>>(http://www.equipped.org/plb_legal.htm) In Alaska last year, 54 people were rescued after using personal beacons. Many rescues in the state involve stranded snowmobilers. "They're out in the middle of nowhere," Karlson said. "They fire off their beacon because they know they've got a three-day walk and it's 35-below out and they'd be dead in three hours."<br><br>This is the only thing that bothers me about these PLBs. I was once stationed at a Search and Rescue base in eastern Canada, and had the opportunity to talk with one of the SAR Techs at a Mess Dinner. I was surprised by how bitter he was toward most of the people he'd saved; according to him, a significant number of his rescues involved people who took stupid chances because they knew that SAR would bail them out, and never stopped to consider that the SAR guys were putting their own lives on the line to do so.<br><br>I mean, fer Chrissake, I know people who go BACKPACKING in 35 below - for FUN! <br><br>There is no reason why someone on a snowmobile can't carry enough equipment to enable them to snowshoe their way out over 3 days in those temperatures. <br><br>Shouldn't these devices come with a big red warning label saying "Activation of this device does not guarantee immediate response. It is your responsibility to take adequate precautions."? <br><br>Or am I just being a curmudgeon, as usual? }-;