Stowe Mountain Rescue has ‘Ground Control’ tips for backcountry safety
September 11, 2024 | By Stella Richards | Stowe Mountain RescueEditor’s Note: Stowe Mountain Rescue’s Facebook page is a community resource, sharing communications about the organization’s trainings, calls to assist people in the backcountry, and timely guidance to those venturing out to do so safely. SMR gave us permission to share the following dispatch posted on Sept. 1 that uses David Bowie’s 1969 classic tune “Space Oddity” as a metaphor.
“Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on…”
When Major Tom’s circuit goes dead and he loses communication, Ground Control is powerless to help him and he drifts away to die a lonely death. That’s the nature of space exploration and the whole point of David Bowie’s song.
Stowe Mountain Rescue on a recent night call on Mount Mansfield. Courtesy photo
The mountains, on the other hand, are another matter and timely rescue is possible, as long as we know your location. And here we have a tenuous segue to a safety message about always establishing “Ground Control” when you go off exploring remote places.
If you’re injured in the backcountry and your cellphone is dead, you might as well be on the moon. A critical part of your backcountry mission should be to designate someone responsible for knowing where you’re going, where you’ll park your car, your intended route, and your anticipated timeline. Choose a reliable person who will actually notice if you don’t come home. Ask them to keep their phone with them and to answer all calls, even numbers they don’t recognize (in case you have to borrow a phone from a passing hiker). Don’t forget to contact them when you’re back at the trailhead/off the mountain/out of the woods!
If night falls and you’re not home at the anticipated time, your Ground Control should contact the police, who will initiate a search. The difference between searching an area from a trailhead with no information about the subject’s plans versus a search with a known direction of travel and intended route can be a matter of days versus hours. In other words, you might have to wait days for rescue if you don’t have Ground Control providing that crucial information to the search manager.
Another important point we can pull from Space Oddity: Protect your circuit! By carrying a spare battery bank you can help prevent your circuit from going dead and thereby avoid Major Tom’s fate. There may be areas where you don’t have cell coverage, but more often than not you’ll still be able to place a 911 call (which automatically communicates your location to first responders).
This might be OUTDOOR SURVIVAL LESSONS FROM POP ICONS, Chapter One.
Stella Richards is a volunteer with Stowe Mountain Rescue.
