"Are there any places where you actually can get so far out that you can't get 911 anymore?"

Absolutely! While the eastern U.S. doesn't have many points over 3,500 ft, the terrain out here varies between 282 ft below sea level to over 20,000 ft, with nearly endless variations in between. If there is a hill or outcrop or mountain between your cell phone and the nearest tower, you are SOL for 911 or anything else. We have wilderness areas that measure in the millions of acres. You just don't have to go very far to find yourself out of cell phone range.

Anyway, I posted the original article because many people think their cell phone, GPS and PLBs will solve all their wilderness problems, and they won't.

Sue

I should have worded that better, I know I can't get cell phone reception at my parents house in the valley but its not really all that far out there and if I just walk up a hill then you do get reception. I want to know are there any real places I can go camping without seeing and hearing someone else, places I have to setup my own camp, not park in a designated parking spot. places we actually can go explore a little bit.

Eugene:

YES!! there are definatly places that you can go and explore..

Hmm, that's not a remedy, that's a result....

The point is that help is more accessible in the city than in the wilderness.

I can't get a cell signal 80 miles outside Washington, D.C. in route to Shenandoah National Park.

In the city, my cell phone works and 911 usually yields a quick result.

I have Verizon cell service and lose the signal about 80 miles west of Washington, D.C. in route to the Shenandoah Mountains. In the Shenandoah, at 3700 feet, cell reception is the exception, not the norm.

That's why I so enjoy camping out there. Cell service has certainly improved over the years but it is my no means everywhere. Not by a long shot.

When you are stripped of all your tools, all you have is your ability to adapt. Depending on anything other than yourself is putting you in harms way. Unfortunately, our society makes us dependent people-dependent on others, on gadgets, on almost everything. Case in point; I had to go survey a field yesterday for a parade this weekend. I sat down & drew a rough sketch of the field, where everything was laid out, etc. I put a North arrow pointing roughly in the northern direction. The two people with me we completely amazed I knew where north was "instinctively". I merely pointed out to them that the sun sets it the west...I sorta figured it out from there (it was almost 7PM at this point). Point of the story is, people are so reliant on everything else to get their information, they tune themselves out. Then, when the chips are down, they have no one to rely upon but themselves-and, sadly, at that point, no experience to draw upon.

that's funny, cause finding north without gear wasn't even on the list of stuff i thought would get commented on while i was reading that.

What burns my butt is this talk of luck.

An experienced backpacker goes into the woods for the weekend. He falls and breaks a leg in east no-place. Because he is experienced, he has the gear and the knowledge to survive this accident.

No luck involved. He sat down and made a plan and knew what to do if something like this happened. More importantly, he told other people what to do if he didn't show up by a certain time.

Everything is a matter of being prepared for the environment you are placing yourself in. Should you choose to live in a city, you learn the rules of the city. You know how to hail a cab, take a subway, where not to go. If you decide to leave the city without the requisite knowledge to survive outside your "comfort zone"... failure to plan.

Planning is an important part of any venture. Be it a trip to the 7-11 to get a quart of milk... better take my wallet, car keys, not too much money... or be it a trip to Alaska for a month... the same rules apply. Know your environment and the rules to survive in it.

Amen brother.

Sort of like the old Arnold Palmer quote - "The more I practice, the luckier I get."

Practice means thinking about it before, during and after to see if there are better or alternative ways to cope.

My favorite winter hiking area has no cell service and essentially no visitors.
That's why I leave a hike plan and timetable with my wife. And why I carry about 25# of Just In Case on my back.