photo by Frank Hurley
Had he been able, would Shacklton have called for help and forfeited becoming the hero of the greatest survival story ever told?
photo by Frank Hurley
Shackleton gained his most enduring notoriety after his ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition when his ship was trapped and crushed by ice. The ensuing 18-month epic involved his entire crew camping on the sea ice while their ship disintegrated, using lifeboats to reach Elephant Island, and ultimately sailing a tiny boat 800 miles to the inhabited island of South Georgia in search of help.
This, however, is not what Sir Shackleton was knighted for.
Adams, Wild and Marshall at their southernmost position on January 9, 1909
photo by Sir Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Shackleton was knighted after the earlier Nimrod Expedition when he decided his party would not be the first to reach the South Pole. Lacking sufficient supplies to both reach the pole and return safely, Shackleton wisely turned around 97 miles short of his goal.
No doubt, had he been able, Shackleton would of called for help when abandoning the Endurance six years later.
Those days, however, are gone. Within the last twenty years satellite and cell phone technology has revolutionized communication. New lightweight and relatively inexpensive communication devices are now available. Even the most shoestring trips have few excuses not to stay connected.
Just twenty years ago this was not the case and I’m grateful to have experienced traveling for weeks alone in the wilderness without any communication and little chance for outside help. Admittedly, part of me mourns the change. Yet, recent events within my community have taught me that none of us exist in a vacuum. Today we owe it to our families and friends--not just ourselves--to be responsible, stay connected, and have a rescue plan.
Nevertheless, the ability to be connected, at least in theory, should not influence our judgement and risk assessment. Even in the 21st century, rescues are dangerous, expensive and their success far from certain.
Nevertheless, the ability to be connected, at least in theory, should not influence our judgement and risk assessment. Even in the 21st century, rescues are dangerous, expensive and their success far from certain.
The ability for two-way communication in the event of an emergency can be crucial. While less expensive satellite beacons that only transmit a distress signal are available, they lack the ability to also receive pertinent information.
The following three devices have global coverage, two-way communication capabilities, a GPS, and include a USB charging cable that can be used with a solar panel or power pack.
Designed for maximum durability in harsh environments the 7-ounce DeLorme inReach is dust-proof, impact-resistant and built to withstand incidental water exposure. Utilizing Iridium's global satellite network, the inReach SE can send and receive text messages, share and view GPS coordinates and trip details, and trigger an SOS.
With a clear view to the sky, the internal, rechargeable lithium battery lasts up to 100 hours during continuous operation when set at 10-minute tracking intervals. The DeLorme inReach also has a cloud based mapping program called the Explore Web Portal where friends and family can view your location and progress.
The Delorme inReach SE costs around $300 dollars with an additional activation fee of $19.95. A basic service plan is only $11.95 a month and allows unlimited SOS alerts and 10 text messages. Additional text messages cost $0.50 each.
The 11 ounce Iridium GO! creates an anywhere (outside) Wi-Fi hotspot that supports voice calls, email, text messaging, two-way GPS tracking, and SOS alerts. Working in conjunction with a smartphone it requires downloading the Iridium GO! application. Don't get over excited and think you can surf the web, the bandwidth is very small. During normal use, the built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 7 hours.
The hardware costs around $900, not including a smart phone. After the initial $35 activation fee, a $149.95 monthly service plan includes unlimited SOS alerts, text messages, email and internet. Voice calls cost an additional $1.15 per minute. This is a fairly new device, has mixed reviews, and I've not personally used one.
The nine ounce Iridium Extreme is the lightest and toughest global satellite phone available. It includes a GPS, supports online tracking and Google Mapping services, and a one-touch SOS button. The Iridium Extreme operates in temperatures ranging from -10 °C to +55 °C and a single charge will provide up to 4-hours of talking time.
While the price tag of around $1,300 is not pocket change, the Iridium Extreme costs a small fraction of a search and rescue operation. After the $50 activation fee, monthly service plans start at $59.99 for 20 minutes of voice calls and one minute worth of text messaging. Additional voice calls cost $1.79 per minute.
