Thread: For Those Who Have Used Your PLB

I have set mine off once, took Mrs into Jollybrook hut at Mt Thomas and on the day we walked out it was pissing down, there's a few side creeks that turned into raging torrents but we managed to get across them and kept heading back towards the carpark. Then a bit further on a random rock that had freed itself from somewhere above us due to all the rain came hurtling down through the trees and smashed Mrs in the thigh, we had been creeping g around the edge of the main river when it happened and she slipped over and started getting carried away by the water, her pack (which had all our dry clothes in it) was shoving her face first into the water but I managed to half grab her while screaming at her to let the chest strap go so the pack would come off, she managed to dump it and I managed to drag her out of the water. Then, with all our dry gear gone and it still pisisng down rain and getting late in the day we made it back nearly to the carpark with just a river crossing to go which was a no go as it was really pumping by that stage. It was getting late and I was super cold and could tell my thought processes weren't working properly so I hit the button before things got worse. They pulled us out of there and took us to chch hospital before discharging us later that night. One of the cops from Rangiora came and picked us up and took us back to the station and let us hang out there and have a nap in their common room for a few hours as he didn't want me driving untill I'd had a good rest, then took us to pick up my truck the next morning. So many little things I could have done different but was one of those situations that just got worse and worse and was very grateful for the button and the quick response from all involved.
I've also set of my plb on farm once after we had a girl who was only 18 have a stroke on farm, we didn't know what on earth was happening but she was stone cold unconscious for what seemed like an hour whilst I was screaming at the 111 dispatch lady trying to explain how our farm at the time (near rakaia) was not in the Manawatu, and I ended up setting off my PLB for the chopper crew