Dan Sturgis is the type of father who enjoys adventuring and backpacking with his family on a regular basis. On a recent trip to the Wild Basin area of the Rocky Mountain National Park, Dan’s SPOT provided peace of mind when a situation with his ten-year old son presented itself.Looking for a place to fish while hiking, Dan and his son, Emerson were bushwhacking along a river stream, when his son started complaining about ants in his pants. “My son has high functioning autism, and while he makes for an amazing navigation accomplice, his autism can also come with its own set of challenges.” Unbeknownst to Dan, his son had stumbled into a fire ant hill, which were literally climbing up his pants and biting him. Emerson began to panic, dropping his backpack and running off into the wilderness.
Dan was unable to locate his son, and his calls out to him went unanswered. “While I knew there was a good chance he would find his way out, I was worried about the possibility of him injuring himself, or becoming even more lost without his pack overnight.” Dan triggered the SOS function on his SPOT Gen3 device to initiate search and rescue.
Making his way towards a main trailhead, Dan met up with a park ranger, who assured him that Emerson had been located and was safe. “The SPOT device gave me peace of mind in knowing that regardless of the situation, search and rescue was already in progress.”