I'll note that a 406 MHz PLB would have gotten them rescued promptly.
I bought my GyPSI 406 PLB when the Missus and I went on a single vehicle roadtrip to Toroweap. It was one of the first manufactured (manu date 5/2003) and cost me $700 or $800 at REI.
We were prepared for nearly any contingency with food/water for a week, onboard welder, CO2 gas, winch/hi-lift/shovel, 10 meter radio with MARS/CAP mods, GPS/DeLorme Gazeteers/compasses and plenty of reading material. Toroweap was problem-free but we did snap a control arm bolt in Escalante that got replaced with a hemostat and bailing wire.
Now that we have a Dear Son (15 mo), our daring road trips have been curtailed to trips back and forth to a rural cabin and to major metropolitan centers (no longer fly due to the humiliation of removing shoes).
The GyPSI has been collecting dust for the most part as our trips are "easy". Having read this story, the GyPSI will be getting a Yellow Etrex (mostly travel in mountainous regions without WAAS availability) with attaching cable and will be accompanying us on ANY travel out of our immediate hometown.
I definitely will be getting the battery replaced in 2008.
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