Yep, that was a nice save. You’d like to believe every snowmobiler who goes long in the Canadian wilderness would have that knowledge, SA and equipment, but it’s possible this family was saved by an exception.

It’s back to the idea we’ve discussed many times before. How many emergencies start off with someone getting lost? Navigating with a cellphone in Manitoba??? WTF? That nav tactic works while walking in urban areas where the only thing you need to worry about is tripping on an open manhole cover or stepping in dogs**t, but using one for driving off-road in Manitoba in winter?? Did they even realize they were off-road? Again, WTF.

Okay, those thoughts are from someone who uses a dedicated GPS receiver (one without a cell receiver) to calculate ETA’s while driving, paper maps and has been known to use a sextant. But the idea of blindly following GPS directions just put a thought in my head regarding filters for even a dedicated vehicle GPS (like my Garmin Nuvi receiver). I have mine set up for driving primarily on highways and prioritize time over distance. But I wonder if a filter could be used to remove roads that are not serviced in winter... I’m sure it could.