Tech and the Wilderness

A Surprise in the Wilderness

This weekend my family was ready to start our hike in the Philip Burton Wilderness. We planned to go up and down over a couple of hills, drop down by the ocean and then walk along Ocean Trail above the cliffs.

While in the parking lot my Apple Phone asked me a brand new question (I am on the 2nd update of the new beta features). Did I want to connect to satellite? I would soon be or was already out of reach of cell phone service.

I rather like having my phone with me on hikes for the sole purpose of taking numerous photos (please find a sampling below). I also enjoy not receiving phone calls and text messages while out in nature. However with my husband and I being in our 60’s, the idea of having access to call an emergency number if needed becomes more appealing over time.

New Satellite Feature is Not Automatic

So, I asked my family to give me a minute to connect to satellite. Not being so techie, they rolled their eyes but waited.

What I learned was that being connected to satellite is not automatic. The instructions my phone gave me was to point my phone in the direction of the satellite as an image of the earth and the satellite appeared on my phone. It even instructed me to move left or right to get it in place. See my screenshots below.

It can take up to a minute - a long time for those not interested and ready to get the hike started before the hot sun came out even stronger. Thankfully I was connected in less than a minute and off we went!

Later when I checked my phone, I found that the connection had been lost and that I needed to reconnect. Ok. So, I did. Again it did not take long. Then I mostly forgot about it… until my mom called.

In a Moment of Wilderness Wonder

We were on the part of the trail where the windswept landscape was golden with drying grasses dotted with green coyote brush and pools of white daisies gentling bopping their heads in the breeze. The sky was a clear deep blue, contrasting with the steely green blue of the ocean specked with white caps from the refreshing northern breeze.

Flying over the oceans edge were large white pelicans and a variety of sea gulls. Ever present in these areas are turkey vultures. One swept very close to us, circling around us, making us chuckle and ask if we were all fully alive. I asked, should I see what happens if I practiced the yoga relaxation pose called the corpse pose? “No mom. Don’t.” was the reply.

Then my mother called! The satellite feature was working and a few messages came through - or maybe we had a moment of cell phone service as can happen. I didn’t answer. We kept on walking. Alive and well.

Transparency Note:
None of this was written with the help of AI. All grammatical mistakes or awkward sentences are my own. All photos and videos, clear or blurry, are my own.

Sometimes I do use AI to help streamline my writing process or create images. I will let you know when I do. I also offer classes on how to use AI to improve your work flow, writing and image creation.