A brisk, 13km day walk up to Stockyard Spur, southwest of Canberra, on the weekend turned into exhaustion and a long, cold wait for help to arrive for an overcome bushwalker, one of five rescued in recent weeks from remote areas of the ACT.
Some had lost their way, others were overcome with fatigue and cases of mild hypothermia, and another suffered an injury which slowed progress so much that an easy day hike became a freezing late night, huddled out of the wind, and saved by just a brief window of phone reception to summon assistance.
But the common element among all those reported missing in Canberra's bushland and rescued by police recently has been miscalculation of terrain, distance and weather.
There's also a greater-than-ever reliance on smartphones as the safety fallback for bushwalkers, says acting Sergeant Andrew Craig, from the federal police search and rescue team.
"Smartphones are fine for navigating while you have signal and battery power," he said.
"But people seem to take it for granted that they will get signal anywhere and that's just not the case out in the bush.
"And if you are using your phone's GPS to navigate and in doing so drain your battery power, then you can't call for help."
Superintendent Rod Anderson, who has been in charge of the ACT's Rural Patrol team for years and managed hundreds of search and rescue operations, has more blunt advice.
"Don't rely on technology to get you out of trouble," he said.
"Even if you are an experienced bushwalker, there is always the chance of a slip or trip; if you suffer a slight injury, that can add hours to your calculations and at this time of year when the sun sets around 5pm, other factors such as extreme cold become a big problem."
Police have seen an increase in bushwalking numbers across the ACT since the end of the pandemic; it seems the "excuse" once used by many to leave the house for exercise by hiking in the Canberra's remote areas has become a more regular form of recreation.
The opening of the Orroral Valley, with access to the Granite Tors walking track and the Geodetic Observatory, on May 27, has also lifted the number of winter walkers.
For those who can't bear to be without their smartphones, two apps have proved useful when the unexpected occurs and help is sought. They are What3Words and Rescue Plus.
The former is designed to generate a location based on just three words and when remote phone reception may last just seconds, those words can nail the location down to three square metres.
"Once you call for help, stay put; don't leave that location," acting Sergeant Craig said.
But the proven, recommended backup to technology is at almost every ACT trailhead: an old-fashioned written logbook of names, the planned route, and expected time of return.
"We also recommend that as a precaution people carry additional clothes and wet weather gear, some form of shelter even if you aren't planning to stay overnight, extra food and water - and let family or friends know when you expect to return."
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