Road trip out West..

[Drew Wiley]

Wonderful time of the year! Vegas might still be a bit too warm; but Zion NP is only a couple hours drive. Depending on snow conditions, you can go to Bryce and
then drop down Hwy 12 into the Escalante, then up over Torrey Pass (wonderful aspen) and down to Capitol Reef for the apple orchard harvest. Accomodations can be very spotty in Oct once you leave Springdale at the entrance of Zion. But at least one motel will be open in Torrey is you aren't prepared to camp. Not many people think of Capitol Reef; but in my opinion it's one of the nicest parks in the whole system - uncrowded and stunningly lovely. Just remember to always have extra food, water, and warm sleeping bags in the car. It gets cold at night, and getting stuck somewhere waiting out a snow flurry is a distinct possibilty. Also be cautious around deer hunting camps up in the aspen. Those dudes are generally outright drunken and pretty irresponsible with guns. What I do, when I see a nice roadside shot, is to drive a bit further, make sure there are no hunters nearby, then swing back to the photo location. Mid-route there is
also a pretty decently long paved side road into Escalante territory. Gas up good whenever you can. Towns are far apart. Then from Torrey you can make a loop
back either via Salt Lake City over the Wasatch/Park City area (more lovely aspen), or east and downhill through Hanksville, across the Colorado and a long
loop trip back to Vegas, but realistic in your given two weeks. Doubtless many more options could be cited. But this is one of my personal favorites.

[lenser]

The Ozark Mountains are at their finest and western Arkansas with some really great state parks like Mount Nebo and Devils Dan great vistas wonderful waterfalls and swimming holes fairly easy hikes and yes lots of great stuff in general and great facilities like excellent campgrounds.

[Alan Klein]

Before my wandering out west I bought a Gen 3 device that uses satellite communication rather that cellular. While its purpose is as an emergency notification tool (which I thankfully did not need), I also used it to send and store coordinates of each spot where I setup the LF gear. I also used it to send daily message to family and friends of where I would be for the day. I guess one could use the cellular phone in most places. But, there area spots where coverage does not exist. This is where the satellite devices come in handy.

GPS coordinates come from satellites so their signals are available everywhere. You don't need Wi-Fi or the cellular data signal except for the maps. The GPS in the cell phone (if yours has one) will provide the coordinates and there are apps to record those "waypoints". You can also save maps of the area in the cell phone before you leave so they're available even if cellular data signal are not received. Try out the arrangement before you leave though, shutting down you phone's data receiver.

[Drew Wiley]

The problem with those GPS emergency monitors is that they've become popular in certain areas. In other words, hikers are calling for rescue due to cramps or
stomach aches and diverting limited rescue services from true emergencies. And given the vagaries of mountain weather, helicopters can't just fly in any time they wish, and must often land at a distance anyway due to steep or rough terrain. I've had numerous conversation with backcountry rangers over this problem; and during one instance, two hikers weren't reached in time. That's the other problem - inexperienced people wandering off, naively depending on technology to keep them safe rather than proper footwear or raingear, or a decent jacket. Some of those GPS devices will lead you right over a cliff, just like they'll take you right into a gang war zone in the city if you don't know better. But owning a rescue beacon is something I might do myself in old age, if I go into remote territory alone. I'm just realistic enough not to depend on them, and know of outright failures in that technology too.