Texting 911 that you're dying is the most Gen Z thing I've ever heard of.
this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2024
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They most likely did not have a cell signal. It’s the canyonlands, it’s 30 miles as the crow flies from the nearest town. There’s nothing but nature as far as the eye can see.
They might have used satellite texting.
$5 says it was a Garmin inReach device.
People that invest $350 + subscription into hiking safety with an inReach don't hike into the desert with less than a day's water. They've got at least three maps between Garmin, GMaps or iMaps, and the map they're actually using to navigate, and don't get lost very often. Even the most basic inReach mini augments phone GPS for positioning and vector in the Garmin app. One has to be damned near under full tree cover or in a horrible thunderstorm for it to fail to send a text. And, they'd have instead pushed the SoS button, which is literally better than 911 outside any city, which is why it's the gold standard until mountaineering equipment.
I'd bet $5 this group was desperate and trying everything they could think of. They didn't have an inReach or they'd be alive.
On the other hand, have you ever people-watched at an REI?
People that have absolutely no idea what they're doing buying thousands of dollars of top-end gear is par for the course. Panicking, inexperienced people do dumb things: like not push an SOS button or even realizing the inReach Messenger they bought to text in the back country has one under that clearly marked cover.
I agree that many REI customers buy lots of gear that they don't understand and likely won't benefit them. If we're making up stories: This group bought an inReach, had it with them, but never activated it.
Actually, it’s faster than calling. So what you’re saying is gen-z is faster and more efficient? I’m not sure about that but I bet they appreciate support from someone so old.
Joke aside, I text 911 because it’s faster for them to handle multiple incoming texts at once. You skip the line.
Source: I briefly dated a 911 operator. Wild stories, and a surprising amount of office drama.
Could be SMS was the only thing that could get out. In order for SMS to work your phone basically only needs to ping the tower. No data connection at all needed.
ThErE iS nO cLiMaTe ChAnGe
Does that count for Darwin awards? Why on earth would you go out hiking in 100+ degree weather? That'd be the same as asking me to swim a few miles into the ocean with no floaty devices during a monsoon. Just crazy.