The Question
"Hey I was wondering what would be a good solution to get emergency help in case of injury, deep in the woods. I was muniing at a local mountain bike center this weekend, in the Quebec back country, and happened to see only one other rider in the whole day.
My cell phone does not work deep in the mountain. So maybe a GPS (I don't know if they have some kind of emergency call or something) would be interesting.
I do know some really wild parks offer a beacon service (like if you're not back at night at the ranger house, they will track you with the beacon).
After some tough riding, alone & far away, I'm thinking more and more about getting hurt and what to do except praying for another rider to come by.
Oli"
John Hooten Replies
"As a Boy Scout leader I think about these things all the time, and I do have some low tech recommendations.
First - make sure someone knows approximately where you are going and when you expect to return. That way someone will eventually come looking for you in the event that you don't turn up.
Second - try to ride with someone. This increases the chances of having someone on hand to provide assistance, or go for help in an emergency. I know this isn't always practical. I usually ride alone, but if given the choice I would rather ride with someone else.
Third - bring some simple survival tolls along. You probably bring something to carry water and a few tools: camel back (which usually has at least a small pocket for tools, snacks, etc., or a fanny pack, backpack, jacket with pockets, etc. Put a few emergency items in one of the pockets and leave them there.
Always carry a whistle to call for help is you are injured and can't move, or just lost. Blow the whistle in a series of three short blasts (a universal signal for someone in trouble). The sound of a whistle will carry a long way, and you will be able to make noise with a whistle long after your voice will have given out from yelling for help. Even if someone doesn't pass right by you they may hear the sound and investigate.
You should also carry a large plastic trash bag. If you are injured and may be stranded outside for a while the bag can be used as an emergency shelter from rain or cold. You may not be warm, but it may just be enough to fend off hypothermia.
Neither of these items are very large, heavy, expensive, or take up much space. The odds that you will ever use them are fairly long, but you never know when a unforeseen set of circumstances could create a scenario where they may save your live.
All the best,
John Hooten"
John Foss Replies
"This has been a concern that Brett Bymaster has had, when he went on long rides in remote areas alone. Sometimes you just can't get anyone to go with you (especially if you want to ride 40 miles like Brett).
So Brett started carrying a phone, but he was aware that the deep canyons often offered the worst (or no) reception.
My wife's and her company use two-way pagers. They probably would have the same reception problems as a phone out in the mountains though. But if you have service, they can be used to send email to anyone with email, or regular pages to any regular pager. You could send a coded numerical message to a friend with a pager, as long as they already know the code.
Job one in staying safe when in remote areas is to plan ahead. Make sure somebody knows where you're going, and when you plan to be back. Always. Then perhaps be a little more conservative in your riding when out there alone. Better to walk out than to have to hop out.
In the event Brett would get stuck outside for extended periods, he had a few emergency items in his pack, including a bit of food, I think a small first aid kit, and one of those foil blankets like you get after running a marathon. This was for if he got stuck in bad weather or overnight.
Ride safe, and Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone."
Check out John's site at http://www.unicycling.com/
