Actor Julian Sands reported missing while hiking

[bcla]

There was news about a missing hiker, but later it was reported that the hiker is Julian Sands who has been in a variety of movies. I remember him in Arachnophobia and Leaving Las Vegas.

https://abc7.com/missing-hikers-search-san-gabriel-mountains-los-angeles-county/12716530/

 

[Disneylover99]

I really liked him. I always remember him from that super weird movie, Boxing Helena.

I heard the news yesterday and I hoped he would be found, but it doesn’t sound promising at this point.

 

[LuvOrlando]

That's sad.

I just don't get the allure of vanishing into the wilderness where no-one can find you. When I watched 127 hours it was sad to see the poor guy's ordeal but there was no shock involved, in my head I thought, "Yep, sounds about right."

How is it there are even blackout regions not covered by a satellite at this point? We keep going to space and can monitor stars and yet we can vanish in a mountain, mind boggling.

 

[fla4fun]

I heard about this and it made me sad. I remember him in A Room With A View, among other things. I just saw him in a rerun of Ghost Whisperer this weekend. I have always admired his work.

He is supposedly an avid and experienced hiker. He probably thought he was qualified to take on the weather conditions at the time, and if he had a cell phone, probably thought going alone was no big deal. I hope he is taking shelter somewhere in a cave, but it doesn’t look good that he has been missing so long.

To the pp who mentioned satellite phones, it would be nice if all cell phones were required to have satellite capabilities and that the use of them was free in an emergency, just like it became mandatory to allow access to 911 on any cell phone regardless of plan, for free. I know Apple has come out with emergency satellite messaging and I hope this is just the first step in making satellite emergency service available. There are too many places that still don’t have great cell service, and if your car breaks down or you get hurt, you should be able to get help.

 

[Mysterian]

Aside from some shows/films mentioned, I remember him from Warlock and The Blacklist too. Hopefully they can locate him swiftly. I heard the search was halted due to poor weather.

 

[DLgal]

His phone pinged near Mt. Baldy. That is a VERY dangerous hike, especially right now with the snow/ice. There have already been 2 confirmed deaths of hikers in this area this year. The most recent one was like a week ago. A woman fell and died.

Hiking is dangerous. Period. I will never understand why people do it.

I don't think he went missing intentionally. But it appears he went hiking alone which is always a bad idea.

 

[MrsPete]

... To the pp who mentioned satellite phones, it would be nice if all cell phones were required to have satellite capabilities ...

Disagree. This would make cell phones considerably more expensive (and heavier), and the vast majority of us never go to places where regular service isn't available.

What would make more sense would be for national parks /similar places to rent satellite phones to hikers heading out into the most remote areas.

... Hiking is dangerous. Period. I will never understand why people do it ...

Depends upon where you go. Hiking on established trails while letting people know where you are is a low-risk activity.

 

[_19disnA]

Cell phones work by using available cell phone towers to transmit the signal. There are a number of places with hilly terrain when you can't get a cell phone signal since the terrain blocks the signal. That is different from satellite phones which aren't that common, are very expensive and send their signal to a satellite orbiting miles above the earth.

With either device, if you fall or are injured in some way, your phone may also have been damaged or if you have a serious injury, you may be unable to try to contact anyone. Weather can also change dramatically in a fairly short period of time, but it seems like experienced hikers would know that and plan accordingly.

 

[GreatLakes]

You don't really need a full-blown Sat Phone if you just need it for emergencies. I wouldn't go into the wilderness without something like an InReach mini which isn't that expensive and has plans that you can just activate when needed.

The internals needed for Sat communications aren't as simple as adding another small radio like Bluetooth or NFC. It is significant, at least in a small device, and would be overkill for most people.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

On some of the shows I've watched about game wardens and the like certain places with hiking areas have a system in place where at one starting point of the trailhead a hiker will put their info in a covered type shelter in slots. Along with pertinent information including dates they expect to be gone there's name, I *think* description but not positive and contact information. Then they can check that often enough for if a hiker doesn't come back out at another end of a trail and while it's not perfect it does provide at least information that in the event they come up missing there's at least some more to go off of.

In the case of this person missing they were reported missing on the same day they left so I'm not sure that system would have helped if it hadn't been checked that day for hikers out in a particular region.

 

[kdonnel]

Disagree. This would make cell phones considerably more expensive (and heavier), and the vast majority of us never go to places where regular service isn't available.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro come with Emergency SOS via Satellite for free for two years after activation.

I am not sure why this feature has not been highlighted more in advertisements.

The iphone 14 actually weighs slightly less than the iphone 13. 6.07 oz vs 6.1 oz.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426

The feature has already been credited with saving people.

https://gizmodo.com/apple-emergency-sos-satellite-services-rescue-la-county-1849894698

https://www.pcmag.com/news/man-stra...d-after-using-iphones-emergency-sos-satellite

 

[kdonnel]

If you are an avid hiker of remote areas, there is no reason not to own a SPOT.

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/

 

[georgina]

Hiking is dangerous. Period. I will never understand why people do it.

