*** High Tech Aids Fail Hiker ***

Thu Aug 29 18:37:16 1996
Message : #1692374579    From: Eric Werme
Address : werme@alingo.zk3.dec.com
Group   : Usenet.rec.backcountry
Org.  : Digital Equipment Corporation

Yes, indeed, the largest newspaper in New Hampshire has once again
recognized an idiot in their lead story. Once again, it's worth
sharing with sci.geo.satellite-nav and rec.backcountry readers.

Under that headline is this subtitle:

Fish and Game Officers' "Trip Through Hell" Fails To Locate Man Who
Surfaces Next Morning.

By Lorna Coloquhoun
Union Leader Correspondent

THORNTON - A day's training session for his bear tracking dogs stretched
into an overnight ordeal for a Hooksett man Saturday after he was unable
to find his way off a mountain when his two compasses, cellular
telephone and satellite navigation system failed him.

Michael A. Rego, 33, left Hubbard Brook State Park at about 7 a.m.
Saturday with his two bear hounds to spend a day training them for the
upcoming hunting season, according to Fish and Game Lt. David Hewitt.

"He was carrying a cellular telephone, a global positioning system unit
and telemetry equipment to track the dogs," Hewitt said. "He had two
compasses, one of which was not working properly."

Rego ascended the 3,221-foot Mount Cushman with the dogs, but did not
use a trail, Hewitt said.

"It was very rough," he said. "At about 1 p.m., he called his wife to
say that he was lost and that the GPS unit was not working."

Nearly four hours later, he said, Rego again called his wife to say he
was dehydrated and weak. After his wife called state police in Twin
Mountain, Fish and Game officers began a search for him.

Efforts to reach Rego via his cell phone failed and Rego's wife was
instructed to obtain Rego's GPS coordinates the next time he made
contact with her. Those were received just after 7 p.m., at which time
Fish and Game officer Sgt. Craig Jewett and Conservation officer Fred
Olesen headed into the woods to find Rego.

"It was rough, it was steep, there was no trail and it was through the
woods," Hewitt said. "It is the worst rescue we've had at night. As
Sgt. Jewett said, it was a trip through hell."

"He didn't respond to gunshots, whistles or shouts," Hewitt said.
"He wasn't in the immediate area."

The searchers came out of the woods around 1:30 Sunday morning.

Rego later told them that the batteries had failed on both his cell phone
and the GPS unit. [One might want to check ftp://sundae.triumf.ca/pub/
peter/gpsutm.txt for comments from Don Bartlett about sensible use of a
GPS receiver and battery conservation.] By 6:30 a.m. Sunday, the cell
phone batteries had charged enough for him to contact Fish and Game Lt.
Richard Estes, who heads the department's GPS training. A southerly
bearing was given to Rego and he found his way off the mountain ar about
10:30 a.m.

Along with the dead and dying batteries for the high tech equipment,
Rego carried a malfunctioning compass, although, Hewitt said, he wasn't
sure which one was working properly and which one was not.

"He told us that the map he had wasn't of much use," Hewitt said. "He
had never been in that area before, but with the GPS unit, he thought it
was a good opportunity to explore new areas.

Rego carried with him a spare blanket and was able to ward off the chill
of the late summer's night.

His two dogs, he added were still missing as of yesterday afternoon.
Local police departments have been advised to be on the lookout for the
hound and blue tick who became separated from Rego on Saturday.

"Electronic devices are nice, as long as there is sufficient power,"
Hewitt said. "It is also important to have a good compass, a good map
and the knowledge to use a map and compass.


<>   Eric (Ric) Werme   <> Why Government Doesn't Work!  For details <>
<>  <werme@zk3.dec.com> <>    visit http://www.HarryBrowne96.org/    <>

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