I’m glad things worked out.
Sometimes the signal strength can be too poor to place a call, but just strong enough to send out texts. Same situation can happen with a low battery.
Glad to hear everyone’s all right!!!
Excellent idea!
Rob does tend towards the nerdy side - someone said this morning that the three of them up there on the mountain would’ve been like the boys from the Big Bang Theory. Hoo, I wish I could’ve heard what was going on up there:)
Yes, not sure yet, but I think he sent out a bulk text to emergency, me, and a couple of friends. We all called the cops, so I guess he covered his bases pretty well that way.
I just want to say, thanks everyone for your support and well wishes. I was posting here while I was waiting, and I can’t tell you how much it helped me keep it together.
Guys, you rock!
Glad it ended well 
I’m a little slow to chime in (time zone differences exacerbated by a nasty computer problem that is finally solved), but - YAAAAAAYYYY!!! All day while I was out/waiting for my computer to be restored I was wondering about this and hoping to read good news.
I’m smiling now!
What did he do wrong that you mention punishing your 26 yr old adult son? Just because someone needs assistance does not mean they actually made a mistake - unpredictable things happen. When he got into some sort of difficulty he was able to recognize it and get help so in that he did the right thing.
Just kidding around, he’s not going to be punished.
However, he did make a huge mistake - he allowed himself to get lost in the mountains in winter with insufficient clothing and supplies. I don’t have all the details so I can’t make any judgments yet, but I know that they weren’t prepared to spend the night outside at -7°C (19.4F).
Thanks Carol! I really appreciated your kind words. It really did help!
That is an important point worth repeating.
In an emergency where coverage is spotty, have a text ready to send. Keep in mind clearings and hilltops/ridges are where coverage is likely to be better.
If the phone battery is low. Turn off the battery for awhile. They recover a bit if you do that. Also, batteries do not like low temps. Warming up the battery by keeping it against your body under clothing for awhile may revive a nearly dead battery.
Also, a few years ago I kept going to a “remote” area with poor coverage. Folks kept wondering why their cell phones were dying. It turned out that our phones were using up the battery power trying to connect to a tower. So, if you are in a place where coverage is bad/marginal, might be a good idea to turn it off, so you have as much power as you can WHEN you need it.
Every mother’s words - “Thank God you’re alive! Now I am going to kill you.”
Glad it all worked out. Don’t embarass him.
Regards,
Shodan
Whenever I’m climbing mountains or skiing my phone is in airplane mode. In my experience running my phone in airplane mode and “battery saver” mode extends the life the phone by 100% or more. If I want to try to send a text or check for messages I’ll pop out of airplane mode for a minute, then go right back in.
Yeah, I’m gonna kill him!
But I won’t embarrass him. Seriously, I would say the whole ordeal has taught him a whole lot of lessons. I don’t think anything I can say would add to that. When I see him next, I’ll want to hear all about it, but I’ll be careful about how I approach it. I’m just glad he’s ok.
On top of this there are ways to attach your location (lat/long) to a txt message. I’ve got a few GPS apps which will do it but I’m pretty sure the standard Google Maps and iPhone GPS can do it as well.
Most excellent news Cara Mel! As others have said, you, as a worried mother, are perfectly entitled to slap him stupid (30 seconds max) then cuddle him for as long as you like. If he squirms and seems embarrassed…slap him again, then cuddle…rinse and repeat.
If I’d been reading this thread in real-time, I would have been worried to death along with you. You kept it together and I’m so glad he’s safe!
Now for the beers, tears and cheers.