When on international expeditions and adventures initiating a rescue and/or a medical evacuation is only half the problem. The other half is paying for it.
In developing countries the official response agency may not have the resources needed and contracting private search and rescue resources, costing thousands of dollars, maybe required. Additionally, an air ambulance flight to the USA and first world medical care may carry a price tag of several hundred thousand dollars.
Travel insurance companies like Travel Guard and Travelex offer medical evacuation insurance of up to $1,000,000 for several hundred dollars a month. While these policies can be upgraded to cover injuries accrued through "adventure sports" they don't cover search and rescue expenses.
To cover the cost of privately funded search and rescue activities it's best to enroll in membership program through either GEOS or Global Rescue. These are not insurance policies, however, and members are not reimbursed for expenses they incur on their own. All search, rescue, and evacuation activities must be arranged by the providers.
GEOS is a highly affordable emergency monitoring and response membership program that handles search, rescue, and evacuation activities for owners of DeLorme or Iridium satellite transceivers. An annual membership of only $120.95 with an additional $17.95 upgrade, provides $1,000,000 of international medical evacuation benefits and up to $100,000 for the cost of worldwide search and rescue operations.
Alternatively, an $80 membership to the American Alpine Club (AAC) includes a Domestic Rescue Insurance Policy that covers up to $5,000 for out-of-pocket rescue costs incurred within the United States. An AAC membership also includes a "Trailhead Rescue Service" that provides $5,000 of international coverage for rescue and evacuation activities conducted under the direction of Global Rescue.
While the standard AAC membership coverage is adequate for most domestic and European adventures, it's inadequate when exploring more remote corners of the world. Global Rescue offers AAC members a 5% discount if they choose to upgrade their plan.
It is also wise to have contact information for the nearest US Embassy. One of their responsibilities is providing assistance to Americans abroad. Their experience, language skills, and support can be lifesaving.
"Goodbye to the James Caird"
photo by Frank Hurley
"I thought, dear, that you would rather have a live ass than a dead lion."
- Remarked Sir Ernest Shackleton to his wife Emily
Excellent post on important topic.
ReplyDeleteStaying connected really is just the first half of the equation but to add one moreo ption I've found to be very reliable: YB Tracking YB3 (and the previous models YB1 and YB2). It uses also Iridium network (only viable option for my needs), is somewhat similar to Delorme InReach SE though different in some aspects. It's also bigger and bulkier but provides serious battery life, for example tracking with 15min intervals it lasts 735 hours (30 days).
The other half of the equation is more difficult, especially if you'd like to go towards the very North of our globe. You'll soon find SAR insurances of 250000USD or more required and no providers on the market. Even to insure a "basic" Arctic ski expedition across Greenland costed over 40euro/day/person (50USD?) in spring 2014 (plus a bank deposit). Not cheap!
An interesting follow up question is, why it is so expensive? Just five years ago the price was one fifth of that (and no deposit required) and there were several service providers. Irresponsibility? Too high risk business? People desperate enough to pay the high sums?
And a footnote from some one who didn't start back in the times of not being connected: There are few excuses not to be connected, but sometimes there are reasons. The reasons are always selfish and can be depated, but they are still there.
I've been thinking over this topic myself recently yet I've come to a different conclusion. You could speculate that Shackleton would have called for rescue but then you'd also have to consider that (with a communication device) maybe he wouldn't have turned back on the Nimrod expedition and gotten himself into further trouble. These ideas work well in theory, but usually have implications as well. Take seat belts for instance. The number of accidents has gone up dramatically (in proportion to the population) after seat belts because people feel they are safe I don't have the data but I'd argue the same is true with communication devices. More people are likely to eschew taking self responsibility and developing the skills needed to travel through wilderness and return home safely. If one actually seriously envisions needing a communication device to bail them out maybe they should reconsider what they are trying to do or where they are trying to go in relation to where they are at (skill and risk wise). It's become a crutch for many, similar to the cell phone in the front country. I guess in closing, I'd argue that one is not any less responsible if they are fully prepared
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