The Catalinaas are deceptive. This is a mountain rangerising more than a mile aboe the surrounding lowland. The upper section, sporting a pine forest, while hilly, is fairly easy walking country, as is the lower portion, where the gradient eases as canyons and streams approach their base level. In the section in between, the canyons feature very steep cliffs and significant waterfalls. People, especially if they are unfamiliar with the terrain, can take days to work their way down canyon and they are exposed to significant risk is doing so.

In searching these canyons, SAR has learned to stay on the ridges and check places where the unwary are likely to hang up. If you know the territory, you can easily descend in a day.

This desert country is utterly unlike anything I have seen in the British Isles. The Catalinas are not unique, but they are close to a large population center and therefore snare many newbies.

I deal with funky cellphone reception routinely when on the (California) Channel Islands. The trick is to keep trying, shifting your location. Sometimes moving just a few feet will make a difference. Rather than bothering with a helium balloon, it would be just as easy to pack a PLB