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Cellular
Phones and Wilderness Travel
By: Richard Munn
About a year and a half
ago, someone posted an inquiry on a forum on the old 'Ontario
Canoe Routes' site about carrying a cellular phone on a canoe
trip.
The posting evoked a passionate (to put it mildly) response from
visitors. Within a day, the thread had rolled off the
bottom of the page as people from both ends of the spectrum
vociferously put forth their opinions. There did not appear to
be many moderates on the issue. People were either firmly
for, or strongly against.
Those opposed to the idea felt that the concept was akin to
carrying portable stereos, chainsaws and lawn chairs and would
ultimately cause the end of wilderness tripping as we know it.
Those who saw no problem with a cell phone in the equipment pack
were baffled at this response and saw no problem with bringing
along the phone in areas where there was reception.
With the rapid expansion of cellular service, and the
introduction of fairly inexpensive satellite phones, this is an
issue that is not likely to go away.
I am sitting firmly in the camp of those who see no problem with
bringing the cell phone.
I believe that those opposed to the idea envision a gaggle of
paddlers stopping every hour to check in with the office.
They see their wilderness experience marred by the beeping and
warbling of countless portable phones. They see the
concept of carrying a phone as somehow detracting from the
feeling of separation from 'civilization' that we're often
looking for when we paddle.
I agree that stopping for a GORP break and checking in with the
office is a major detraction from the wilderness experience.
If we can't leave the office for a long weekend or a week
without continuously staying in touch, we may as well just stay
in town and work.
But what about having that phone sitting in the pack to be used
in case of emergency? This is the function I envision cell
phones being used for, and I believe it's a valid one. In
my mind, this is no different than carrying any other piece of
emergency gear. In the event of a serious medical problem,
I would welcome the opportunity of calling in the rescue people
rather than spending a day or two paddling out for help.
The time saved in a medical emergency may mean the difference
between life and death for someone in the group.
There are those who feel that simply having a phone in the pack
is a 'cop-out' and the experience of isolation is not a true one
because the option is always there to call out. They feel
that unless all links to civilization are broken, the experience
of wilderness travel is somehow cheapened. To those
people, I ask this question ... "Are you willing to accept
the responsibility in the event of an emergency that you might
have been able to save someone's life, but didn't do so because
you left the phone at home on a matter of principle?"
Some people object to the phone on the basis that it is a new
technology that doesn't mesh well with the idea of traditional
wilderness tripping. On the other hand, these people don't
hesitate to embrace Royalex Canoes, synthetic fill sleeping
bags, Gore Tex rain gear and modern nylon tents. Would
this group have us all go back to cedar canvas boats, wool
blankets, oilskin ponchos and canvas tents?
There is also the argument put forward that when we are
isolated, we rely on our canoe-tripping skills rather than the
fact that we can call for help. By the same logic, I would
assume that we should leave behind the first-aid kit because if
we're careful we won't hurt ourselves. We should leave
behind the repair kit because if we're skilled paddlers we'll
never hit a rock. We should leave behind the spare paddle
because a seasoned wilderness paddler would never drop a paddle
into the river or break a paddle by pushing off from the
shoreline with it...
A cell phone is simply a tool ... nothing more, nothing less.
It can dramatically improve our odds for survival in an
emergency situation. If the service is available in an
area, and we have this resource at our disposal, it is an act of
bravado and foolishness to ignore the option.
Copyright
© 2000, Richard Munn All rights reserved. Not
to be reprinted without the express permission of the author.
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