[From the February 2012 Mazama Bulletin]
By Barry Maletzky
Just as in the opening scene of “Seven Years in Tibet,” I stumble out of a rugged gully on the north side of the pass where Ed, my climbing partner, has lain sick these past two days. It can’t be the altitude because, at 17,000 feet, we were well below our Himalayan climbing objectives of the past seven days. Still, I was frantic to find some help. Our initial plan was to descend from a different pass directly to a small village where we would find vehicles waiting; this was now secondary to summoning help for Ed.
I thought I had noticed a rough track from on high and thus hoped to find some measure of civilization in this remote valley but, when I reached the dirt road, there was no one in sight nor even any sign of human presence. I trundled downhill, increasingly in despair of reaching any kind of assistance. Suddenly, a noise down the path awakened my spirits. A tattered boy and his lonely straggle of water buffalo were approaching! Unfortunately I also noted that he had no adults with him nor apparently had he any modern equipment which might help us in reaching assistance quickly enough.
Trying to communicate our situation with this Tibetan 12-year-old was frustrating at first until he reached into a particularly filthy pocket and produced his new cell phone! While he calmly dialed up his dad in the nearest village, I stood in wonder. How could he have a phone when he didn’t have decent clothes? How could the phone have any service when I couldn’t see any electricity lines, let alone cell phone towers?
Lan Se (his name) spoke briefly to his father in Tibetan and, within 30 minutes, the drone of a helicopter was the second sweetest sound I have ever heard. (You will have to guess the first.) Ed was plucked from the pass and recovered rapidly in a Lhasa overnight clinic.
Cell phone, and more currently, smart phone service is available in some of our most remote Northwest locations. Yes, you can’t connect in the woods of the Gorge, but you can from open spots on many of its trails and from the tops of many of its peaks. You will find similar service at most areas of all the Dog Mountain Trails as well. Most folks know you can get good connections from each of the Sisters and Broken Top, as well as from Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams along with Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Even further north, in the folded landscapes of the North Cascades, service is often available. Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker, Tomyhoi, Sloan, Twin Sisters and Index all boast good reception.
I’ve accepted the excess weight and now always carry my iPhone in case of emergencies. A less bulky option would be your old flip- or cell-phone if it’s still in service, or the SPOT device. Besides all the ropes, ‘biners and slings, it has become my essential piece of gear. I don’t know about you but in my case, an urgent situation can occur on even the most elementary of outdoor excursions.