How would you have handled this as a parent

It sounds like he’s an experienced hiker so it seems odd that he didn’t have a phone and/or gps and some sort of basic gear.

As a mom? I probably would have tried to climb out with them. I wasn’t there so I can’t judge the guy but I can’t see myself not trying to get them out. I couldn’t imagine leaving them unless I had absolutely no choice. But again, I wasn’t there. I *do* know I would have had a phone and portable charger.
 
The problem with phones is that they don't always get a signal and many folks who go out don't always carry a GPS locater. I honestly don't know what I would have done, but I would have carried something in case the trip went south and we needed help.
 
The problem with phones is that they don't always get a signal and many folks who go out don't always carry a GPS locater. I honestly don't know what I would have done, but I would have carried something in case the trip went south and we needed help.
Absolutely true but he found another hiker who did have a phone and called for help. I just can’t fathom not having one. My older DD and her friends are novice hikers, mostly modest trails and they never leave without at least the bare minimum because you just never know. As a parent with two small kids you’d think he’d be over prepared.
 


I can't say for sure what I would have done (other than overpacked, of course!) If the climb was truly too dangerous for the kids, it might have been the right choice to go for help - as who knows how long it would have taken to find them without his call. But I also would have been very scared to leave them in case of wild animals and such.

Looking at it from safe hindsight, I might have tried to assist one child up, have them wait in a safe spot, and then assist the other?
 
For the cell phone I think the fact that this occurred in Canada and he is from Georgia might be a consideration.
 
For the cell phone I think the fact that this occurred in Canada and he is from Georgia might be a consideration.
That’s possible, I’m not sure. I did see footage after the rescue where authorities advised the public to make sure when you go out hiking that you’re prepared with basic necessities like a GPS, flashlight and warm clothing, I think it was.
 


For the cell phone I think the fact that this occurred in Canada and he is from Georgia might be a consideration.
Maybe because I frequent The DIS and various tech sites I guess it doesn’t occur to me that people wouldn’t get a local SIM or make accommodations with their provider. Then again I know people who go on road trips and don’t bother to check the gas in the car.
 
I can't say for sure what I would have done (other than overpacked, of course!) If the climb was truly too dangerous for the kids, it might have been the right choice to go for help - as who knows how long it would have taken to find them without his call. But I also would have been very scared to leave them in case of wild animals and such.

Looking at it from safe hindsight, I might have tried to assist one child up, have them wait in a safe spot, and then assist the other?
That’s kind of how I saw myself doing it, one at a time. Of course I’m always the hero in my own imaginary situations. :rotfl:
 
Maybe because I frequent The DIS and various tech sites I guess it doesn’t occur to me that people wouldn’t get a local SIM or make accommodations with their provider. Then again I know people who go on road trips and don’t bother to check the gas in the car.

Maybe it's due to living right next door to Canada, but I know people who've visited, sometimes even just the weekend gambling in Windsor right across the river from Detroit, never considering that their cell service wasn't available there. I've taken my mom to a few shows at a local venue on the lake that was showing small scale stage productions. Inevitably when we would walk in the lobby I would get an automatic text from my provider welcoming me to Canada, despite the fact that I was actually across the lake from Canada.
 
Not quite the same, but there are wide swaths of the UP with poor or no cell phone coverage, and I've done cross country trips where I've come to realize this is the norm in many rural areas. At least once a winter, there is a news report of someone's car breaking down, them not having cellphone coverage, and not having adequate winter emergency preparations in the car. So if this was a mom and kids, should she get out and start walking and leave the kids in the car? (And who else remembers that story from out west where the guy did that, leaving his wife and kids behind, wearing I want to say her pantyhose for an additional layer, and survived but had to have frostbitten parts cut off?)

Preparation, over preparation, and more reliance on common sense than technology is called for. (Unless you're rich enough to afford a satellite phone, that would be cool.)

Terri
 
Maybe because I frequent The DIS and various tech sites I guess it doesn’t occur to me that people wouldn’t get a local SIM or make accommodations with their provider. Then again I know people who go on road trips and don’t bother to check the gas in the car.

My dd recently went to Canada with some friends and called me in a panic from her friends phone saying she couldn't get service there.
She had no idea, and to be honest I didn't realize it either. Sometimes things get overlooked.

I would have probably left them, I'm guessing it was too risky to have them climb up.
 
I have to assume there was no way he could get them both up at once and if they "fell" into the gully, taking one up and getting back down safely to the other was likely impossible. I'm sure the decision he made was pure desperation and in a way, maybe it was a blessing he didn't have the overwhelming "mom" instinct to stay with them. If he hadn't had the courage, there's a good possibility all three of them would still be stuck in the bush.
 

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