Lost and found with satellite technology Look up, look way up By Christie Hoskins
W
eʼve come a long way in 50 years.
An article by R.K. Gordon in the June 1953 issue of The Beaver tells it all. “Travelling Through the Canadian Wilderness by Paddle Canoe Holds Many Joys for the Adventurous,” chronicles how campers kept in touch with the outside world. Gordonʼs party met some fellow canoeists headed in the opposite direction: “We grasped each otherʼs gunwales. Where were they headed for? Temagami. Would they take a letter for us? Yes. It was quickly scribbled and handed over. A nod, a wave of the hand, and the swift current whisked them out of sight.” More than 50 years later, itʼs intriguing to ponder the contents of that letter. It might have been something mundane; perhaps a necessary matter of resupply. I prefer to imagine that it was addressed to anxious loved ones with a few words to reassure them that the trip is going well, but the return home might be delayed by a day or two. I can relate to this version of the hand-carried message. As the adoring wife of a true “nature boy,” I understand the attempt at causing minimal worry on the home front. I am most comfortable in an urban environment, although I have taken the bow seat on a couple of easy day trips. Itʼs never going to be on my “Really fun stuff to do” list, but I can appreciate the desire for more challenging expeditions to pristine, off-the-beaten-track settings. This logical pursuit usually means longer trips farther away from civilization. Most people can only take the same evening stroll or Sunday drive so many times before they need to break a new trail. For some, this could mean finding new rapids to run, new cliffs to climb, or new vistas to call oneʼs own for a night or two. www.OttawaOutdoors.ca
New turf can mean new problems— the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Emergency Response Teams handled 172 Search and Rescue (SAR) calls last year. Most of the cases involved people who were lost or overdue at a checkpoint. Sergeant Don Webster, OPP Provincial SAR Coordinator, has dealt with people who were fortunate enough (a relative term) to be lost where there was some cell phone coverage. In one case as the cell battery was fading, Sgt. Webster was able to confirm that the caller was not injured and equipped for a night in the woods. The information was invaluable to the authorities—the SAR team narrowed its search area and tailored its response by putting precious public resources to their best use. Cell phone service providers may be of some help to outdoors enthusiasts, but their service footprint tends to cover established highway corridors and urban areas. Cell phone reception depends upon the location of towers and the terrain, so there is a better solution in the outback. O T TAWA O U T D O O R S S P R I N G 2 0 0 4
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