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Stay Found is First Trail Rule
“When you’re going out for a trail hike, trail run, backpacking trip or bike ride, you should always let someone know where you’re’ going and when you expect to be back, especially when you’re going on a solo adventure.” Said the world’s biggest hypocrite. I’d say about half the time I’m on a trail journey, I break this rule. (Or for you optimists out there, half the time I follow the rule.)
Make Sure I Return App
It’s such a pain to remember to tell someone all that information. And let’s face it, sometimes it feels as if you’re imposing on people or burdening them with “being in charge” of making sure you get back safe from your trail adventure. But it just got a little easier. Thanks to Tim Shettlesworth at the All Outdoor Forum, you can now “set it and forget it.” Well technically you won’t want to forget it, but my point is that it just got easier to stay found. He has added a Make Sure I Return function to his website.
Notify Someone That You’re Going to Be Out on the Trail…
… without really notifying them. It’s a great idea. Whenever you’re going on a trail outing, you visit the Make Sure I Return App. Once there, you fill out a form that tells where you’re going and set a timer for when you expect to be back. You also leave your [cell preferably] phone number and – most important – the email address of who you want to be contacted. Then, if you don’t return at a certain time that person will get an email notifying them of your no-show. In many cases, they’ll call you and you’ll say, “Oops, I was out on the trail a little longer than I expected” or “Oops, I forgot to shut off the timer when I got back.” But in the worst case scenario, they may have to send out the search party to look for you. Actually, that isn’t the worse case scenario. The worst case scenario is if you didn’t use the Make Sure I Return App and no one knew you were missing.
So be safe. Let someone know where you’re going or use modern technology to do the job for you. Make sure you set the app up correctly when you venture onto the trail and turn off the timer when you return. You will find similar apps out there for iPhones, iPads & Androids. But before you look at those other ones, visit the All Outdoor Forum and take a look at Tim’s potentially life-saving web page. The life you save, may be your own.
1 comments
Its a members program that is free