A Highly Experienced Solo Hiker Saved by SPOT in Colorado

For Californian Bryan Hall hiking and backpacking are part of his lifestyle. A SPOT X owner for two years, Hall was mostly using his SPOT device for tracking and checking in with family when out on solo trips. On a recent trip, Hall set out with his daughter to hike the John Muir Trail from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney. A hundred and fifty miles into their trip, the duo were closing out their day in Le Conte canyon by rinsing off in the Kings river when his daughter slipped and fell.

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.
 

Caroline is just like every other mom in that she wants to always keep her son safe. After moving to Colorado to attend University, her son quickly became an avid and experienced backpacker. “Knowing that he was going out solo all the time really was the impetus for buying a SPOT Gen3 device, with us living in Pennsylvania, it was a way for us, even remotely to know his whereabouts when he was hiking.”
 

“My cottage is very remote and there is no cell phone coverage at all, I use my SPOT device to check in with my wife and give myself piece of mind. Since my cabin can only be accessed by snowmobile or skidoo, I always carry my SPOT with me.”
 

The temperature in a remote part of northern Ontario was below freezing on May 22, 2019. That was the day that Randy Cota, a trained guide and trapper, headed out in a boat for an excursion on the Moose River along with three other men.

“The engine quit, and I ended up in a tree. By the grace of God, I didn’t fall out of it.” That is what 79-year-old John Gregory says about April 23, 2019, the day his plane crashed into a tree in a remote part of Idaho. Mr. Gregory was flying out of his ranch near Challis when something went wrong.
 

The day started as a skiing expedition through the mountains of Montana and ended with a helicopter rescue. On March 20, 2019, a group of teens and adults were on the Glacier/Pondera County line when a teenager in the group was hurt. After an unsuccessful attempt to alert rescue crews, Brandon Van Arsdale, an adult travelling with the teens, activated the SPOT X’s SOS button.

Darrel Comeau was on a four day trip to climb a remote mountain in Wilmore Forest. On the second night of their trip, the group was unable to make it to their cabin but was prepared to make an emergency shelter and set up camp for the night.

In late September, three experienced mountain hikers were on a two-night backpacking trip in Kananaskis Country, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies. On the second day of their trip, a heavy snowstorm hit and made it difficult to find the trail out. The trio was forced to retreat to the previous campground they had stayed at the night before. 

Shannon Cunningham has been an avid backpacker for 9 years. For two of those years, she has carried SPOT Gen3 to use in case of emergency and this past summer was the first time she had to use the SOS on her SPOT. Shannon was on a 5 day solo hike on the northern most tip of Vancouver Island in Canada on the North Coast Trail. On the first day of her hike, she slipped at camp and fell dislocating and breaking her shoulder in four different places.
 

Tom Roberts is an avid hunter in the backcountry of Canada and has been hunting big game for many years. In August 2017, Tom and his hunting partner set off to their favourite spot in the mountains to do some sheep hunting. After his partner shot a ram, Tom took on the job of skinning his hunting partner’s prize. His knife was caught up in the hide so he torqued with his knife. As he did this, the knife came though the hide and he stabbed himself near his knee right to the bone.

John Walker aka Swagman is no stranger to overcoming challenging situations. As a U.S. Navy Veteran and avid hiker, Swagman loves being outside and takes on nature one hiking trail at a time with plans to conquer the Appalachian Trail in 2018. With safety in mind, Swagman purchased his first SPOT device in 2008 after his sister persuaded him to do so—she didn’t want him to be mauled by a bear or rabid racoon. Little did he know that his SPOT device would be put to use not only once, but a total of three times over the past ten years.