Thanks, HikerDon, for your comments. You comment about the ranger boats is helpful as the reply I received didn't indicated how accesable radio contact or help would be. <br><br>I agree that for a "typical backpacking" trip, a radio would be a luxery item. But my son's known medical condition requires that I "be prepared." He is not a sickly boy by any means, but that's not a indicator of risk, as we have sadly seen recently with the deaths of healthy collage football players. I have seen what happens in an asthma attack firsthand and it's scary. As the lungs start to fill up with fluid, you feel so helpless just watching. You can't tie a splint or apply a bandage or use any other typical first aid technique that you may know. You have to rely upon the medications to take effect and reverse the attack. And you can't always be sure what will trigger it. My son's last bad attack came on a troop sleep-over in the church basement. Apparently, something, perhaps the cleaner they use, triggered an attack. He was hospitalized for two days.<br><br>Yes, adding a radio will increase my pack's weight. And I know that weight is the primary concern when selecting gear. I have heard of dedicated hikers drilling out holes in a plastic spoon handle to reduce weight. Under that type of comparison, a marine radio seems totally out of line.<br><br>However, I cannot take the chance. My son has never had a severe asthma attack in the summer even in remote areas, but if he were to run into something that could trigger an attack, it could be fatal. Adding a 10 oz. (280 gr) radio, such as the Icom M-1V seems trivial if it's truly needed. (BTW, that model also receives the weather frequencies).<br><br>Some folks may be shaking their heads at what may be considered an over protective father. But most floks also don't realize how deadly ashtma can be. It is not the sniffles and runny nose of allergies. A few years ago, one of our corpoate lawyers waas found dead on his doorstep from an asthma attack. He was an intellegent, well read man who knew of his condition. Yet he died within feet of his home, an appartment in the city.<br><br>FYI, The reply also said I could leave my son's electric nebulizer at one of the two main offices where they have electricity. The local ferry circles the island every day, so I'll make note of the schedule and bing it on a special cheat sheet so I'll know possible contact and pull-out points. Also, in a dire emergency, there is helecopter service to Thunder Bay in Canada, weather permitting.<br><br>I'm curious, the email I received seemed short on information, and the NPS web sites make no mention of emergency procedures. Do national parks have SAR and emergency procedures or do they rely upon local agencies?