An 81-year-old New Hampshire man decided to clear some trails near his house.
The Piermont man was a regular hiker, so this task was nothing strange. He said goodbye to his wife and set out at 12:30 p.m. July 1, according to a July 2 news release from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Hours later, something was amiss. The man wasn’t home yet. Throughout the day, he had been sending his wife updates about his location via a rectangular device he had on him called a ZOLEO Global Satellite Communicator, officials said.
The ZOLEO is a satellite communication device that can keep loved ones updated about your location if you are ever off-grid or outside of cellphone range, according to the device’s website.
At 4:43 p.m. the man sent his wife one final location. Then the updates stopped.
Worried, his wife teamed up with two neighbors and went looking for him, officials said. They searched for an hour and a half. She checked repeatedly for updates from her husband. Still nothing.
The wife called for help. New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers, the New Hampshire State Police and the Piermont Police Department rushed to the area. As they were arriving, a lifeline arrived: two more location notices from the man’s ZOLEO. He was alive, officials said.
Rescuers said they charged up an old logging road in an ATV, looking for the man. They reached a swampy area where ATVs could no longer drive and stopped. The rescuers got out of the vehicle and began hiking.
It was 9:15 pm, eight hours and 45 minutes since the man had left home.
The rescuers had been hiking for 0.7 miles when, suddenly, there he was.
At 11:20 pm, exhausted but uninjured, the man was home, officials said.
According to search and rescue statistics, the New Hampshire man’s story is not uncommon. Between 2004 and 2014, national parks handled nearly 50,000 search and rescue cases , according to National Geographic.
Satellite device-related rescues are becoming increasingly common , according to search and rescue teams nationwide. However, these devices aren’t cheap. But experts recommend other safeguards against tragedy while hiking:
What to do if you get lost while hiking
If you think you’re getting lost , experts say it’s best to stop where you are and not panic. You should go over how you got to that point and if you’re able to see any landmarks around.
“Do not move at all until you have a specific reason to take a step,” officials with the U.S. Forest Service said.
You should come up with a plan but stay put unless you are “very, very confident in the route.”
There are steps hikers can take to avoid getting lost and be better prepared for the unexpected:
Have more than enough food and water with you.
Take a compass that you know how to use, or have a GPS device on hand.
Don’t rely solely on your cell phone. It probably won’t work because of a lack of signal or a depleted battery.
Study the terrain and your route, and you should know how you’ll return.
Have the right clothing. Sturdy hiking boots and layers can help you be prepared for rapidly changing weather.
Pack a blanket, flashlight and matches.
Check with a local ranger for special warnings. They can tell you about “fires in the area, bear sightings, flooding, trail or road closures.”
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