Another lost hiker. This one with a happy ending compliments of an emergency whistle. From the pictures and other stories on the internet, it looked like she fetched up 100ft down a 800 ft cliff, and crawled back up about 50 ft. before she got stuck. None of the pictures showed the cliff face in sunlight, so I'm guessing it was North facing (no sunlight for mirror flash).

I was unable to find any information regarding if she had a proper flashlight, or it simply wasn't powerful enough to find the trail in the fading light. It seems that a lot of people now rely on short range cell phone lights instead of dedicated flashlights/headlamps.

This was another case where relying on cell service was a major mistake. An old fashion dead man's envelope (itinerary left behind), PLB, or satellite messenger would have resulted in a faster rescue. It seams that it should almost be mandatory to have one during solo back country hikes.

Woman survives 100-foot fall while hiking in southern Utah

Extremely fortunate. A vertical drop of that extent would unquestionably been fatal. Thank heaven for the whistle.

You can get a whistle for about a buck in MANY places in my neck of the woods. Light, small, easy to use.... You just never know when you might need help.

A friend of mine slipped down a cliff at a local conservation area, while walking her dog in the winter a couple of years ago. She managed to grab a tree about 80 feet down her tumble towards the river another 100 or so feet below. The park is right in the heart of her city, and it was a routine trip for them, so she thought nothing of it as she left her car, cell phone and keys in her coat pocket. She was lucky enough to be able to use her cell phone with her broken arm, while holding onto the tree with the other.

She called her mom, who called the police, who called the local fire dept, who then called the regional rope rescue team. They knew what trail she took, but couldn't find her in the dark. Thankfully she had a whistle on her keychain, and they were able to locate her that way. $1.25 well spent!

Added to the where to start thread:

Let me update that after another thread (woman saved by whistle), put the light AND the whistle round your neck.
I forgot cos my whistle is on my watch strap, there's another on my keyring with more lights.
Lights and whistles weigh and cost nothing, so scatter them round your person. If you can go with the high quality ones do so, but a christmas cracker one is better than nothing.

qjs

I did a very unscientific test of the 3 pea-less whistles I was looking over for some Christmas gifts several years ago.... I carry a plated brass whistle with pea... and disclaimer::I have significant hearing loss in the 4000 Hz range from 35 years of pistol competition... the Acme 636 at the top was the loudest to my old ears (from the Lifeguard Store)...

There is a handy whistle whic is an integral part of the sternum strap on your pack https://www.rei.com/product/848923/gear-aid-whistle-sternum-strap-buckle-kit-34

$5 well spent

I have one of the sternum strap whistles, and they're strictly the backup of a backup. I keep the 636 as my rangemaster whistle because the biting tone cuts well through background noise.

For pealess whistles, I like the ACR for giving the loudest blast for the lightest blow, and the "lifeboat" whistles for carrying distance. But, my go to rescue whistle is the big storm whistle. Attracting rescue should not involve subtlety.

Someone who had given it more thought then I have.

https://bigpigblog.com/2014/06/13/whistlemania-iv-sound-off/

"I have one of the sternum strap whistles, and they're strictly the backup of a backup."

I would basically agree with your statement, but the sternum strap whistle is always there. I bought a new pack this week, and I noted that the sternum strap whistle was part of the package.

The whistle you have handy is better than the one back in the drawer. I typically carry at least one other (louder) whistle with me when outdoors.

That was a great whistle test series - the link above is to part IV, but the author posted the five completed parts here:

https://bigpigblog.com/tag/safety-whistles/

[Note: I don't see the part VI "in the woods" test yet, but the author cautions that his preliminary testing indicates different results than in the over-water test.]

In the overwater test, only three of the two dozen whistles tested were heard at 1 mile by the non hearing-damaged subjects. Those three were:

• Storm (heard at 1/2 mile by the hearing-damaged subject)
• Windstorm
• lifejacket whistle (heard at 3/4 mile by the hearing-damaged subject)

The site doesn't give a brand for the lifejacket whistle, but comparing the photos with the Net, I'd say the Sea-Dog Life Jacket Whistle is the best match.

If you have a Boy Scout troop to equip, try searching for "Sea Dog Life Jacket Whistle Display - 40 pack" - the unit price drops below $1.35 including shipping.

I carry the TOPS whistle in my EDC neckpouch, and the STORM in my glovebox.

I did have a lifejacket whistle, and liked it, but my wife liked it better than the others, so it is mine no more.

I like the way Whistlemania/BigPigBlog does their testing using the ears of real SAR folks. I too have high-end frequency hearing loss and it makes a big difference in the real world. Throw in a bit of tinnitus and a whistle tone can be effectively masked. Pulsing the tones helps a lot IMO; it seems that a long tone will get drowned out while short blasts in succession will be picked up, regardless of the tonal frequency.

BTW, I settled on the FOX 40 Sharx, easy to blow (I don't understand "too easy") and a frequency that comes through my ambient background noise.

FWIW