Cell Phones Lead to Rescue of Eight People

Yes, they can be annoying when they ring in the movie theater. Yes, it’s frustrating when someone answers a call during a meeting. And yes, when you’re out to dinner, it’s polite to turn yours off. But cell phones have become important tools in our daily lives… and they’re showing their worth in the outdoors as well. Even those who despise technology have to recognize the role that cell phones are playing in search and rescue missions these days.

Eight people went missing in the Rocky mountains last week (during the snowstorms that wreaked havoc on the West) and all eight have now been found… thanks to calls made from their cell phones.

Six snowmobilers who were lost in whiteout conditions found an old train station to hole up in until the weather cleared enough for them to call for help. Two snowboarders who were lost in northern New Mexico were also found today, thanks again, to their cell phone. They’d all been missing since Saturday. Luckily, neither of these parties fell victim to the widespread avalanches reported this weekend.

It is often our desire to escape into the outdoors and leave behind everything that has to do with our day-to-day lives. But these two cases remind us to always bring our cell phones with us when we head outdoors — no matter how badly we’d like to leave them behind. Even if you can’t connect on a call, a satellite or cell tower is likely to register the attempt. This often gives searchers enough of a location to focus the search and rescue.

So bring your cell phone with you when you’re hiking, skiing, boarding, camping… whatever. Just be sure to turn it off during dinner.