Good post. So sad about Snipe's condition.
I have had no service come up on the cell enough that I have invested in a Satellite Phone by Globalstar. I don't feel right taking my family into the back country without a safety link.
The Globalstar 1600 works anywhere-anytime (cont. USA) and I have tested in narrow canyons in Death Valley, The open desert in the Mojave and out in the mountains of central Nevada and right here on the beaches of So.Cal.
It just works like a charm each and every time-clear as a bell. The company offers n Emergency Kit and plan. The phone is in a waterproof box with all of the chargers and auto adaptors needed. Comes with yearly minutes allaowables too. Cheap insurance considering the trouble a pearson can get into in the field.