Stranded Woman Starts Forest Fire

<sigh> http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/06...ational-forest/

My Monday morning (Tuesday lunch) quarterbacking:

1) Went into labor unexpectently - Can be somewhat anticipated, but not really something you can schedule. Mine decided to show up a month early, so I can't fault her.

2) Going down an unknown, rarely used, back road while in labor - First mistake.

3) Not having enough gas to begin with - Second mistake

4) Giving birth in car by herself - Kudos for her fortitude and skill.

5) Not planning for getting stranded - This appears to be in a rural area, so...Third mistake. I'm not sure about the air and ground coverage, but this would seem like a good time for mirror and whistle work, and GHB provisions.

6) Forest fire - Kudos on the idea of a signal fire, but points deducted for choice of location.

I wonder if she'll be brought up on criminal charges. Not that I want that, I'm just wondering where the line beteween legal and illegal is.

The woman in the article complained about being outside of cell coverage. I think having GPS on your cell phone can give you a false sense of security, because cell coverage is imperfect. Back roads in the woods are definitely an example of the sort of place where you might get lost. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe a dedicated GPS unit uses satellites, and as long as you get a clear line of sight to the sky, you should be able to get a signal. They have come down in price so much after facing competition from cell phones that they seem worth the money.

The big difference between cell phone GPS and dedicated GPS, is that the dedicated GPS's come preloaded with the maps. The cell phones have to load the maps from the network as needed. They both use GPS satellites to establish location. The cell phone can also use WiFi signals, internet IP adresses, and cell tower signals to approximate it's location in liu of a GPS, sometimes with really off results.

There are cell phone GPS applications intended for off road use, and don't require a network connection of any type. The one I currently favor is "GPS Test Plus" by Chartcross. It gives you bearing and distance to a point. Repeatability is about 50 ft. "Waypoint Pro" is a little more powerfull, being able to show bearing and heading to multiple points simultaneously. But, the bearing can get badly skewed by the emmisions from the dashboard electronics and the steel (magnetic)car frame.

I'm using my phone as a GPS navigator all the time (and used them for many years). No cell coverage necessary at all if you know what you are doing. There are plenty of various software options (paid and free) available, which capabilities significantly better than those of any handheld civilian GPS units I ever heard about. The only issue with them - they need more power, so a solar panel is a must have on a multi-day hike (I've got Goal Zero Nomad 7 - adequate enough in sunny California).

In my experience, a dedicated hiking GPS is far more reliable than anything built into a cell phone.

I have used some form of GPS for quite a while. My Garmin Vista HCx has seen pretty much constant use since about 2007, still going strong. Despite some minor flaws it has done the work very well for the most part. Its battery life on a couple of AA cells is about 24 hours of continuous use. Or about 24 times longer a modern smartphone will last with the GPS turned on.

Then comes the issue of mechanical reliability. I've dropped a dedicated GPS receiver more times than I'm ready to admit. No damage beyond a few scruffs and scratches. On the other hand, very few cell phones will tolerate any kind of abuse. Heck, pretty much every cell phone I've owned in the last decade has fallen apart within two years of nothing more than basic urban EDC.

The way I see it, a standalone GPS receiver intended for hiking use is a serious outdoor tool. A cell phone, not so much. I'm sure you can get plenty of apps and gizmos for a modern GPS smartphone but I don't really see any practical value in that department. As long as my GPS receiver gives me an accurate location fix that's pretty much all I'll ever need.

As always, YMMV.

If you are used to just pulling up Google maps, and you are out of cell range, you are out of luck, but there are good applications that allow for better use.

I have 2 or 3 smart phones that I bought for our kids that are not activated, just used as very very cheap game/music/cameras..
(God Bless Black Friday) cost ranged from 19.95 to 24.95.

The GPS works just fine, as well as the car units I own. You just need to download maps while at hone in a wifi area.

I find that Sygic works best on the older phones. Downloaded all state that I travel in and through. I update the maps every year.

You can "ruggedize" your smartphone with many decent options and for cheap nowadays. I have dropped my older smartphone in the Otterbox Defender case many times as well - still working and looks like new. The new one have a hand/neck strap, attached to the Otterbox (DIY), and a "bulletproof" belt clip - never dropped it yet, but pretty sure it will survive almost anything a dedicated unit could, as I have a good habit already of protecting it at all times (too many survival tools on it). I know about the "redundancy" argument, but I prefer the "perfect single all in one, compact, lightweight tool, which I can protect the best I could" paradigm.

The "Only 24 hours with GPS on" - is not true anymore, get to Airplane mode, turn all power saving options, and don't use the screen too often, - you'll get the same time as a typical mapping handheld GPS, but way more functionality in the palm of your hand. There are plenty of on-the-go recharging options too, which are more efficient than just an AAs pile, when considered hiking weight wise, as well.

You are referring to Android phones, not iPhones. With an iPhone GPS is deactivated in Airplane mode, you need to turn on cellular or wifi to get the GPS receiver turned on.

Who, with a sound mind, would volontarily become desiples of the Church of Apple?
I stay far away from anything with a chewed-on apple on it.
Android is the right path to go.

For discussion regarding Android vs Apple, I refer you to the Deteriorating Signal to Noise Ratio thread.

She and the baby are lucky to be alive. What is interesting is that depending on the news source, the stories don't all match up (guess that's not surprising really). Still, things sound a little fishy. Especially since the USFS is apparently investigating the fire.

Some articles say she was walking around a casino trying to induce labor -- but the baby was born premature. Different articles state she was trying to find a back road to her home. Other stories say she was looking for the road to her parents' place. And still other reports say she was looking for another casino to visit.

Oddly, the mother of this lady didn't bother to contact the police about her pregnant daughter who had been missing for days, but instead took to Facebook in her search. Yet another head-scratcher.

From the A.P. article:

"U.S. Forest Service spokesman Chris French said Tuesday that a helicopter pilot responding to a brush fire Saturday first spotted a mother and an infant. Rescue workers on the ground whisked the pair to safety and they were taken to a hospital, French said.

French said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

'I cannot confirm the day of birth beyond that she reported to us she had been there for three days,' French said. 'Also, her statement to us was that she gave birth at her vehicle within the forest. We did not witness the birth.'"

Some years ago a partially blind hiker did this same thing to get found. It worked.