One thing I’ve read is that there could be potential costs for using the InReach due to everything going through a privatized satellite system. Then you have to activate it with Garmin’s subscription service so that that device goes “live” with the satellite system. However, I suspect plenty of people might actually hesitate if they stop to consider what their rescue bills might amount to in some parts of the U.

Eight hours after I pressed that SOS button, I was climbing into the helicopter and found myself being strapped in by one of the pilots. My last big adventure of the 2020 season was a thru-hike of the Uinta Highline Trail (UHT) in northeastern Utah. Essentially, the cost is often part of their budget just like responding to other major accidents in the frontcountry. g., trespassing) or while engaged in grossly negligent act, then there’s a greater likelihood the person will have to pay for their extraction – especially if it occurred in Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, and Oregon. When everything began to spiral out of control, it really was the difference between my safety and a potentially fatal outcome.

Rescue costs could, however, become reimbursable depending on the circumstances involved and what state it occurs in.

I wanted to hit some trails that wouldn’t require me to resupply in small communities or risk contracting/spreading the virus. Then he slowly lowered the helicopter onto a flat area at the far end of the lake and landed about 300 meters from me. My situation went from bad to worse, as my tent continued to repeatedly collapse in the strong winds. My SOS signal was relayed from my location in Utah to the GEOS International Emergency Rescue Coordination Center (IERCC) in Texas.There were no tall trees nearby, so I tried to press myself between some evergreen shrubs half-buried in the snow.

I was warned to have everything ready to go because they wouldn’t have much time on the ground due the the poor weather conditions. Knowing I had a way to communicate, no matter how far I was from a cell tower, was like having the benefits of a hiking partner, while still allowing me to hike solo.After these two short adventures, I knew I really liked having the Garmin as an addition to my standard gear set-up. I could even make out the outline of the mountains across the lake instead of just a wall of white of snow blowing in front of me.