[Philmont]: RE: Cell Phones / Emergency Procedures

  A few years back I started a thread similar to this one with a subject
line of "Leave the Electronic Gadgets Home". That included Cell Phone, Gps
and other modern amenities.
In the last 3 or 4 years I have flip flopped in the issue many times. Right
now I would probably carry a cell phone in my pack, the phone I have now is
very small and only weighs a few ounces. As I stated in my post I carry a
cell phone buried in my pack and only bring it out as a last resort in a
LIFE THREATENING emergency. Philmont is a backcountry experience

  As Dr Bob stated "You can send a four man group off to the nearest high
peak and hope you can get a signal there, and if so work through the Base
camp staff to detail out your situation and get help......or you can do it
the Philmont way, which is send a four man group off to the nearest Staff
camp". He also said "If you decided to go the cell-phone route instead,
and you got to the peak AND THERE WAS NO SIGNAL, how many hours have you
just lost??? ......If you want to carry one for "Safety", fully
understanding its severe limitations and more importantly its seductive
danger, be my guest - but I will emphasize again, it's no panacea, and
believing otherwise can potentially make a bad situation a *lot* worse. An
earlier post tonight suggested that if everyone carrying cell phones saved
just one life, it's worth it. A laudable thought - but never forget that
that sword has two edges - and the reverse cut is how many lives would be
lost because of bad decisions made by stressed-out Advisors in emergency
situations, based on foolish trust placed in a sharply limited tool."

  Whether you hike to the nearest backcountry camp or were to call the main
switchboard, the first responders to your emergency will probably be the
backcountry staff from the nearest camp. I have witnessed a few first aid
situations in the backcountry of Philmont (fortunately not anyone in my
crew), the staff in every situation was well trained, the care they gave was
superb.

  I would stress that the measures of calling the switchboard or sending a
four man group off to a staffed camp should be reserved for threatening
situations. Ones where the person can not be moved. Any injured person who
can get to the nearest backcountry camp on their own and should be escorted
there by the crew.

  I noticed they are now printing the emergency information on checklist on
the sectional maps we bought in 2002. On past treks our ranger had the crew
leader print all of this information on his and her copy of the map.
Offhand I can not remember the exact items but they were something like: 1.
Mark the crews location on the map, 2. What are the injuries? etc. As you
can see without having it written down in front of me I don't remember
exactly what all of the items are.

  Again to quote Dr Bob " Regardless, there *is* something to be said for
the wilderness experience. In reality, Philmont isn't really much of a
wilderness experience - but most of the Scouts DON'T KNOW THAT. For them, a
place with such extreme dangers as bears, mountain lions, back-country
staff, and caffeine-deprived Advisors is as "out there" as it gets.
Whipping out a cell phone to call the wife or check on the office - or even
to give the Scouts a chance to chat with their folks mid-trek - might even
be fun and seemingly benign, but it does impact on that "wilderness
experience". Part of the mental challenge of Philmont for the Scouts at
least is the sense (not fact!) that you've cut ties with civilization, that
you've traveled back to a rougher time. A cell phone destroys that
illusion, and some of the magic - and value - of the experience is lost.
Something (else) to consider."

  I would only add to the above statement that if you do wish to Phone Home
or allow your crew to do so. Please find a remote place away from everyone
else, don't ruin their illusion. I don't believe in Santa Claus or the
Easter Bunny but to me Philmont is still wilderness.

  GPS - One more electronic device coming of age:

  Philmont is one of the best places for scouts to gain confidence in their
map and compass skills. They were the only tools available to our crews
daily naviguesser and the entire crew when making trail decisions. I
carried a GPS last year and enjoyed playing with it along the trail. I
discovered the sectional maps have 1 kilometer grids and UTM references,
myself and another advisor had fun predicting GPS locations of places we
were heading to. I guess someday we may be covering GPS usage more with the
scouts but only after they master the basic map and compass.

Chip Cenci IWTGBTP

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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
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Received on Tue Apr 29 19:05:24 2003