In Case of Emergency...

Ever been in an emergency on the trail/slopes/water? I had an extremely bad bike crash in 1992 in Moab that had me ATV'ed and later helicoptered to a hospital. But, this story over on the Crooked Cog site, while not a life threatening injury, brings to light again what you can do in emergencies. In their case, they were lucky they had cell phone reception and could call 911, and even more lucky one of them had an iPhone with GPS enabled. When I lived in Northern California, cell phone reception in most of the places I rode and skied was pretty common, but here in Oregon it's incredibly rare to have cell phone reception. That combined with some past experiences, etc., recently prompted me to buy a SPOT Satellite Messenger. The SPOT is an inexpensive ($150) unit that ties into GPS and satellite communication. I've just started using it, and would like to get a few more rides under my belt before doing a review. Look for a review soon enough. And, while I'm at it, a special thanks to all the emergency and SAR people out there. It is amazing how often you're hearing about rescues, lost people, deaths, and other such scary or tragic situations these days. If it weren't for all the great folks helping, we'd be hearing a lot more bad news, so thanks to all those that help!