To address the original question about pre-cell phone risk taking: Plenty of people were taking chances or getting into trouble inadvertently before cell phones. In those days usually the first intimation of trouble was the non arrival of the person or group in question. Therefore you started with a search, not knowing the extent of the problem, if any. It was often jolly fun, because frequently you had only a vague idea of their route or plans.

Today, with direct notification, you have location and at least some notion of the nature of the emergency, which, to my mind at least, leads to a much cleaner, efficient operation. Indeed some situations appear to be resolved without dispatching any resources.

The vast majority of my SAR experience was before cell phones. Current practitioners are urged to correct any misconceptions I may have expressed about the current state of affairs.