I don't know that I would be quite so hard on poor Jim. A Cell Phone certainly has it's place and for MOST americans, it IS the only thing they have for emergencies. But I remember when my wife (then my girlfriend) got a bag phone for her car when a girl disappeared on the same highway she took to college. There are times when Cell Phones truly serve a purpose other than annoying the crap out of us at restaurants, theaters, in lines, and even in school. I've seen PLENTY of 5th graders with cell phones (usually better than the one I have!) and as long as the scouts had them packed away with the batteries charged, but turned off, I see no problem with including them in their gear. I can think of a lot of situations where this would be FAR better than other outcomes and at that age, sometimes fear overwhelmes reason pretty easily and just knowing they have it could be helpful.

True that the signal might not reach them and the whole excursion shouldn't ever touch the cell except in an emergency, they should still be informed of their usefulness and the rules of engagement for using them. And with the GPS tracker units in them now, if they can get to high ground and get a signal even for a brief moment, they might be able to send their location to the cell company. Or maybe get out a text message.

I assure you that when my little scout grows old enough to be out there, he'll be trained in using it properly and have one with him. It's a tool, just like a whistle, a knife, or a firestarter. Used improperly, it can be painful. Used with care and training, and the understanding that it might not always work, I think it's useful.

In fact, I'd use it as a training exercise since you could show them that they can get their little tails out of trouble without relying on others and show them how to think and why it's important even WITH a cell phone.

Also I think he didn't know 98.6 since it's in F and not C. Silly Imperial measurements. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />