Good article, thanks for the link.

Rather than "dumber," I'd say "lazy," "complacent," "overconfident."

My cell phone (Verizon) is not even 100% in the city (depends on the building) so no way I'd bet my life on it in the wilderness. It stops working altogether 70 miles west of DC in route to our usual campground in the Shenandoahs. Even on top of the mountain coverage is spotty, at best.

A consistent theme in cases cited in the article is that people panic near darkness. Yet, they seem not to have given any thought to the challenges and dangers rescuers face after dark.

So add "self-centered" to lazy, complacent and overconfident.

It would be tragic if PLB alerts become as dubious as home and car alarms - which people around my neighborhood don't pay much attention to anymore because most have been false alarms.