June 2021 - 31

all is well, " or " Headed home. " You also can
text detailed messages to someone on the
contact list. It works in conjunction with your
smartphone, so you can type your text on your
phone and send it on the inReach Explorer. I
communicated daily with my family during
the eight-day hunt.
If one experiences an emergency, such as
becoming lost or having a serious accident,
the device has an SOS button that relays your
exact position, giving rescue parties a definitive
location where to find you. I carry the
device wherever I go, as it could be invaluable
even in the case of an automobile accident
or breakdown far from any cell service. The
device requires a subscription service, and
the cost is dependent on the selected plan.
Spot is a GPS tracking device that uses the
Globalstar satellite network to provide text
messaging and GPS tracking. It has a coverage
area that includes a large portion of the planet,
except for extreme northern and southern
latitudes and parts of the Pacific Ocean. Some
Spot devices also allow the user to send preprogrammed
text messages or emails and can
notify contacts of your location.
On must realize that GPS is not fail proof.
In November 2019, a long-haul truck driver
followed his GPS up the Beartooth Highway
and got stuck. Even during the summer, that
road is not recommended for big trucks, and
he drove past signs saying the road was closed
for the winter. Every late fall and winter there
are incidents when people follow their vehicle
GPS down the road of doom. Like the truck
driver, they are directed to a seasonally accessible
road. Believing it's safe, they continue
on thinking conditions will improve. Often,
there is no cell service on these roads. Survival
depends on conditions and what provisions
they're carrying. Many make it, but others
perish trying to walk for help or run out of
food, water and luck.
Blindly trusting your phone GPS can be
a mistake too. Once on a vacation trip, my
friend and I were trying to find our motel. We
were stopped at an intersection. His phone
directed us to turn right, but mine said turn
left. We should have turned around.
Phones offer an unreliable source of security,
especially when wandering the wilds of
Wyoming. Having cell service is always an
issue, and battery life limits how useful they
are in emergency situations.
Anyone, including young people, who wants to enjoy the outdoors should know basic orienteering skills such as using a compass
and map to keep them safe.
For all the raw beauty and grandeur the
natural world gives us, it offers no mercy to
the careless and unprepared. However, the
chance of becoming lost should not deter
anyone from enjoying all that wild Wyoming
offers.
I've long believed what Matshona Dhliwayo,
a Canadian philosopher and writer,
posited. " In the wilderness you learn how
to overcome your greatest enemy: yourself. "
Those not up to that challenge may be
lost forever.
- Tim Christie is an outdoors writer based in Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho, and is a regular contributor to Wyoming
Wildlife.
Wyoming Wildlife | 31
For all the raw beauty
and grandeur the natural
world gives us, it offers
no mercy to the careless
and unprepared.

June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2021