Long article on Cell phones in Yellowstone and Glacier

soos wrote:
I understand the concept of having cell service available for emergency purposes. My problem is that when I am hiking the beautiful trails of Yellowstone and wherever else, the last thing I want to hear is some one jabbering on their phone. I also don't like it when someone plays loud music while hiking on a remote trail. Yeah, its disturbing to others. I hike to get away from all that stuff.
Maybe I'm cranky. I also hate it when people talk on the phone in a public bathroom, while on the can. Hello???? Seriously, if people knew how to be considerate, it wouldn't be much of an issue, but we are all about what WE want.

Right on!! At this time you can even now get cell phone coverage around Fishing Bridge and other areas of Yellowstone. Yes, we have hiked in Yellowstone and other natural areas of our country where cell coverage was available (if you get up high you can get a signal) and to hear someone talking loudly, like most cell users do, is very inconsiderate. It is definitely not like carrying on a conversation with a hiking partner. Cell users talk loud! Again, people have become so accustomed to having a phone in their hand and constantly looking at it and worrying that every one of their 'friends' is forgetting about them for a second it is really hilarious to watch. Like someone stated, how did we geezers ever survive to this day when there were no cell phones? We used our heads and actually figured things out for ourselves.

I understand the concept of having cell service available for emergency purposes. My problem is that when I am hiking the beautiful trails of Yellowstone and wherever else, the last thing I want to hear is some one jabbering on their phone. I also don't like it when someone plays loud music while hiking on a remote trail. Yeah, its disturbing to others. I hike to get away from all that stuff.
Maybe I'm cranky. I also hate it when people talk on the phone in a public bathroom, while on the can. Hello???? Seriously, if people knew how to be considerate, it wouldn't be much of an issue, but we are all about what WE want.

My daughter/DW harassed me for years to get a cell since I had a heart attack in 02. I do a lot of hiking and golfing alone so I realize they were trying to protect me. After about 5 yrs of this I gave in and now have a fine cell phone that I take everywhere I go. I may use it once/twice a month to call DW and ask if I need to bring home a loaf of bread or something. Our grandson travels with us all summer long and he calls his Mom every night to stay in touch and tell her what we're up to so cells do come in handy for some. :B

How in world did people EVER get along before there were cellphones? Did they not go beyond sight of a payphone? Did they not have health issues before cellphones were available? Did they not drive their cars in the country unless a Trooper with a radio in his car was in sight?

It really is a pityfull sight seeing all of those people who cannot walk anywhere without the cellphone in hand. Checking, checking, checking, checking.

Yeah, it is nice to have cell service but if it is not there, well, too bad. It is not the end of the world & the world will continue to spin without you being connected to it for a few days.

As far as Yellowstone & Fishing Bridge area goes, well yes, they should have coverage. It is a congested area with business & mobile people. Cell towers don't always need to be hundreds of feet high. There is one in Grand Teton. You would hardly know it is there. The top of the tower with the antenna arrays barely pokes above the trees.

The real point here is that the area in Yellowstone that the cell tower IS going in is an area where there is currently no service. On top of that, the Lake/Fishing Bridge area has a large volume of visitors staying in that area. Not only the hotels and campgrounds but also the workers quarters that for the most part are hidden from view. The infrastructure impact in this area is quite large.

With the assumption that they will be able to make this much needed upgrade with minimal impact, it will provide a big impact for those who actually visit. One of the largest problems is people squawking who have no real knowledge of the area. It seems that, for them, any change is wrong.

Keith

westernrvparkowner wrote:
How far back should we roll technology? For some, the park sure would be nicer to visit if it wasn't for those "horseless carriages" people drive around.

:h

Good grief...from one extreme to another! Who's suggesting abandoning what's already there? Going out to the woods without a cell phone-or even, heaven forbid, without electricity- is hardly a return to the horse-and-buggy age.

The notion that there has to be cell phone coverage everywhere is in my opinion a symptom of the extreme dependency on the wired world that we've afflicted ourselves with over the last decade. And that's just for starters- how many folks' number one complaint about RV parks is poor Wi-Fi signals?

This great Social Change is thanks to us over-sixties, by the way...the most self-involved generation of Americans ever. No wonder they call us baby boomers.

In the outdoor locations we frequent I seldom see others blabbing away on phones.

As a "geezer" I'm not a device user when off and about.
Our cell devices are simple and often left discharged.

Frankly I see no reason to not cover the nation with cell\wifi service.
I may start complaining when other campers start crashing into me, each other or walking off cliffs because of distractions.
For now distracted device users of the outdoors are not a problem.

How far back should we roll technology? For some, the park sure would be nicer to visit if it wasn't for those "horseless carriages" people drive around. Cell phone signals are invisible, converstations on them aren't any louder than a group of hikers talking amongst themselves, but the fact you only can hear one side of the conversation does make eavesdropping a bit less enjoyable. The national parks encompass millions of acres, you can find a quiet spot pretty easily. What we have here is not concern over damage to the experience of visiting the back country, but rather a small group of self important people who get off on imposing their will on others. Every year people die in the back country and maybe a few of them would still be with us if they had a way to contact rescue workers. Even more people get lost and money is spent on search and rescue efforts, which could have been avoided had the person been able to make contact and report that either they were safe and delayed or were able to relay their location to expediently arrange their safe return. This smacks of the "emperor's new clothes" syndrome. Someone self proclaimed expert claiming some non-existent fact (cell phone services will cause harm to the back country experience) and everyone nodding in agreement. There is a reason lemmings usually meet an undesirable fate, they don't take the time or energy to realize what really is going on.

For those of us who spend months on the road with older family members back home, wireless networks provide the ability to communicate with them. No, it is not a necessity, but it makes modern travel easier. If you don't want the communication, simply turn off your phone. Modern cell towers have the ability to be almost undetectable and require very limited space. Unless you actually go looking for them, most don't even know that they are even there.

For those who advocate going back to the old ways, the damage to remove all that has taken place over the decades would be incredible. While there may be those who object, we must simply move forward with the hopes that those in charge make good decisions.

I, for one, like most of what they have done.

Keith

You nailed it, Francesca. :)