When Technology Springs A Leak
Posted by Jason A. Hendricks on June 10, 2008 |
We have all heard about the benefits of carrying a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) with us while we are out in the wilds, but what happens when the latest in technology malfunctions?
Steve Howe, who is on an expedition to Denali (and an editor for Backpacker magazine) recently discovered what happens when the latest in high-tech rescue apparatuses malfunctions. For some reason, his SPOT–Satellite Personal Tracker System sent a distress signal to his Editor and wife. It reported that he needed an immediate Medical Evac from 17,000 Ft on Denali.
As these things would play out, Steve’s Editor, and his wife, contacted the local National Park Warden’s office and alerted them that Steve was in trouble. A brief rescue attempt ensued. Luckily some local Rangers had been making a summit bid and were in the area and quickly found Steve. He said he had no idea that the signal was sent, but everyone was glad to know he was safe.
There is a great review over on The Pulse, one of Backpacker Magazine’s blogs, that gives a minute by minute account of what happened and the actions taken. It is comforting to know that within three minutes of the call to Denali National Park, that rescuers were already planning for Steve’s eventual rescue. What is a bit less comforting is that Steve’s wife thought he was dying, and rescue workers almost enacted a huge attempt to bring Steve down, for a signal he never sent.
Hopefully this does not happen often in the wild. I know the SPOT system is getting rave reviews and quite a bit of press. They are also one of the main sponsors for this year’s Primal Quest Adventure Race, being held towards the end of this month. It will be interesting to see what Steve Howe’s reaction is to this story once he gets back to blogging for The Pulse, but I guess until then we will all have to wait and hope that our own PLB system is up to par. I am sure this is a rare occurence and SPOT will be doing what it can to fix this problem with Steve. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.
Malfunctions are not good. It is good to know how quickly everyone reacted to the situation and that Steve was ok.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I agree. I also signed up for the Spot Giveaway. I still trust their products. These things do happen with anything ,though, on rare occasions. Yeah, I was a bit freaked out when I first started reading the article on the Backpacker Blog.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Tech as with anything is going to have the occasional hiccup. I like how you can track progress with google maps.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hey Justin: I gave your site a shout-out in my latest post. Cool blog. I already have you added in to my links, and will be ading the GearCrave blog, as well. Thanks for stopping by.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Great! Thanks Jason.
June 11th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Seems like this wasn’t really a malfunction of the device, but simply a weird coincidence. If you read the full story, they say that Steve may have leaned against something activating the device without knowing it, and by the sounds of things, it would take a unique set of circumstances to set it off.
Great little device, and they’re already saving lives, but I think this is a case of the user needed to be sure that they don’t set it off unknowingly.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I agree. I think Steve probably hit the button somehow. Obviously he can’t speak for himself, but I would have to say that even though this was probably an accident–at least it proved the SPOT Satellite Messenger worked like it was suppose to. It is quite an impressive little gadget.
June 11th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
[...] a great story, so great that other blogs and publications are linking to it. Lots of them. Which, according to how SPOT handles it, could be either a great opportunity for them or a big [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm