Be safe out there

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Ken Miracle said:
Good kit. I was a volunteer at Bogus Basin Ski Area for 20 years and a backpacker and chukar hunter (probably my highest risk sport) etc. for years.
I retired from skiing about 5 years after my wife did because of osteoporosis. Now I have even donated my snow shoes.

I only made one solo rescue out of a tree well and that was not when I was on duty but when I was xc skiing around the perimeter of a small downhioll ski area out of Twin Falls, Idaho. I heard the thump of the snow coming off the tree and ducked the ropes and was luckily able to dig down to the skier quickly and release his bindings and get him out having a shovel strapped to my little day pack made it faster.

We still spend quite a bit of time in the high sage steppe and canyon lands of Owyhee County where there is no cell service and now have our iPhones with satellite emergency service so did not end up getting Spot or something from Garmin which I did not do when I should have :)
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Yes, I always had my shovel and probe pole with me, even at the resort when skiing on deep powder days, but alwaysin the backcountry. I also wore my beacon. If needed, I could have helped with a rescue. I owned 3 beacons so I could lend one out if nec.

I took avalanche safety courses taught by the head of the avalanche control at our local resort. It was a whole semester course at our local community college when I lived at Tahoe.

Back to the OPs safety issue....the worst camera accident for me was looking up at an owl high in a tree, trying to get a better position, and tripping. I landed fully onto my camera. Ended up pretty bruised with the back of my camera into my chest and smashed my lens. Fortunately just an ai-s zoom which amazingly still works.

I think poison oak and falling or tripping are my biggest hazards now. Or getting stuck on backroads.
 
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AlanB313 said:
Yes, I always had my shovel and probe pole with me, even at the resort when skiing on deep powder days, but alwaysin the backcountry. I also wore my beacon. If needed, I could have helped with a rescue. I owned 3 beacons so I could lend one out if nec.

I took avalanche safety courses taught by the head of the avalanche control at our local resort. It was a whole semester course at our local community college when I lived at Tahoe.

Back to the OPs safety issue....the worst camera accident for me was looking up at an owl high in a tree, trying to get a better position, and tripping. I landed fully onto my camera. Ended up pretty bruised with the back of my camera into my chest and smashed my lens. Fortunately just an ai-s zoom which amazingly still works.

I think poison oak and falling or tripping are my biggest hazards now. Or getting stuck on backroads.
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Those owls are dangerous :)

So far I have been blessed to have no injuries from any types of trips with my camera. Only a couple both with my foot going under limbs or sage brush hidden in the grass as I was looking for little birds in the brush. One I just dropped forward onto both knees camera and lens still in baby carry mode. The other I did a tuck and roll and ended up sitting on my rear with the camera and lens in baby carry mode.

Backroads do deserve our attention and I carry a lot of emergency gear, max tracks, compressors, jump start battery packs, shovels, come alongs etc., when I am out there along blankets, backpacking food, propane stove, folding fuel pellet or twig stove, water, water filters etc.. And our iPhones with the new satellite/gps emergency notification/call capability. So far I have only had to use the gear to rescue others but there is always a first time.
 
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sh1209 said:
To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. I know several companies make GPS devices as you can get to reach people in case of emergency that I’ve looked to in the past but being an Apple user I just found these to be cheaper and easier. It seems like they would work with Other brands, but I’ll check into that.
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We have apple products and AirTags but also have a Garmin device to contact emergency services. There is a monthly subscription fee though. Works in remote areas that don't have any phone service. The Garmin works with apple and android devices.
 
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AnnetteJane said:
We have apple products and AirTags but also have a Garmin device to contact emergency services. There is a monthly subscription fee though. Works in remote areas that don't have any phone service. The Garmin works with apple and android devices.
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iPhones now have satellite / gps emergency contact services that come with the phones. I think it started with the 14pro.
 
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Ken Miracle said:
iPhones now have satellite / gps emergency contact services that come with the phones. I think it started with the 14pro.
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The Garmin In- reach has significantly better battery life and is more durable. Both factors are kind of important if you are back country for more than a day trip. Or if you fall and your phone goes flying and breaks. Still, having the iPhone with satellite capability is awesome and anyone who doesn't have that feature and is out there should upgrade.
 
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AnnetteJane said:
The Garmin In- reach has significantly better battery life and is more durable. Both factors are kind of important if you are back country for more than a day trip. Or if you fall and your phone goes flying and breaks. Still, having the iPhone with satellite capability is awesome and anyone who doesn't have that feature and is out there should upgrade.
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Good point I was thinking only vehicle or day hikes.

If I was going to be backpacking for days, which I no longer do, I would want my solar charger and a power bank or two. When I was first backpacking map and compass, whistle and signal mirror was it and later a Garmin GPS and then I also had a power bank with me.

Now I just make sure my iPone 15 pro is fully charged before I head out on foot (e bird is the biggest user of my phone battery power). I have more than one source of power storage to charge the battery on my phone in the vehicle independent of the vehicles electrical system.
 
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Well-taken advice from an experienced photog! Something else to think about...injury from third parties.
Example: an acquaintance was photographing at local lake during duck season. He heard a gun discharge, and immediately was struck by a number of pellets. He saqid he saw a pick-ip truck leave the area "hurridly" shortly after. Fortunately, the range was beyond the effective range of the load, and his Down parka wasn't punctured. Accident? Intentional? Who knows, but I avoid wetlands during waterfowl season.
 
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Flyboy said:
Well-taken advice from an experienced photog! Something else to think about...injury from third parties.
Example: an acquaintance was photographing at local lake during duck season. He heard a gun discharge, and immediately was struck by a number of pellets. He saqid he saw a pick-ip truck leave the area "hurridly" shortly after. Fortunately, the range was beyond the effective range of the load, and his Down parka wasn't punctured. Accident? Intentional? Who knows, but I avoid wetlands during waterfowl season.
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Good advice. There’s definitely many ways to get injured even doing the simplest things. I try to be more careful as I get older and not take the same chances of earlier years.
 
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Flyboy said:
Well-taken advice from an experienced photog! Something else to think about...injury from third parties.
Example: an acquaintance was photographing at local lake during duck season. He heard a gun discharge, and immediately was struck by a number of pellets. He saqid he saw a pick-ip truck leave the area "hurridly" shortly after. Fortunately, the range was beyond the effective range of the load, and his Down parka wasn't punctured. Accident? Intentional? Who knows, but I avoid wetlands during waterfowl season.
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Always good to stay away during any hunting season. Or go to National Parks or wildlife refuges that don't allow hunting. You can never be too careful.
 
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Captain Spaulding said:
I don’t think I can match 30, but I’m probably over 20. I share your hopes. For both of us. :)
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Yeah it's been a brutal period for me for sure. Mayo Clinic has did the last 12-13 on my arms and pretty much done as much as we can but will most likely have to have my left elbow replaced at some point. This doesn't get any easier with each passing year either. I hope your situation improves as well.
 
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Steven, I'm sorry for injury to you but glad you were able to get yourself out. I too am miles away from my truck or anyone else many times and my wife stays after me to let her know where I am. She couldn't get to me or tell anyone else how too in most cases because I am many times in very isolated areas of a Wildlife Management area that is seldom ever visited by others. I'm 69 and not sure I could manage to get out with an injury like that and cell signal is so poor in much of the area.
Hope you heal quickly and can avoid further injury.
 
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Highbow said:
Steven, I'm sorry for injury to you but glad you were able to get yourself out. I too am miles away from my truck or anyone else many times and my wife stays after me to let her know where I am. She couldn't get to me or tell anyone else how too in most cases because I am many times in very isolated areas of a Wildlife Management area that is seldom ever visited by others. I'm 69 and not sure I could manage to get out with an injury like that and cell signal is so poor in much of the area.
Hope you heal quickly and can avoid further injury.
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Thank you. I’m glad my wife was still working at home or I more than likely would have called the fire department or someone like that I suppose. I hate to do something like that unless there’s just no other way out.
 
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Damn only just seen this , hope you feeling better soon Steven. I slipped with the camera the other year hit a rock and busted a couple of ribs, its so easily done . Only upside I didn't drop or bash the camera
 
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LTK said:
Damn only just seen this , hope you feeling better soon Steven. I slipped with the camera the other year hit a rock and busted a couple of ribs, its so easily done . Only upside I didn't drop or bash the camera
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Thank you. Yes that’s for sure because I had two with me and that would have been a hell of a claim
 
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