The
story of Larry Conn illustrates. If he had been using a SPOT, he would have been found within days. Probably not alive, but family would not have been left wondering for months, and the huge expense of time and aircraft used in the futile search -- that alone would justify
giving every hiker one to carry.
may have precipitated that.
Not
The reason that Larry was not found is that they did know precisely where to look for him in the first place. The same with the teacher lost in the Mammoth area,the guy who had to cut off his arm, etc,etc. The component missing here is not the constant contact that one gets from SPOT, rather it is in poor planning. Period. I fill out an exact 'Pre-flight' plan before I hike/backpack, along with two exit times (to expect contact) and an emergency overdue time limit. I would even go out on a limb and say that the rangers did not know exactly where to look for Randy Morgenson, either.
I do not judge anyone who wishes to carry a SPOT for numerous good reasons, but I DO object to judgement placed on those who do not carry the device (using faulty logic)
