RescueMe PLB1 Personal Locator Beacon

Meredith Fife It might be time for me to invest in something like this. Glad to see someone I know recommend it.

Adam Doppelt So glad you bought this

Tom Laramee Did you know that it's apparently way more economical to be emergency rescued in Snohomish County than it is in King County? (even though the two counties share a lot of emergency rescue infrastructure). Your rescue is also [highly] unlikely to be covered by insurance.

Tom Laramee Some more helpful trivia: if you see an owl and it's just sitting there, still and silent, looking at you .. that owl is just checking you out. If you see an owl and it's bobbing and weaving (like a boxer moving his/her head) and hissing, it's about to attack you (and is likely defending it's territory and/or owlettes).

Meredith Fife I did know that about the owls, thankfully not from personal experience. Good to know about Snohomish. Most of my trail runs are in Pierce County, how do they compare?

Tom Laramee Here's the thing that's insane about owls: they have a silent approach. Meaning, by the time you understand there's an owl attacking you, it will be [literally] right beside (and/or above) your head. Owls are known for their ability to drop out of a tree in complete silence, which I believe makes them unique. It's a bit troubling.

Tom Laramee I actually don't know anything about Pierce County and emergency rescue. I'm pretty sure the helicopter ride is going to cost a few thousand dollars ($6k-$7k), and if you don't have a locator it may take several hours ... sometimes late into the evening. And it'll be volunteers looking for you (if you're lost). The helicopters have thermal sensors, but that doesn't help if they can't see you essentially line-of-sight. There are a few hundred rescues in Snohomish County alone every year (I want to say around 225 average, but many more this year) ... mostly broken bones via falling.

Adam Doppelt Do you trail run in the winter too? Presumably the risk increases

Tom Laramee I do. The main impediment is snow... it's pretty easy to reach the snow line, at which point it can be either (a) impossible to run and/or (b) impossible to find the trail. If I'm hiking I might mark where I think the trail is with markers (so I can find my way back) but not when running.

Tom Laramee BTW: I used the marking tape this past weekend - it's a product I recommended on this site. It was a *lifesaver*. We got lost on the way to Rachel Lake ... and would have turned back if I couldn't mark where we thought it made the most logical sense for where the trail continued (it was underwater for a few hundred feet). The marking tape was essential - I tied up approx 20 markers on the way up, and on the way down, they were also incredibly helpful.