For the Usenet permanent record, there's a similar backcountry thread in
terms of _emergency_ calling capability going on in this cross reference:
*Are there places where you can't even make emergency calls*
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/3H9ConAZfcc>

Here is another related post for the permanent record to provide to others.

VanguardLH wrote:

> Personally I have to wonder why micky is going off onto trails to go
> hiking, but has his cell phone on. Isn't the point of venturing into
> wilderness to get away from the din of civilization, not to have a phone
> making noise and interrupting the experience?

I think micky made it clear the point is 911 _emergency_ communications.

But even outside an emergency, there's nothing wrong with sending updates to
your parents, your grandparents, your children, your mom, your aunt, etc.

Look at this thread which shows a perfectly valid use of a cellphone,
although, this perfect apropos usage doesn't require "cellular" signal.
*Using a cell phone for navigation & bearings during backcountry hiking*
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.microsoft.windows/c/5c_iaS01eHM>
> Oh yes, there's the emergency feature of a phone to call when you need
> help. Um, handholding you in the wilderness takes away from the risk of
> you going there. What would be the point of bungie jumping if there
> were a quater-mile square 100-ft high air pad below? If he really is
> enjoying wilderness, and he is turning off his phone to use only for
> emergencies (especially since the phone's battery is crucial for that
> intended emergency-only use, not to blather to friends or family), why
> would he need an app to tell him when he's out of tower range while his
> phone is off?

While some of the above may be tongue-in-cheek chastising micky, I will say
that my battery on my free Android phone is a whopping 5 amp hours, which,
let's be frank, lasts forever even with the radios running full time.

> When we go camping, and if any kids are attending, we say before leaving
> that they either agree to keep their phones off their during the entire
> trip, leave them at home, or they stay home. The only noise I want to
> hear when camping or hiking are the birds screaming to wake me before
> the sun rises. I don't even want the people on the trip talking since
> the point is to be in nature, not yakking away which can be done back
> home.

That's fine but micky was asking about _emergency_ coverage, and not about a
staid quiet simple family camping trip where the worst thing that happens is
you get bitten by a mosquito.

I, for one, hike with climbing gear and clippers, where there is no way to
hike out here without ending up in a steep ravine, where you then have to
climb back out.

It's not the same thing as a picnic table tentsite campout for sure.

> Just imagine how stupid it would be to go a scuba trip to suffer the
> boobs that managed to use their phones underwater. Gee, how was the
> trip? Oh, so-and-so texted me about their cat having kittens. Um, what
> did that have to do with the scuba trip? Oh, I saw videos of the
> Ukraine invasion. Um, did you see anything of the ocean when diving?

I think the most fantastic use of a smartphone while hiking is
a. It's fantastic for photos (and for communicating them to others)
b. It's fantastic for navigation (and for identifying stellar objects)
c. It's fantastic for plant & animal & sound identification
etc.

Here's a screenshot of just my backcountry "nature" folder, by way of
example, where you can see a compass, a bearing indicator, various geoPDF
apps, starmaps, heading calculators, gps-to-sms emergency apps, mushroom
identifier, bird sound identifier, plant identifiers, etc.
<https://i.postimg.cc/Y0MZd55k/nature01.jpg>

Ask me about any of those as I've tested them all with my one-strike and
you're out rule (they can't require any login, for example, or have ads).
--
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sms wrote:

> Contacting emergency services if you, or someone you come across,
> needs help.

Every app I suggest on this ng is almost always going to be free, ad free,
login free, often gsf free & almost always works offline, just so you know.
[It takes more effort but any idiot can suggest an app with ads and login
requirements but it takes intelligence to find the best apps that don't.]

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for smartphone usefulness hiking,
let's say while you were moseying along, you run across an injured person.

Instantly, you need to know an accurate coordinate location which apps like
this GPS-to-SMS app are designed to do for you at a single button tap.
*GPS to SMS - location sharing* by Tralchonok Labs, 100K+, 3.6, free
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.perm.trubnikov.gps2sms>

> Downloading trail maps, especially in areas you're unfamiliar with.

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for downloading useful park maps,
what's _extremely_ useful is to download a PDF (even better, a geoPDF) of
the local park you're hiking in, as it may have more detail than the USGS
topographic geoPdfs, and that gives you the ability to use _that_ park map
with your GPS navigation on your phone (if you use the right apps).
*Avenza Maps: Offline Mapping* by Avenza, 4.7, free but limited to 3 maps
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Avenza>

*Paper Maps* by Abbro, 5K+, 2.8, free ad free & unlimited number of maps
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.abbro.androidmap>

You can even draw your own track on a geoPDF and your navigation software
will let you know at all times where you are in relation to the track.
*All-In-One Offline Maps* by Psyberia
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.psyberia.offlinemaps>

> Finding the trailhead in the first place, though with offline mapping
> you can still do this.

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for finding old trailheads,
what's really neat is downloading _historical_ geoPDFs from the USGS, which
will show you where you are in relation to long lost cities & trails.

For example, in the Santa Cruz mountains is a reservoir over an old town
from the 1940s, where you can tell where you are on the water with this.

Or you can find the old location of silver mines and cinnabar mines by
loading a geological USGS 1:24K topographic map (they're always free).
<https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/>

> Finding other hikers in your party if you get separated

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for finding the rest of the group,
one way to do that _without_ having to log into anything is the GPS-to-SMS
app listed above where you simply create a group and schedule periodic
sending of the messages (or send them ad hoc) of your location.

I don't use these but there are plenty of friend-location apps such as:
*Whizz (SMS Locator)* by Green Machines
<https://whizzap.wixsite.com/whizz/downloads>
Note the Google Play app is just a placeholder.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.greenmachines.way.whereareyou>

> Keeping track of the distance you're traveling and the number of steps

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for step counting & profiles,
I tested most of the free pedometer apps where very few had the privacy you
need which is required for all apps (if they need a login, they're no good).

The best one I found is from the privacy team at Secuso, which is this one:
*Pedometer (Privacy Friendly)* by SECUSO Research Group
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.secuso.privacyfriendlyactivitytracker>

> One week a month my wife is on-call and needs to be reachable 24/7. We
> can still go hiking even on those days but she has to be in an area with
> coverage. Fortunately her employer provides her with an iPhone on
> Verizon so it would be rare for her not to have coverage in the areas we
> hike.

To add value to what Steve kindly noted for local coverage, there are
crowd-sourced cellular coverage map apps, but I don't use these apps myself:
*Coverage Map* by RootMetrics
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootmetrics>
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The job of a Usenet post is to add useful value each time we communicate.