Cell Phones in the Backcountry

By Tony Goodwin


Adirondack cell phone coverage--even in built-up areas--is spotty at best, so one should never count on being able to summon assistance instantly. Cell phones have, however, become a factor in mountain rescues and their use has helped to initiate rescues sooner.

If one does have a cell phone and needs to call for help, one’s chances of connecting to a cell tower are greater at higher elevations, which can lead to a dilemma: whether one will get help faster by going uphill or heading for the trailhead. Wherever you are, if you do have a signal, the number to call is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Emergency Dispatch at 518-891-0235. Here you will talk to someone who will likely know something about the area you are calling from and in many cases be able to talk directly to a forest ranger. Simply calling 911 gets you a distant operator who can only relay your message through several agencies until it reaches, you guessed it, DEC Emergency Dispatch.
 

Provide a call-back number so that rescuers can call if they need additional information. Since cell phones don't always "ring in" in peripheral coverage areas, call periodically to ask if the rescuers have been trying to reach you.
 

In the backcountry especially I consider a cell phone to be more electronic leash than lifeline. I like the idea that, except in an emergency, cell phone use is not permitted in the High Peaks--and presumably will be prohibited in other Wilderness Areas as those plans are implemented or updated. Although this prohibition seems to be ignored with about the same frequency as talking on the phone while driving, it represents at least a recognition that some of us are there to remove ourselves from the bonds of modern technology. How this ethical debate plays out over time and as the technology evolves is anyone's guess.