have). This noodle took off packing, into wilderness, ALONE, and he obviously doesn't have a clue how to use the map. Is he equally clueless about fire? It's a great way to melt snow/ice.

    "but...I brought a stove, so shouldn't need a fire." and "it wasn't like this when I did something kind of similar last year." snivel, whine. And let's be honest, for that time of year the weather looked pretty sweet. It's not like an unexpected blizzard popped up and trapped him.

    He should be grateful that anyone left there warm fireplace to bring him home. He should appreciate that his screw ups (multiple) burded others. He should be thankful there were plans and resources in place so they could respond. He should be grateful that the larger community contributed money for these preparations. *** If I missed the part of the video where he says he personally funded emergency response teams and their equipment, and they bailed on him when he needed them, - well then I'll man up and admit I'm wrong.

    [edit] I watched some more... didn't change my mind one bit. "I paid for the premium subscription..." and it worked. "I have insurance..." If you get a bill, file a claim. Subscriptions and insurance DON'T empower you to do things your not ready for.

    I did some deep canoeing and backpacking adventures etc. in younger days. We knew the risks, and one BIG one was - Everyone's going to hate you when you break your leg being a fool, and they have to not only get you out, but carry your gear while they do it! That's when I learned about using good judgement, before the fact. If I were this guy, I'd be embarrased to post the story. He's not, because he's obviously clueless about more than just land nav.

    Hell, even in the Army, when I was Ordered to go do the "deep back country camping", I would've been grateful to be home and healthy if someone had to come save my a$$. A little ribbing would've been the cost of the ride out. Thinking about it now, the guys that got harassed were the ungrateful POS's that caused there own bad day to begin with, then shared it with the rest of us. Hmmm.

    (Side note - when I was in the Army, my team was one of the very first beta testers for this new-fangled hand-held GPS thing. There weren't even enough satalites allocated for it to work as designed yet. We were damn good with topo maps and land nav, and comms gear, so we were asked to lug it around and check its accuracy against where we determined we were.)

    Anyway, maybe it was a dick move for the rescue team to post his name, address, and occupation on anti-social media; but what they said probably wasn't wrong. What they posted was what I gathered listening to the guy himself. In my limited experience, people in the rescue business don't start there day looking for some unfortunate soul to make fun of. If they didn't ask how he was, or offer food or water, they could tell he didn't need it. I'm confident that this guys demenor, the riduculousness of his "emergency", and sense of entitlement pushed their needle past the red line. They sure weren't going to get a raise for this, so they maybe felt justified in getting something out of the deal. Maybe they even suspected they were being played.

    I don't know why I'm so riled up, but people like this really **** me off. I can't imagine how my grandfather would feel.
     

    KittySlayer

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 29, 2013
    6,471
    77
    Northeast IN
    I'd vote for a little of each.
    A little of each but a lot on him.

    “It sucks down the battery” but he has plenty of power to film his tale of woe right up to the very end.

    Using a Jetboil and bringing only one fuel canister to melt snow? Runs out of fuel yet I see plenty of wood all over the place.

    Plenty of dehydrated food but says he has no food. Pretty sure it rehydrates with cold water, just not as tasty.

    Sheriff’s deputies aren’t your momma. They were pulled away from their families to go do a job outside their regular duties they were not trained for and “got the job done”. Being cold, tired, and frustrated they’re not going to give you a hug and a cookie.

    Wonders if the deputies want to camp out for the night instead of hiking an hour back to the snowmobiles. Who brought the S’mores?

    This guy comes off as pretty pathetic and whiny. Surprised this is the first time he pressed the “Help Me” button.

    The Garmin appeared to work flawlessly. I’ll continue to carry my In Reach Mini with confidence.
     

    The Bubba Effect

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    May 13, 2010
    6,221
    113
    High Rockies
    I tried to watch the vid, but couldnt stand the guy. The rescue squad saved him, what is his gripe?

    Jacking around in the winter in the high country is a recipe for being found in the spring melt.

    My guess from watching a tiny bit of the vid is that he hiked about a mile from his car, ran out of smokes and candy, so called for rescue, rescue talked to him and rescue walked hin out.

    I assume the guy is mad that rescue didnt carry him out on a throne while singing ballads of his bravery.


    S&R in the mountains are going to be short on sympathy, especially in the winter, especially when you are not really hurt or stuck.
     

    Tryin'

    Victimized
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Nov 18, 2009
    1,737
    113
    Hamilton County
    I was pissed at him less than halfway through.

    Some highlights:

    Found conditions worse than expected, pressed on anyway

    No map reading skills, as noted by his statement that the lake and the car were approximately the same elevation (so no problem to hike) while showing a map with a clear ridge in between

    Claimed to be out of food. No, he was out of easy fresh water to rehydrate food. Dry calories are still calories

    Overstating the snow depth by 150%

    Demanded rescuers come to him instead of him going to them. Round trip completed by rescuers in a few hours.

    Thinking that rescuers were really gonna rappel in with stories and vittles to share around an overnight campfire before escorting him back to civilization

    Claiming he had no way to melt snow once his can of isobutane was to cold to pressurize

    Complaining about his whole "rescue" experience not being as posh as he thought he deserved

    Trying to regain some man points at the end by claiming that the deputies snowmobiles were stuck in the snow and he had to help dig them out.

    The whole video was a pathetic example of a youtube hiker getting in over his head, having no plan, demanding others get him out, and then complaining about it after. **** him.


    Oh yeah, Idaho County shouldn't have put his name on blast. That was poor form.
     
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