From GPS units to e-readers to cameras to emergency beacons, your cell phone can replace a bevy of different gadgets. One thing it can’t sub for: your headlamp.
Just ask the two dayhikers who SAR personnel rescued near Big Sur last weekend. After soaking their clothes in a series of river and creek crossings, the pair became lost in the dark. With no headlamps, they attempted to navigate by the weak beams of their phones’ flashlights. Within hours, one of the phones’ batteries had died, and the other was rapidly dwindling.
At some point in their lives, most hikers will find themselves unexpectedly still out after dark. It can happen because they got lost, started later than they meant to, or just moved more slowly than expected. Being caught by dusk isn’t necessarily an emergency—it’s the same trail at night as it was during the day, after all. As long as you have the layers to handle the chill and are mindful of falls, fast-moving rivers, and other hazards, it doesn’t have to be anything more than a minor inconvenience.
Get caught without a light, though, and things can quickly take a turn for the worse. Without a proper headlamp or flashlight, it can be almost impossible to navigate; hikers also risk…
