This Hiker Lost In The Wilderness Saved Himself Using His iPhone’s Flashlight App

More proof that the iPhone is the 21st century analogue to the venerable Swiss Army Knife: a hiker lost in the woods on New Year’s Eve was able to alert and flag down rescuers using his iPhone’s flashlight app.

HLN has the report:

Christopher Tkacik says he and his dog, Boo, got lost while out hiking on northwest Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain. After several hours of trying to find his way out of a maze of trails, he called 911…

Told to stay in place and wait for help, Tkacik says he loaded up that flashlight app. When a helicopter was overhead, he held up his phone and used it as a virtual beacon to help rescuers locate his position…

All told, Tkacik and Boo spent eight hours lost on the mountain. And without his phone and virtual flashlight who knows how much longer they might have remained there.

Okay, cool, but until you can kill a bear with an iPhone, I’ll have to keep carrying my knife.

Comment »