PLB or EPRIB - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

We are Aussies and are coming to do the AT in 2011. Do we need to carry a PLB (personal locator beacon) or EPIRB on the AT? We always carry it when hiking in Oz.

WENDY NELSON

#2

The only time I saw a PLB on the AT someone had left it behind in a shelter, so it wasn’t doing too much good for them.

The AT passes through a highly civilized and well-settled area (by US standards) for the most part, and if you hike NOBO in the normal season you’ll seldom be very much alone. I understand there’s even cell phone coverage much of the way.

It sounds like some hikers carry a SPOT device (has an “I’m OK” function) as a way of comforting loved ones. But we hear a few stories in this country of malfunctions and false alarms and unnecessary use through panic or ignorance.

Garlic

#3

You’d have to try reeeally hard to get lost on the AT! On average, there is a trail blaze every tenth of a mile. By design, you are barely out of eyesight of one before another comes into view.

Matt

#4

Here’s a post from another forum on carrying a SPOT on the AT:

“On the SPOT - I carried one on my section hike from Springer to Fontana Dam and most times it didn’t work. I carried one as a compromise for friends and family as I’m from Canada and as I suspected, my cellphone coverage was spotty - BUT everyone else on the trail had great cellphone coverage - particularly if you have AT&T (Singular sucked) so, for the difference in weight (the SPOT is heavy at over 8 oz), I’d just carry a cell … won’t carry that SPOT - As Lady MacBeth said - ‘Out damn spot !!!’”

I presume he means the “I’m OK” function on the SPOT didn’t work. I hear it’s tricky to hit the buttons in the right sequence.

On the blazing: Per the ATC website there are over 170,000 blazes (both directions) on the AT. That works out to one every 140 feet! It is hard, but not completely impossible, to get lost. You really have to try to be inattentive enough to loose the trail, but it can happen.

Garlic

#5

I’ve owned and used both the Spot I and newer Spot II. Spot II has never failed me, even on the AT. Spot II has caps over the help and 911 buttons so they cannot be pressed without a little effort.

Spot II weighs 4.2 oz. with lithium batteries. I highly recommend this device. Our children and family sit at home and monitor our progress on every outing. When we get back home we enjoy building our tracks on google earth and sharing it with others. Reception on the Spot II is exceptional. On the AT we’ve never been in an area where it did not work.

Marty

#6

I hardly had any maps or guidebooks on the AT '89; used the data book I found in a hiker box & followed the white blazes cuz i was dirt broke… alot like when I hiked south from Brisbane thru the National Parks in 06-07 summer… luckily didn’t start til December so missed most of the fires & brought rain everywhwere I went! Funniest or scariest part was in Lamington Park where a nephew of the stinson aircrash guy kinda cryptically said, well… I know how to get to NSWales from here but I figured, well it’s called the border “track” … well, the trailhead was well hidden as Aussies love to do & I barely made it to the zigzag hut then finding no track & no GPS reception in the crazy rainforest; so I wisht I woulda hired that nephew ranger who had hiked the whole area barefoot & probably blindfolded! (PS: I had to do trail maintenance myself chopping thorn trees across the trail, even though they bus tourists every day to do the cross park track from O’Reilly’s camp to the south portal! ) Goodonma!

gingerbreadman

#7

Sorry, I did trail maint from North side to O’Reilly’s camp where the Wallabies graze & the 'keets eats off ur plate…they bus tourists daily to walk this route, but don’t bother to maintain it as well as they do the numerous waterfall trails… I met lots of aussies practicing for long hikes in the Lam…(the Border- nontrack had a sign at the hidden trailhead: no maintenance allowed or maintaining equipment!)

gingerbreadman

#8

Thanks for the advice all. I will leave the PLB in Oz and save lugging the weight around!

wendy nelson

#9

No necessary on the AT, but, I carry one to keep the wife happy (and me on the trail).

Ed D

#10

Wendy, you should just consider getting a prepaid cell phone when you come to the states. You can pick them up at places like Walmart, Target or even some grocery stores. They are cheap, maybe $75 for the phone (and charger) with a good deal of minutes and you can recharge the minutes as necessary with a credit card. Just get ATT. This way your relatives could get a hold of you whether the phone is on or off as they could leave you a voicemail. You could then get an international calling card with cheap rates to Aus and even call family from the trail on occassion. This gives you so much more flexibility then making calls in town, and it’s cost effective too. Not that you’ll need it but in the case of an emergency simply turning on the phone is like a beacon when you position can be ascertained (provided there is coverage) so it’s a safety fall back too. I couldn’t recommend it more for an international tourist. Cheers.

Advice

#11

Wendy, you should just consider getting a prepaid cell phone when you come to the states. You can pick them up at places like Walmart, Target or even some grocery stores. They are cheap, maybe $75 for the phone (and charger) with a good deal of minutes and you can recharge the minutes as necessary with a credit card. Just get ATT. This way your relatives could get a hold of you whether the phone is on or off as they could leave you a voicemail. You could then get an international calling card with cheap rates to Aus and even call family from the trail on occassion. This gives you so much more flexibility then making calls in town, and it’s cost effective too. Not that you’ll need it but in the case of an emergency simply turning on the phone is like a beacon when you position can be ascertained (provided there is coverage) so it’s a safety fall back too. I couldn’t recommend it more for an international tourist. Cheers.

Advice

#12

Check out the maps of coverage b4 you decide on a cell… some only have coverage near interstates, like Virgin did a couple years ago; while others almost cover eastern states, while much more spotty on the CDT (Rockies) due to remoteness. Some phones have been on sale for $100 (includes $100 of minutes that you have 6 months or a year to use)… may have to be activated on a different phone!

gingerbreadman