Communication
Post trail update
My InReach Mini worked flawlessly throughout the trek and should be considered absolutely essential.
We'll be using a Garmin InReach Mini for communicating with the outside world during the trek. It uses the Iridium satellite network to allow two-way short message communication anywhere in the world, even when far away from a mobile network. It has several useful features:
Messaging
The device can send and receive short, 140 character messages. Messages are sent from the outside world using a simple web form - feel free to send us a message. Outgoing messages are usually created on a phone with bluetooth connection, but in an emergency can be composed on the device.
Social updates
The device can send messages to a preset Twitter / Facebook feed. Unfortunately the Facebook integration needs to be refreshed every 90 days so won't work for our trek, but Twitter seems to work fine.
Live tracking
The device can update a live tracking map with an automatic track point every few minutes, manual waypoints or short messages.
Emergency SOS
In an emergency, an SOS button automaticlly alerts a central emergency control center that can contact search and rescue services.
Weather reports
A weather report can be requested. The response shows a pretty basic weather report for the next few days. The reports unfortunately show temperature at a mystery elevation instead of the freezing level so they're of limited use in the mountains.
Dave
Normally a software engineer, recently I've been spending a bit more time in nature.
