One of my big fears is getting stranded in the backcountry. Despite having great reception even on some of the tallest peaks around me, and in some of deep, dark timbery holes I routinely find myself in, I don't want to be without my ability to contact the outside world when I need it most. I mean, I nearly had that last year when a pre-production snowmobile blew up on me.
Luckily, I had my Garmin inReach with me, and all I had to do was text my wife to send our local Search and Rescue to haul my butt out. They did in short order, and ever since then, I'm been preaching the good word that is you should always have a proper satellite communicator with you whenever you head off for an adventure.
And no, you're satellite-enabled cell phone doesn't count.
Because what's frustrating about the backcountry, or any wild place, is that it doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care how many times you've done it before. It takes no prisoners. It's unforgiving. As was the case of a local Utah UTV driver who went off to explore the Bonneville Salt Flats, just outside of Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for him, the error cost him his life.
Michael Comstock of Sandy, Utah, a 62-year-old UTV owner, was found dead in the Silver Island Mountains after his UTV got stuck on the wet playa, according to the local sheriff's office. Comstock made the unfortunate cardinal sin of Search and Rescue operations, the thing authorities tell you not to do, and that's that he left his vehicle and set off on his own.
Comstock's body was found last month on July 12, when another recreator discovered the man. At the time, police stated, "Mr. Comstock’s [truck] and an empty UTV trailer were located off Interstate 80 in Tooele County. Mr. Comstock was found approximately 20 miles from his [truck]." The coroner's report states that Mr. Comstock passed away due to "heat exposure coupled with a cardiac event."
A group of hunters recently found the UTV, which had become stuck in the Salt Flat's notoriously unstable surface—it tends to go from compact and hard to mushy and muddy in short order, and can catch folks out if they're not careful. Upon its discovery, the Sheriff's office reiterated, "Please be aware of the deceptive nature of the lake bed. While it may appear dry and solid, the surface is often a thin crust of salt that can easily give way, causing vehicles to become hopelessly stuck in the underlying mud."
But again, I wholeheartedly believe that if you're recreating in the wilderness or in any area with poor to middling to no cellphone reception, and it's your job to know what's what before you set off, you should have a satellite communicator as a backup. Without one, you're at the mercy of nature. And nature shows no mercy. Be safe out there, everyone.