Where I live crossing the street can be dangerous, yet I do it every day. Someone was shot while riding in an Uber a block away from where my DD lives, fortunately not too badly injured. Driving/riding in a car is very dangerous.

Hiking is relatively very safe. I'll take my chances.

 

[BrianL]

Disagree. This would make cell phones considerably more expensive (and heavier), and the vast majority of us never go to places where regular service isn't available.

What would make more sense would be for national parks /similar places to rent satellite phones to hikers heading out into the most remote areas.

Depends upon where you go. Hiking on established trails while letting people know where you are is a low-risk activity.

Yeah, it's only dangerous if you go solo into a remote/wild area and don't let anyone know where you are. We have a wooded park in the city whre I go hiking sometimes, but I don't see it as dangerous - you can still hear street traffic from wherever you are!

 

[DLgal]

Yeah, it's only dangerous if you go solo into a remote/wild area and don't let anyone know where you are. We have a wooded park in the city whre I go hiking sometimes, but I don't see it as dangerous - you can still hear street traffic from wherever you are!

I'm talking about.mountain hiking. Not walking down a wooded path in a suburban park. That's not hiking. That's taking a walk.

There are numerous hazards on wilderness trails, especially in Southern CA. There are mountain lions, rattlesnakes, bears, and numerous cliffs and canyons. In winter, the trails become treacherous. Going on a hike is a high risk activity here. You go alone at considerable risk.

 

[BrianL]

I'm talking about.mountain hiking. Not walking down a wooded path in a suburban park. That's not hiking. That's taking a walk.

There are numerous hazards on wilderness trails, especially in Southern CA. There are mountain lions, rattlesnakes, bears, and numerous cliffs and canyons. In winter, the trails become treacherous. Going on a hike is a high risk activity here. You go alone at considerable risk.

Well, it's absolutely hiking. We have hilly, dirt trails with ravines etc. There is even some wildlife, though nothing more dangerous than a bobcat, which is a far cry from a mountain lion of course. Of course the where matters, but hiking itself isn't inherently that dangerous.

 

[DLgal]

Well, it's absolutely hiking. We have hilly, dirt trails with ravines etc. There is even some wildlife, though nothing more dangerous than a bobcat, which is a far cry from a mountain lion of course. Of course the where matters, but hiking itself isn't inherently that dangerous.

Semantics, I guess. To me, a hike requires specialized equipment. If I can do it in leggings and sneakers and a t shirt, it's a walk. If I need special boots, a backpack with a day's worth of water, bear spray, a compass and a first aid kit, all packed into a backpack, it's a hike.

 

[BrianL]

Semantics, I guess. To me, a hike requires specialized equipment. If I can do it in leggings and sneakers and a t shirt, it's a walk. If I need special boots, a backpack with a day's worth of water, bear spray, a compass and a first aid kit, all packed into a backpack, it's a hike.

Well, our trails do generally require boots....but I don't think hiking is quite the extreme term as you describe.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, it's absolutely hiking. We have hilly, dirt trails with ravines etc. There is even some wildlife, though nothing more dangerous than a bobcat, which is a far cry from a mountain lion of course. Of course the where matters, but hiking itself isn't inherently that dangerous.

That's what I would say. Maybe the PP doesn't like hiking at all but location always matters. Risks vary by location.

In my area you're not up thousands of feet in the are but you stand an extremely high risk of being around copperheads and rattlesnakes, my entire neighborhood is full of both though most see copperheads which I have def. see. Out on the trails you have to be cautious about that.

In my area will the weather shift in a moment's notice like you might see on a mountain? No

We have bobcats galore (one night they killed some prey at the nextdoor neighbor's house one evening), sometimes lynx and while mountain lions are rarer there have been spottings every now and then (they are highly tracked by the state due to be rarer), coyotes (a ton of those) although they generally stay away from humans in terms of attacking them you'll see them a lot though and in daylight (mostly as their territory keeps getting taken away).

Our newest park for the county is near my house. There's a 4.5 mile mountain bike and hiking trail it is not paved and considered medium to difficult.

Well, our trails do generally require boots....but I don't think hiking is quite the extreme term as you describe.

The PP just means a type of hiking really, they are imagining something that is specific when hiking itself is a broad term. Hiking on a remote mountain with nothing to prepare can be quite dangerous. All hiking and even walking comes with risks. They just vary based on location and difficulty.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Semantics, I guess. To me, a hike requires specialized equipment. If I can do it in leggings and sneakers and a t shirt, it's a walk. If I need special boots, a backpack with a day's worth of water, bear spray, a compass and a first aid kit, all packed into a backpack, it's a hike.

Not to be nitpicky but it's advised (here anyhow) that if you're going out for a walk on the trails in the parks that you make sure you have adequate water with you, first aid, etc. You have to be extremely careful about snakes around here. I have walked as you would call it on the paved pathways of the newest park in my area with a backpack, first aid kit more than enough water, a small clip on compass, etc. I tell my husband when I'm going in and let him know when I'm coming out because there are a few spots that I have found have spotty coverage at best. I also travel with a portable charger for my phone. I'm usually going for about an hour or so each way. Is it super dangerous? I mean no but that doesn't mean I'm just going in leggings and tennis shoes either.